Once Upon a Time Childcare Ltd.

Once Upon a Time Childcare Ltd. We love to play! We love to explore! We love to imagine. We are a Childcare setting in Tonna for chi It is owned and managed by Nicola Manley.

We are a childcare setting based at Tonnau Primary school - just 5 minutes away from Neath. Once Upon a Time Childcare is for all children ages 2yrs - 12 years old. We offer Full daycare, Before School Club, morning and afternoon sessions, wrap around, After School club and Holiday Club. 'Once Upon a Time Childcare is registered by the CIW and all staff are suitably qualified and DBS checked. Our light, spacious playroom is full of exciting new toys and enables children to have the chance to explore, learn and develop. Although lots of activities will be planned by the staff at 'Once Upon a Time' the activities will offer the children opportunity to find things out for themselves. This enables children to learn through child-led play that develops discovery, curiosity and imagination. There are a range of activities for children of all ages including messy play, art and craft, play dough, construction blocks, water and sand play, ipad mini, puppets, reading and sports games. We also have direct access to a safe enclosed outdoor area which is perfect for fun outdoor play. Full daycare 9 - 3.30pm or 9 - 6:00 Early drop off at 830am extra charge. This is for 2 year olds. Children will be kept very busy with lots of multi-sensory activities. Children can have a little nap in our chill out den if they need to. Healthy snacks and drinks provided throughout the day. Lunch provided by parents/carers.

'Morning sessions' 9:00 - 11:30am
Two year olds and children who attend afternoon Nursery Sessions have fun exploring the playroom. We have lots of planned activities indoor and out. Morning snack and drink provided.

'Wrap around lunch time 11:30 - 1:00pm
This is for 2 year olds, morning and afternoon Nursery children. If children are from Tonnau school then children are collected from their nursery classroom and walked over to our playroom. Parents/carers provide lunch. Children have fun exploring the playroom. Afternoon Nursery children are dropped off at their classroom.

'Afternoon session' 1:00pm - 3:30pm
For two year olds and children who attend morning Nursery. Lots of planned activities indoor and out. Afternoon snack and drink provided.

'After School Club'
This is for children aged 3 - 12 years old. Each evening will be different - science experiments, arts and crafts, IPad mini, reading, playing outdoor, loom banding, jigsaws and games. Lots of fun and chill out time. Early evening snack and drink provided. Holiday Club 8:30 - 6:00 9 - 6 Sibling discount available. This is for ages 3- 12 year olds. Fun and games outside and in. Many different age appropriate themed activities and days. Healthy snacks and drinks provided throughout day. Lunch provided by parents/carers. We also offer drop offs/collections from local schools for a small extra charge. Once Upon a Time Childcare is a loving safe environment for children to play, learn and grow.

Bookings for October Half Term 2026 are now OPEN! (October 26th - October 30th) Half days and Full days available.🎃👻🎃We ...
05/10/2026

Bookings for October Half Term 2026 are now OPEN! (October 26th - October 30th) Half days and Full days available.🎃👻🎃
We will be kicking off the Half-Term Holiday Club with a Halloween Spooktacular Party with a fun filled day of dancing, games, spooky dress up, gooey sensory trays and plenty of magical Halloween Excitement. Children are welcome to come in their favourite costumes for a day full of giggles and ghostly fun if they want to (If not, we will have face painting here on the day anyways!).

After our big party, the Halloween fun continues through the week with with lots of Halloween crafts and creative activities so that by the end of the week the children will have created plenty of spooky masterpieces to help celebrate Halloween in style!

We can't wait to welcome everyone for a fang-tastic half term!

Another week of fun has flown by! We finished our Gruffalo themed week by going for an autumnal walk in the woods- and a...
02/10/2026

Another week of fun has flown by! We finished our Gruffalo themed week by going for an autumnal walk in the woods- and a little stop at the park.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend 😁

The children had an absolute blast painting with vegetables on a huge sheet of paper spread across the floor. They dippe...
02/10/2026

The children had an absolute blast painting with vegetables on a huge sheet of paper spread across the floor. They dipped carrots, broccoli, leeks and parsnips into paint and dragged them to see what marks they could make. It quickly turned into a wonderfully messy, sensory adventure - colourful hands, painted veggies and lots of giggles as the paper filled with bold patterns and splodgy prints. This kind of open-ended play lets children experiment, make choices and discover how everyday items can become creative tools. The floor got messy, the children got messy and the fun was totally worth it.

