Busy Lizzie's Childminding

09/08/2026

The beans we planted back in May have grown into spectacular beanstalks full of bean pods. Unfortunately there's only me here to eat them ☹️

08/08/2026

17/07/2026

It's been a bittersweet few days here at Busy Lizzies as we've enjoyed our final week together before 5 out of 6 of the gang spread their wings and head off to school. ❤️

They requested a week full of adventures, and I always aim to please! We've explored Tropical World and Roundhay Park, discovered the magic of Wycoller, celebrated a special birthday at Hesketh Farm, and finished with a wonderfully wild walk at East Riddlesden Hall.

We've made some amazing memories together, shared plenty of laughter, and yes... a few tears too. I'm so proud of each and every one of them. They are more than ready for this exciting next chapter, and I can't wait to see all the wonderful adventures that school brings.

Good luck, my little friends – you'll always be part of the Busy Lizzies family. 🌟💛

14/07/2026

Great excitement in the garden today: our beanstalks have produced beans 🥳 And there are finally enough ripe blueberries to pick to eat with tea 😋

08/07/2026

Sports Day fun in the sun with our friends. Absolute chaos! 🤣

08/07/2026

How exciting!!

03/07/2026

Today was the day we had all been waiting for – it was time to release our beautiful butterflies!

Our chrysalises hatched on Tuesday and Wednesday, and over the past few days the children have loved observing the butterflies up close as they fed on fresh strawberries and orange segments. It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about the butterfly life cycle and care for these amazing creatures.

This afternoon we carefully carried our butterfly habitat outside, unzipped the net, and watched with excitement as our butterflies spread their wings and flew off into the garden.

One butterfly stayed close by, giving us an extra special treat as we quietly watched it feed on the nectar from the flowers in our garden before continuing on its journey.

Experiences like these help children develop an understanding of the natural world, encourage curiosity, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

24/06/2026

Phew, it's hot 🥵

The last couple of days have been all about finding ways to keep cool! We've been exploring the local woods hunting for bugs 🐞🌳 and moving our water/ messy play around the garden to stay in the shade 💦☀️.

Lots of fun, fresh air, and happy little explorers!

19/06/2026

Over the last 2 weeks, we've continued learning about caterpillars and butterflies. The children have loved watching our caterpillars grow bigger each day, and yesterday we had a very exciting moment when one of our caterpillars formed its chrysalis 🐛✨

We've been getting creative by making caterpillars and other bugs with play dough, helping to develop our fine motor skills while exploring the world of minibeasts.

We've also had outings to Cliffe castle museum, PB play village, the library, Haworth and Glusburn parks and St. Ives, whilst at home we've enjoyed painting, singing, exploring the story sacks, dressing up and playing in the garden.

08/06/2026

🐛🍎 The Very Hungry Caterpillar 🍐🍓

Last week, our pot of tiny, very hungry caterpillars arrived in the post! The children were fascinated by just how small they were and enjoyed observing them closely.

We read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and brought the story to life by reenacting it with the knitted props from our story sack. This encouraged imaginative play, listening skills, and language development as the children retold parts of the story in their own words.

The children then developed their fine motor skills by carefully threading beads onto pipe cleaners to create their own colourful caterpillars. We also practiced number recognition and counting through a fun sticker activity inspired by the story.

To finish our week, we explored creativity and sensory play by using the fruits from the story to make prints with paint. The children loved discovering the different shapes and patterns each fruit created.

📚 Learning & Development:
• Communication and Language – listening to and retelling stories
• Literacy – developing an interest in books and storytelling
• Mathematics – number recognition and counting
• Physical Development – strengthening fine motor skills through threading activities
• Expressive Arts and Design – exploring colour, texture and printing techniques
• Understanding the World – observing the caterpillars and learning about life cycles

We can't wait to watch our tiny caterpillars grow and change over the coming weeks! 🦋