The Early Years Academy Loughborough

01/10/2026

🌿 Our very first Forest school outing! 🌿

Today was a very special day as our children headed out on their first Forest School adventure to our local Rectory Wildlife Gardens! 🍃🐛

And what an amazing first outing they had! We were so proud of how beautifully they embraced the experience — full of curiosity, excitement and a real sense of wonder. 💚

We spent time exploring the gardens, searching carefully for bugs 🐞, discovering the different shapes, colours and textures of leaves 🍂 and stopping to smell the beautiful lavender 🌸.

There was so much to see, touch, smell and investigate, and the children were completely immersed in their surroundings.

This is exactly what we love about our Forest School Academy — giving children the opportunity to experience nature first-hand, ask questions, explore their surroundings and develop their confidence through real experiences. 🌱

Our ethos is all about creating awe and wonder in every moment, and today certainly delivered that. ✨

A huge well done to our little explorers — you were absolutely amazing! We can't wait to see where our Forest School adventures take us next! 🌳💚

25/09/2026

🌿 Something exciting is coming to EYA Loughborough… Our Forest School Academy! 🌿

We’re delighted to be launching our Forest School Academy at The Early Years Academy Loughborough, giving our preschool children even more opportunities to explore, discover and learn through the great outdoors.

We believe children learn so much when they have the freedom to get outside, get curious and experience things for themselves. From exploring nature and wildlife to developing confidence, problem-solving skills, physical skills and resilience, our Forest School experiences will give children the opportunity to learn in a completely different way. 🌳🍂

And because we know how important it is for our preschool families to understand why we do what we do, we’d love to invite our preschool parents to a special Forest School Information Evening.

📅 Wednesday 8th October
⏰ 5:00pm – 6:00pm
📍 The Early Years Academy Loughborough

During the evening, we’ll talk through what Forest School will look like for our children, the experiences they’ll have and the learning opportunities that come from spending time in nature.

It’s also a lovely opportunity to meet with the team, ask questions and find out more about this exciting new part of your child’s EYA journey.

🌿 We’d love to see you there!

Please speak to the Loughborough team if you’d like to attend.

We can’t wait to share this next adventure with you and your little explorers. 💚

24/09/2026

☕️🍫 Hot Chocolate Role Play in the Garden! 🍫☕️

Our Pre-School and Rising 3s children have been getting creative in the garden this week with a wonderfully messy hot chocolate role-play experience! 🤎

With bowls, cups, spoons and plenty of imaginative ingredients, the children enjoyed pretending to make and serve their very own hot chocolates to friends and educators. Of course, when you’re making hot chocolate in the garden, things are bound to get a little messy! 😄

Experiences like this give children so much more than a chance to get messy. They encourage imaginative play, communication, turn-taking, social interaction and problem-solving, while also supporting independence and confidence.

There were lots of opportunities to scoop, pour, stir, mix and experiment, with the children leading their own play and developing their ideas as they went.

It’s these simple, hands-on experiences that create those moments of awe and wonder we value so much at EYA — where children can simply be in the moment, explore freely and enjoy learning through play. 🌿🤎

And yes… we think the garden may need a little hot chocolate clean-up afterwards! 😂☕️

23/09/2026

🍂 Autumn at EYA! 🍁

Our Pre-School and Rising 3s have been enjoying lots of autumn-themed activities this week, exploring colours, textures and the changes happening around us.

From creative play and early maths to outdoor adventures, every activity has been a chance to learn, explore and have fun together. 🍁🌿

✨ Lots of learning, laughter and awe and wonder!

21/09/2026

🍂 Our Autumn Bags are ready! 🍁

There’s something rather special about autumn at The Early Years Academy.

We’re encouraging our children to take one of our Autumn Bags home and head out on an autumn walk with their families. 🌳🍂

Perhaps you’ll find a beautiful golden leaf, a pine cone, a feather, a little stick or another natural treasure that catches your eye.

The idea is simple — explore, notice, collect and share. ❤️

When the children return to nursery, they can bring their autumn treasures in to share with their friends and educators. We’ll use their discoveries as inspiration for conversations, curiosity and further learning.

It’s a lovely way to extend our children’s learning beyond the nursery and into family life, while encouraging them to slow down and really notice the wonderful world around them.

And, of course, there’s no right or wrong treasure to find — we want to see what sparks your child’s curiosity. 🍁

So grab your Autumn Bag, put on those wellies and see what you can discover together! 🥾🌿

Happy autumn exploring! 🍂

18/09/2026

🌟 A little piece of home, ready to be shared… 💛

Starting nursery is a big moment for little ones, and we know those first days can bring lots of new faces, new experiences and new feelings.

That’s why, when your child first joins The Early Years Academy Loughborough, they’ll receive their very own ‘All About Me Bag’ 👜✨

We’re inviting families to help their child choose 3 small things from home that represent them, make them happy or tell us something about who they are.

They could choose something linked to:
🎨 A hobby or activity they enjoy
🌿 Something they love doing outdoors
🚗 A favourite interest or collection
❤️ Someone or something special to them
✨ Anything small that makes them smile

There are no right or wrong choices — we simply want to discover the little things that are important to your child.