Roedd y plant wedi cael hwyl anhygoel yn paentio gyda llysiau ar ddalen enfawr o bapur ar draws y llawr. Mi wnaethon nhw dipio moron, brocoli, cennin a phersli mewn paent ac yna’u llusgo i weld pa farciau y gallent eu creu. Aeth yn gyflym iawn yn antur synhwyraidd, flêr a bendigedig – dwylo lliwgar, llysiau wedi’u paentio a llond tŷ o chwerthin wrth i’r papur lenwi â phatrymau beiddgar a phrintiau splodgy.
Mae chwarae agored fel hyn yn rhoi cyfle i blant arbrofi, gwneud dewisiadau a darganfod sut y gall pethau bob dydd droi’n offer creadigol. Mi wnaeth y llawr fynd yn flêr, mi wnaeth y plant fynd yn flêr – ac roedd y hwyl yn hollol werth e.

Autumn has brought all the cosy colours and sparkling magic to our nursery this week, and the children have been at the ...
01/10/2026

Autumn has brought all the cosy colours and sparkling magic to our nursery this week, and the children have been at the heart of it.
With a bubbling pot of autumnal soup – a sensory mix of leaves, twigs and conkers swirling through glimmering orange water that shimmered in the light. The children scooped, stirred and poured, chatting about the colours and pretending to cook up their own woodland recipes.
Then we moved to conker painting and cone printing, rolling and stamping natural treasures through paint to create beautiful autumn patterns. Lots of giggles, lots of mess and lots of creativity – the perfect way to celebrate the season.

Mae’r Hydref wedi dod â’r holl liwiau cynnes a’r hud sgleiniog i’n meithrin yr wythnos hon, ac mae’r plant wedi bod wrth galon y cyfan. Gyda phot brwd o gawl hydrefol – cymysgedd synhwyraidd o ddail, brigau a chnau cast yn troelli drwy ddŵr oren disglair oedd yn pefrio yn y golau. Roedd y plant yn sgŵpio, troi a thywallt, yn sgwrsio am y lliwiau ac yn dychmygu eu ryseitiau coedwig eu hunain. Yna symudon ni ymlaen at baentio cnau cast a phrintio conau, yn rholio ac yn stampio trysorau natur drwy baent i greu patrymau hardd yr hydref. Llawer o chwerthin, llawer o lanast a llond trol o greadigrwydd – y ffordd berffaith o ddathlu’r tymor.

Our nursery has been bursting with autumn magic as the children explored a colourful autumn rice tray, scooping and sift...
01/10/2026

Our nursery has been bursting with autumn magic as the children explored a colourful autumn rice tray, scooping and sifting through warm seasonal shades, before diving into chilly autumn ice play where conkers, leaves, twigs and sparkling gems were frozen inside icy blocks ready to be rescued, over in the mud kitchen they created imaginative ice cupcakes with frozen "batter" and natural toppings. They also enjoyed our wonderfully scented autumn playdough filled with leaves, conkers and pine cones - a perfect blend of sensory exploration, creativity and seasonal fun.

Mae ein meithrin wedi bod yn byrstio â hud yr hydref wrth i’r plant archwilio hambwrdd reis lliwgar, yn sgŵpio ac yn hidlo drwy liwiau cynnes y tymor. Yna fe wnaethon nhw blymio i chwarae iâ oer yr hydref, lle roedd cnau cast, dail, brigau a gemau sgleiniog wedi’u rhewi mewn blociau iâ yn aros i gael eu hachub.
Yn y gegin fwd, crëon nhw “cupcakes iâ” dychmygus gyda “batter” wedi rhewi a thopinau naturiol.
Roedden nhw hefyd yn mwynhau ein toes chwarae hydrefol persawrus, wedi’i lenwi â dail, cnau cast a chonau pin — cyfuniad perffaith o archwilio synhwyraidd, creadigrwydd a hwyl dymhorol.

We’ve been having a fantastic time with our new Gruffalo Granny book, which is really igniting the children’s imaginatio...
01/10/2026

We’ve been having a fantastic time with our new Gruffalo Granny book, which is really igniting the children’s imaginations! Together, we made a delicious autumn stew packed with vibrant seasonal veggies and herbs. It was a lovely opportunity for the children to explore textures and smells (don’t worry, no mice were included!). We later took the fun outdoors, where they could explore their cooking skills in the mud kitchen.

Messy play this week was spaghetti snakes in strawberry sauce!

Rydyn ni wedi bod yn cael amser bendigedig gyda’n llyfr newydd Gruffalo Granny, sydd wir yn tanio dychymyg y plant!
Gyda’n gilydd, fe wnaethon ni greu stiw hydrefol blasus, yn llawn o lysiau lliwgar y tymor a pherlysiau. Roedd yn gyfle hyfryd i’r plant archwilio gweadau a synhwyrau (peidiwch poeni — dim llygod ar y fwydlen!).
Yn nes ymlaen, aethon ni â’r hwyl allan i’r awyr agored, lle roedden nhw’n gallu parhau i archwilio eu sgiliau coginio yn y gegin fwd.
Roedd y chwarae budr yr wythnos hon yn “neidr spaghetti mewn saws mefus!

