🌟 National Apprenticeship Week 2026 🌟
This week, from 9th–15th February, we proudly celebrate National Apprenticeship Week – a nationwide recognition of the powerful impact apprenticeships have on individuals, organisations, and communities.
This year’s theme, Skills for Life, reflects everything we believe in at The Mulberry Bush Day Nurseries – nurturing confidence, building capability, and creating meaningful career pathways that truly last.
We are delighted to share Chloe’s journey as she progresses through her Level 5 Apprenticeship with Shaping Lives. Her dedication, growth, and passion for Early Years education are a wonderful example of how apprenticeships develop skilled, reflective practitioners who make a measurable difference to children aged 0–5.
In the Early Years sector, apprenticeships do far more than provide qualifications. They shape educators who spark curiosity, nurture resilience, and build the strong foundations every child deserves.
At The Mulberry Bush, we are proud to work alongside Shaping Lives, whose tailored learning journeys, sector expertise, and energetic coaching empower apprentices to thrive while supporting nurseries to grow strong, future-ready teams.
Together, we are investing in people, developing talent, and shaping tomorrow — today. 🌿
The Mulberry Bush
Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Mulberry Bush, Nursery, 51 Locks Road, Southampton.
The Mulberry Bush Day Nurseries welcome children from 3 months to school ready, into their homely, modern, and stimulating settings across Locks Heath, Bitterne Park, Waterlooville, Hedge End and Eastleigh.
11/02/2026
That feeling when your room wins Room of the Month… 🥹💙
We are so excited to announce our January winners at Waterlooville… 🏆✨
🌟 Room of the Month: Blueberries & Strawberries 🍓🫐
For being SO positive about all the recent changes within the rooms and truly going above and beyond to plan beautiful, engaging activities for our babies. Your energy, teamwork and dedication to creating inspiring environments does not go unnoticed — we are so proud of you!
🌟 Employee of the Month (voted by management): Luciana
For fully embracing every room change and bringing so much inspiration to the team. Luciana’s passion for early years and her commitment to planning exciting, meaningful activities for the children is nothing short of amazing.
🌟 Employee of the Month (voted by staff): Josephine
Jo has recently joined our Pre-School room and has been an absolute breath of fresh air. Her kind and caring nature has already helped her form beautiful bonds with the children, and the team are so grateful to have her on board.
Well done team — we appreciate you all so much 🫶✨
09/02/2026
Children’s mental health matters 💚
This week, we’re supporting children to recognise their feelings, feel listened to, and know they are safe and cared for.
💚
08/02/2026
🌿 We’re Growing Our Teams Across All Five Settings 🌿
At The Mulberry Bush Day Nurseries, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As our nurseries continue to grow, we are delighted to be recruiting passionate, caring, and dedicated Early Years professionals to join our teams across all five settings.
✨ Why join The Mulberry Bush?
Supportive, values-led nursery environments
Opportunities to grow, develop, and progress your career
A warm, welcoming team culture where you are truly valued
Fantastic staff incentives designed to recognise and reward you
If you are nurturing, enthusiastic, and committed to giving children the very best start in life, we would love to hear from you.
📧 For a full job description and details of our current vacancies, please email [email protected]
Come and be part of a nursery group where care, connection, and quality come first. 🌱
06/02/2026
We are excited to be giving our garden a complete transformation, creating a thoughtfully designed outdoor environment that will enhance physical development, sensory exploration, curiosity, confidence, and outdoor learning through play. We cannot wait to see our children thrive in this new space 🌿✨
06/02/2026
Storytelling Week at Bitterne Park 📖✨
This week we’ve been diving into all our favourite stories and bringing them to life through play and sensory exploration!
🧸 Babies have enjoyed sensory tuff trays inspired by We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, exploring different textures and activating all their senses.
🦖 Raspberries have been exploring Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, sparking imagination and plenty of dinosaur adventures!
🍓 Elderberries have been busy exploring The Smeds and The Smoos — from pink milk gloop trays and the green Lubular Lake, to creating purple babies with paint! They’ve also loved making their own Smeds and Smoos using playdough and recreating scenes from the story using story cards in the tuff trays.
We’ve loved seeing the children so engaged, curious, and creative as they explore stories in so many wonderful ways 💫📖
05/02/2026
🐻 We’re going on a bear hunt… and what an adventure it’s been! 🌿❄️💦
As part of Storytelling Week, our Pre-School children brought this firm favourite story to life. After reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt together, the children confidently recalled what comes next and helped set the order of our very own sensory bear hunt walk.
From squelchy mud and splashing water to chilly “snow”, the children took turns exploring each sensory experience — making the story sounds, getting gloriously messy, and describing how everything felt using words like “gloopy,” “sticky,” and “cold and wet.”
This activity supported:
✨ Recall & language development
✨ Gross motor skills & coordination
✨ Self-care skills (shoes on and off!)
Learning truly comes to life when stories are experienced, not just read 💛📚
LearningThroughPlay EYFS
04/02/2026
From cosy story corners to imaginative play, our team brings stories to life every day ✨
We’re proud of the care, creativity, and passion our practitioners bring to their roles.
02/02/2026
Stories are such a special part of nursery life 💫
This week, our children are exploring imagination, language, and confidence through much-loved stories and storytelling activities, guided by a team who truly love the magic of story telling.
As January draws to a close, we have taken time to reflect on a month filled with calm moments, meaningful learning, and gentle reconnections across our settings 🌿
From settling back into familiar routines and embracing winter outdoor play, to exploring nature through birdwatching, sustainability through energy awareness, and culture through music and global learning, the children have engaged with each experience thoughtfully and with curiosity.
We are proud of the nurturing environments our teams continue to create, supporting every child to feel safe, confident, and inspired as they learn and grow. We look forward to carrying this sense of purpose and connection into the months ahead.
🌍 Energy Saving Week at Preschool 🌍
Last week, our Preschool children explored Energy Saving Week, helping them build an early understanding of how we can care for our planet.
Through hands-on, meaningful activities, the children have been learning what energy is and why it is important not to waste it. Activities included making windmills, turning off lights when they were no longer needed, using torches to explore light, and creatively decorating planet Earth.
We began by creating a mind map together to capture what the children already knew about energy. This allowed us to extend their thinking and deepen their understanding in a way that felt engaging and relevant to them.
These experiences support children in developing a sense of responsibility for the world around them, encouraging thoughtful habits that will stay with them as they grow. 💚
24/01/2026
At our Pre-School, small groups make a big difference.
With a 1:8 adult-to-child ratio, every child is truly seen, heard, and supported. This means more time to nurture confidence, encourage independence, and celebrate each child’s unique personality as they learn and grow.
It is thoughtful care, meaningful connections, and a calm environment where children can flourish at their own pace. 💜🌿
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51 Locks Road
Southampton
SO316NS