Boys & Girls Nursery Watford

Our Pre-Schoolers have been practising pouring water into cups during table time. The children used clear cups and were tasked with filling the water up to a black line indicated on the cup.

This activity is great for physical development and gross motor skills, as well as early maths language as the children talk about how much water they have poured into their cup, "more", "less".

Well done Pre-School! 💙🩷

Our happy Toddlers have enjoyed singing the nursery rhyme, 'Five Little Speckled Frogs' 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

Each holding their own frog, the children followed the song and took turns to jump into the pool!

This activity is great for developing language and literacy skills, as well as social skills and learning to take turns 🫶

Congratulations to Emma who received our Team Player Award here at Watford for her continuous support in all rooms and for her lovely activity ideas 🫶

Also to Dina for always being a positive role model and for being a great support in the baby room 💙🩷

Toddlers have been busy making a tasty fruit salad! 🍓🍍🍏

The children used their fine motor and hand-eye coordination skills to carefully cut the fruit 🫶

A useful guide for our families about screen time in early years 🫶

Screens are now often part of everyday family life. 📱

Most young children use screens in some form and for many parents they can be a useful tool for learning, entertainment and staying connected with family and friends. However recent government guidance highlights that while screens are now a normal part of childhood, how, when and what children watch matters.

The first five years of life are a crucial time for brain development. During these early years, children learn best through talking, playing, exploring, moving and spending time with caring adults.

What does the new guidance recommend? 🧐

Children under 2 years:
- Avoid screen use where possible.
- Video calls and shared activities with a parent or carer are okay.
- Focus on face to face interaction, play, singing, reading and conversation.

Children aged 2 to 5 years
- Aim for no more than one hour of screen time each day.
- Avoid screens during mealtimes.
- Avoid screens during the hour before bedtime.
- Choose age appropriate, slower paced content.

The quality of screen use is just as important as the amount.

Better choices:
☑️ Watching together and talking about what you see
☑️ Slower paced, age appropriate programmes
☑️ Video calls with family members
☑️ Interactive content that encourages conversation and learning

Try to avoid:
❎ Fast paced, social media style videos
❎ Endless scrolling content
❎ Screen use during meals
❎ Screens as part of the bedtime routine
❎ Young children using devices alone for long periods

Simple questions such as:
“What do you think will happen next?”
“Can you spot the red car?”
“How do you think that character feels?”

Can turn screen time into a shared learning experience.

🫶 Remember: Talk more. Play more. Read more. Connect more. 🫶

These everyday interactions are some of the most powerful ways to support your child’s development.

If you're interested in learning more, read our guide on screen time here: https://happydaysnurseries.com/blog/screens-and-young-children/

With the hot temperatures we have been experiencing this week, it's the perfect time to share some useful information about keeping children safe in the sun ☀️

The podcast it short enough for you to listen to whilst doing the dishes or in the car on the go, enjoy! 👇👇

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kzWgvW6i9RvpcPeoPGCIM?si=fqYaQ8u4TlWAX7fgdEoPxw'

It's sun safety awareness month and with all the hot weather we've been having what better time to discuss sun safety? ☺️

We're delighted to announce that the wonderfully knowledgeable Marie from SKCIN (a charity doing incredible work around skin cancer prevention and sun safety education) has joined us on our podcast.

Episode 1 - Sun Safety in Early Years Settings: A Guide for Practitioners
Episode 2 - Keeping Children Safe in the Sun: A Parent’s Guide

Both episodes are absolutely packed full of helpful information on how to keep your children safe in the sun. If you're a parent, carer or just someone wanting to learn more about sun safety, episode 2 is a must listen. 🌞

Key Topics covered:
💫 Home routines
💫 Holidays and days out
💫 Safe clothing and sunscreen
💫 Helping children build independence
💫 Myth Busting
💫 Long-term habits

Whether you’re at home in the garden, heading to the park, or packing for a holiday, we can almost guarantee you'll learn at least one new thing to help you on your way.

We've kept it short enough for you to listen to whilst doing the dishes or in the car on the go, enjoy! 👇👇
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kzWgvW6i9RvpcPeoPGCIM?si=fqYaQ8u4TlWAX7fgdEoPxw

We welcomed some special visitors into nursery earlier this week, with a visit from Ark Farm Limited. Our children enjoyed a fun and educational session and got to meet and learn about a variety of different animals 🐰🐹

We are super proud of our children who demonstrated wonderful social skills, listening carefully to the instructions given, were respectful, and showed an eagerness to learn more about the amazing animals! 💙🩷

Pre-Schoolers have enjoyed their life-cycle project at nursery, watching hungry caterpillars grow and emerge as beautiful butterflies 🐛🦋

It has been wonderful to watch our children’s curiosity and understanding develop, as they eagerly observed the transformation over a number of weeks alongside a variety of activities to truly embed their learning 💙🩷

Lifecycles are a fun and creative way to get young learners excited about science. It helps children to understand how living things grow and change, and develops our children’s understanding of the world around them 🌏

Toddlers have had a great time in the messy tray, making cupcakes using coloured foam 🧁

The children have been using important motor skills to scoop and squeeze the 'ingredients', using their hands to feel the different textures in the tray.

Well done Toddlers 💙🩷

Toddlers have been learning all about the people who help us in our community 💙🩷

The children were tasked with “putting out the fire” using the water spray bottles, and talked about what a fire fighters job is.

This activity is great for developing important motor skills, language and social skills as the children work together with their nursery friends, as well as developing an understanding of the world around us 🚒🔥