Lisa Castle's Childminding

In March we’ve been making the most of the lovely sunshine ☀️

The children have enjoyed planting flowers for their mummies for Mother’s Day and getting creative with some Easter crafts 🐣🌷

We have also been learning about The Hungry Caterpillar, making our own caterpillars, painting butterflies and even dressing up as butterflies 🐛🦋

We’ve been encouraging sharing and counting through a fun fishing game, which the children have really enjoyed 🎣

Steve has been busy getting the garden ready for spring, and we’re excited to have added a brand new slide for the children to enjoy!

We also have some very special news… we have welcomed a beautiful new granddaughter 💕
Joe & Hannah had baby Poppy on 18th March, and we’re delighted to say they are all doing well ☺️

We have had a lovely February (very lovely for Steve & I as we spent two weeks on a Caribbean Cruise!)

We have celebrated Chinese New Year - we painted horses & we enjoyed some Chinese food. We made our loved ones heart chocolates, cards & painted wooden hearts for valentines & I was totally spoilt for my birthday 🎂.

We have been reading our nursery rhyme musical books, taking turns & sharing, using our soft play & ball pit, dancing & exercising to Danny Go & going to toddlers.

Steve has enjoyed the last few weeks working with me. Hannah is now off on maternity leave hopefully getting some rest before my new grandbaby arrives☺️

We have purchased some more new toys. Some new threading toys to help with the children’s fine motor skills, some Easter themed bits for our sensory basket, a fishing game & some gardening bits as the children are going to helping Steve grow some flowers 🌷

Let’s hope spring arrives soon 🤞🏻

We have had a busy January. Can’t believe the month is nearly over. We have had three new children join us and they have settled really, really well. We have been looking at animals that live in cold climates and made polar bears and penguins. Been back to toddler groups and our childminding besties house. Enjoyed having the soft play out and the tunnels and tent. We have purchased some lovely soft floor tiles for our babies so their little feet and hands don’t get cold crawling around the floor. We have also purchased some nice soft building blocks which they have all loved knocking down! Some lovely musical books and a few other lovely toys. My favourite thing that has happened is that my lovely hubby has joined me and become my assistant. He has worked in the same timber yard for the last 43 years and basically has had enough so I talked him into working with me and he looks 10 years younger already. He has enjoyed getting to know all the children and has had fun playing. The children have been enjoying his cooking too & so have I ☺️

We have been really busy getting ready for Christmas and making lots of Christmas crafts, this week we are having 2 Christmas Jumper Days (so no one is left out as have a few part timers!), attending Christmas parties and having lots of Christmassy fun.
🎄 🎅🏼 🎄 🎅🏼 🎄 🎅🏼 🎄 🎅🏼
8 more working days before we break up for the Christmas break ☺️

At Lisa Castle’s Childminding we have been getting used to it being quiet! With all the big ones now settled into school and our little ones sleeping in the afternoon it’s been so quiet 🤫

We have spent our days settling in our new babies (who are so settled already), making a lovely Autumn themed sensory basket for them to explore, making cinnamon scented playdoh, mark making, trying new healthy baby friendly recipes & playing outside & making new friends 💕

A lot of changes have been happening at Lisa Castle’s Childminding. After 13 years of working together my lovely assistant Debbie Chard has left us. She has a new job and even though we all miss her loads we are happy she has settled so well into her new job. She still manages to pop up and see us one day a week after work & I still get to see her lots too 💕

On Monday we welcome my new assistant Hannah Dunne. Hannah is lucky enough to be my son’s partner (🤣) and mummy to my two beautiful grandchildren Amelia & Billy. Hannah has a Level 3 in Childcare, an enhanced DBS, she is First Aid Trained & has Safeguarding and Food Hygiene training. Plus she makes the best playdoh ever! ☺️

In August we will be saying bye bye to lots of our little ones as they head off to School. I will need an endless supply of tissues as we are like a happy little family & i will miss each and everyone of them 💔

We have lots of new babies starting (one already started and settled in), one starting in August and 3 in September. So we will be kept very busy.

I just want to say a big thank you to my wonderful hubby Steve, Gina Lambert, Kimberley Brockwell & Nicola McAuley for all helping me these last few weeks & to my parents & their children I care for for being supportive & understanding & mopping up my tears when I’ve missed my Deb’s!

A new chapter starts tomorrow ☺️