SKIPS Pre School

Last Friday we celebrated Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday by becoming nature explorers 🌿🌎

After talking together about Sir David and his love of animals, plants and our natural world, the children planted potatoes before heading off on a village walk and scavenger hunt.

We listened for birds, spotted plants and insects, and noticed the world around us before finishing our adventure at beautiful St Peter’s Church.

A lovely day of curiosity, exploration and connection with our environment ❤️

Are you looking for a new position working with young children?

Apply Today!

We have a vacancy for a Qualified and experienced Level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner with an interest in outdoor learning to start in September.
Location: Ightham, nr Sevenoaks. TN15 9DD

Job Description
We are a term time pre school with a Forest School.
We offer a cosy, homely setting with a high level of individual attention and personalised care, combined with fantastic learning and development resources.

Pay Scale: salary based on qualifications and experience.

Hours: Part-Time 8:30am to 3:15pm 2-3days week between Monday and Friday term time. Can be flexible for the right candidate.

Essential Requirements:
* Qualified Level 2/3 in Childcare or equivalent
* Good knowledge of the EYFS and Safeguarding
* Previous recent experience working within a childcare setting essential
* Be willing to further your knowledge within Early Years
* To be able to work as part of a highly motivated and professional team
* Have proven organisational and communication skills
* Have a passion for outdoor learning and forest school

Staff Benefits:
* Pension scheme
* Ongoing professional development and training
* Employee Assistance Programme

Please apply by forwarding your CV to us by email to: [email protected]

What an incredible hands-on experience for the children this week… 🐾

We loved our visit from Naomi at Animalia!

We learnt a new word — amphibian — when we met Jabba the frog 🐸 He needs water and has sticky feet to climb trees and catch insects and small lizards.

Next was Marmite the 3-year-old royal python 🐍 followed by Mushu the bearded dragon 🦎 who can puff himself up and show off his spiky beard! He eats insects and vegetables.

We then met rabbits Storm and Onyx 🐰 and learnt how to gently brush them. We talked about how their whiskers help them sense space.

Our guinea pigs were Rolo (a “skinny pig”) and Peanut (super fluffy!) 🐹 who love carrots and dried peas.

Finally, we met Tuppence the tortoise 🐢
She is 3 years old and was once the size of a £2 coin! We learnt how to hold her carefully, that she has a beak (no teeth), and that she eats rose petals and dandelions. She can live up to 50–60 years!

The children were calm, curious and so gentle throughout 💛
And of course… we all washed our hands at the end! 🧼

Just over 12 weeks to go until the end of the summer term, and we’re already looking ahead!

We have some spaces available for September 2026 onwards at SKIPS Pre-School.

👶For children aged 22 months+
📆Term time only
⏰08:45-3:00pm, Monday to Friday

We offer a range of government-funded childcare options, including universal funding, working families’ extended entitlement, and tax-free childcare, alongside private sessions. Funded hours can be used towards our standard sessions, with additional hours available to extend the day where needed.

We’d love to welcome you in for a visit!

Call Cath on 07860 271564 to arrange a show round, or visit www.skipspreschool.co.uk to find out more.

Today the children were talking about St George’s Day and became curious about the England flag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We explored how the flag is made and some children chose to create their own using red paper strips. They carefully cut the paper and used glue to place the strips in a cross shape, developing their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and early creativity along the way.

We also talked about how St George’s Day is a special day celebrated in England and shared a simple story about bravery, helping others and traditions.

At preschool, we love following children’s interests and turning everyday conversations into meaningful learning opportunities ✨

🌍 Small hands, big impact. 💚

This week at SKIPS, our children explored World Earth Day through meaningful, hands-on experiences inspired by the Curiosity Approach.

They investigated how pollution impacts our oceans 🌊
Explored recycling and reusing materials ♻️
Created habitats for wildlife 🐞
And immersed themselves in nature through our forest school provision 🌿

Through authentic play experiences, children are developing empathy, responsibility and respect for the world around them while building a meaningful connection with nature.

As part of our ongoing Climate Action commitment, sustainability is embedded into our everyday practice—not just on Earth Day, but throughout the year.

Because the smallest actions can make the biggest difference 🌎✨