Autumn is still bubbling away in the nursery and the children have been completely absorbed in a full day of story fun. ...
30/09/2026

Autumn is still bubbling away in the nursery and the children have been completely absorbed in a full day of story fun. With our new Gruffalo Granny book sparking imaginations, the children played with foxtail soup made from melted ice cream, swirling creamy "broth" around conkers and sticks as they chatted about woodland characters. Then the children made owl pizza at the play dough table!

Mae’r Hydref yn dal i fragu’n braf yn y feithrin, ac mae’r plant wedi bod yn hollol ymgolli mewn diwrnod llawn o hwyl straeon.

Gyda’n llyfr newydd Gruffalo Granny yn tanio’u dychymyg, bu’r plant yn chwarae gyda “cawl cynffon llwynog” wedi’i wneud o hufen iâ wedi toddi, yn troelli’r “broth” hufennog o gwmpas cnau cast a ffyn wrth sgwrsio am gymeriadau’r goedwig.

Ac wedyn, fe wnaethon nhw bizzas tylluan ar y bwrdd toes chwarae!

Another fun filled week with friends 😄 We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
25/09/2026

Another fun filled week with friends 😄
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Messy play this week was all about autumn colour and sensory fun. We set up a big tray filled with orange lentils shaped...
25/09/2026

Messy play this week was all about autumn colour and sensory fun. We set up a big tray filled with orange lentils shaped into a pumpkin and the children absolutely loved it. They scooped, poured, smoothed and sprinkled the lentils, watching the pumpkin shape change as they worked together.

This simple activity gave them a chance to explore texture, practice careful hand movements and enjoy a cosy autumn theme through hands-on play.

Please can everyone bring spare clothes - messy play days are wonderfully sensory... and wonderfully messy!

A bright, tactile autumn activity full of creativity and happy little hands

Roedd messy play yr wythnos hon yn hollol am liwiau’r Hydref a hwyl synhwyraidd. Wnaethon ni osod hambwrdd mawr wedi’i lenwi â lentils oren wedi’u siapio fel pwmpen – ac roedd y plant wrth eu bodd! Roedden nhw’n sgŵpio, tywallt, llyfnu ac ymbelydru’r lentils, yn gwylio’r pwmpen newid siâp wrth iddyn nhw weithio gyda’i gilydd.

Roedd y gweithgaredd syml yma’n rhoi cyfle iddyn nhw archwilio gwead, ymarfer symudiadau gofalus gyda’u dwylo bach, ac ymgolli mewn thema gynnes o’r Hydref drwy chwarae ymarferol.

A all pawb ddod â dillad sbâr os gwelwch yn dda – mae diwrnodau messy play yn synhwyraidd hyfryd… ac yn flêr hyfryd hefyd!
Gweithgaredd Hydref llawn lliw, gwead a dwylo bach hapus yn creu’n llawen.

To welcome the new season this week, we headed out on a lovely autumn walk. The children collected lots of autumn goodie...
25/09/2026

To welcome the new season this week, we headed out on a lovely autumn walk. The children collected lots of autumn goodies - colourful leaves, sticks, conkers and other treasures - all safely tucked into bags to bring back to nursery for our play and exploration.

Along the way we spotted squirrels dashing through the trees and found ladybirds resting on the bench and on leaves, giving the children plenty of magical moments to observe nature up close. We rounded off our outing with some fun in the playground, climbing, sliding and enjoying the autumn air together.

I’r croesawu’r tymor newydd yr wythnos hon, aethon ni allan ar dro hyfryd yr hydref. Casglodd y plant lond bagiau o drysorau’r hydref – dail lliwgar, canghennau, cnau castan a phethau bach arbennig eraill – i’w dod â nhw’n ôl i’r feithrinfa ar gyfer ein chwarae a’n harchwilio.

Wrth gerdded, gwelon ni wiwerod yn rhedeg drwy’r coed, ac fe wnaethon ni ddod o hyd i gwenynen fach goch yn gorffwys ar y fainc ac ar y dail, gan roi digon o eiliadau hudolus i’r plant wylio natur o’r bron. Gorffenon ni ein taith gyda dipyn o hwyl yn y maes chwarae – dringo, llithro ac mwynhau awyr yr hydref gyda’n gilydd.

Address

School Road, Tonna
Neath
SA113EJ

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+447743379395

Website

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