Alongside their three special items, there will also be a little ‘All About Me’ questionnaire inside the bag, with some simple questions for you and your child to explore together, such as:

💛 What makes me happy?
📚 What books do I like to read?
🎨 What do I enjoy doing?
🌈 What are my favourite things?
😊 What helps me to feel comfortable and settled?

When the bag comes back to nursery, we’ll spend time sharing the items and talking about them with friends and practitioners.

It’s a lovely way for us to begin learning about who your child is, what they enjoy and what makes them feel happy and secure, helping us to build those important connections from the very beginning. 🥰

We can’t wait to discover a little more about every one of our new children and the things that make them uniquely them. 💛

3 special things.
1 little bag.
Lots of stories to share. 🌈

15/09/2026

💻📱 A PARENT’S GUIDE TO ONLINE SAFETY 💻📱

The online world is a huge part of family life today, and keeping our children safe online can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.

From the apps they use and the videos they watch, to the games they play and the things they might come across, there is a lot for parents to think about.

That’s why we’ve put together our latest blog: A Parent’s Guide to Online Safety. 💚

Our guide is designed to help parents feel more informed and confident when it comes to supporting children as they begin to explore the digital world.

We look at some of the things parents can consider when it comes to:
🔐 Keeping children safe online
📱 Understanding their digital world
💬 Talking openly about online experiences
👀 Supporting healthy boundaries around technology
🌱 Helping children develop safe and positive habits from an early age

You don’t need to be a technology expert to help keep your child safe online. Sometimes, it starts with simply knowing what to look out for and creating an open conversation at home.

We’d really encourage all of our EYA families to take a few minutes to have a read. ❤️

👉 Read our latest blog: A Parent’s Guide to Online Safety

Because keeping our children safe doesn’t stop when they leave nursery — it’s something we can all work together on.

A Parent’s Guide To Online Safety For Pre-School Children Online Safety Guide for Pre-School Children In today’s world, technology is part of everyday life. Even our youngest children are exposed to phones, tablets, and televisions from an early age. While these tools can support learning and cr...

14/09/2026

📚✨ Introducing our EYA Company Core Books! ✨📚

We’re really excited to introduce our new Company Core Books across The Early Years Academy! 💛

These books have been added alongside our existing Room Core Books and can now be found in our parent areas too.

We’ve created these bags as another simple way to strengthen the important link between home and nursery. We know that children’s learning doesn’t stop when they leave our doors, and we love finding ways for families to be part of their experiences and continue conversations at home.

📖 Want to borrow one?

You’ll find our Company Core Books in canvas bags within the parent area, ready for families to borrow and enjoy together at home.

Whether you read the book together, chat about the ideas inside, or simply enjoy some quality time sharing a story, we hope they become a lovely part of your home-to-nursery connection.

💛 Just one important reminder:
If you borrow a book, please remember to sign it out so we can keep track of where our books are and make sure everyone gets the opportunity to enjoy them.

Happy reading! 📚✨

14/09/2026

🌱 SUSTAINABLE SEPTEMBER 🌱

Throughout September, we’re encouraging our EYA families to think about the one little change we could each make that might create a bigger difference. 💚

And this month, we’re starting with something simple…

🚲 Walk or cycle to nursery when you can! 🚶‍♀️

It might be walking the whole way, cycling instead of driving, parking a little further away and walking the rest, or simply choosing one day each week to leave the car at home.

For our children, these little changes can become meaningful learning experiences too. 🌿

Walking and cycling give children the opportunity to:
🌳 Notice the world around them
🐦 Spot wildlife and talk about nature
🍂 Experience the changing seasons
🚶‍♂️ Build confidence and independence
💬 Chat, connect and enjoy time together
🌍 Begin to understand how our everyday choices can affect the environment

At EYA, our connection with nature is an important part of our curriculum, from our outdoor learning and Forest School experiences to our Growing Academy. We want children to develop a genuine curiosity about the natural world and a sense of responsibility for the environment around them.

So, this Sustainable September, we’re not looking for perfection.

We’re looking for one little change. 🌱

Could your family walk or cycle to nursery this week?

We’d love to hear what little changes your family is making this September! 💚

14/09/2026

💛🌟 A very warm welcome to our new EYA families! 🌟💛

What a lovely week we had last week as we welcomed some very special new faces through our doors! 🥰

Starting nursery is a big moment for both children and their families. There are new faces to meet, new surroundings to explore, new routines to discover and lots of little firsts along the way. 🌱

We’ve loved getting to know our new children, watching them begin to settle, build relationships and discover all that life at The Early Years Academy has to offer.

To all of our new families — welcome to the EYA family! 💛

We’re so pleased to be starting this journey with you and look forward to all the memories, milestones, friendships and learning that lie ahead.

Here’s to the beginning of many wonderful nursery adventures! 📚🧸🌳✨

Welcome to EYA — we’re so happy you’re here! 💛