Little Palms Childminding

💗 Valentine’s fine motor fun 🌸

Today the children used tongs to rescue hearts and flowers from the tray, carefully squeezing and lifting as they developed their fine motor control. We also loved gathering big handfuls of paper hearts and letting them fall, watching it rain hearts down – this brought so much excitement and laughter!

As they played, we heard beautiful little conversations. There were shouts of “flowers!” and surprised giggles of “oh no!” when pieces slipped away, quickly followed by determined voices saying “try again” and “oopsie, it keeps falling.”

Curious minds wanted to know more, with children pointing and asking, “What’s this, Emma?” before proudly repeating the new word, “masking tape.” We also practiced turn-taking, hearing “Emma’s turn, A’s turn”.

After balancing items on top, the children discovered they could push from underneath to make them bounce off – and the laughter started all over again!

Experiences like this strengthen little hands, build perseverance and help children grow in confidence as they explore together 💛

Learning through warm, playful moments 🌿

💗 Valentine’s cornflour exploration 💗

Yesterday we explored pink cornflour using our hands and spoons to scoop, squeeze and pour. The children were fascinated as they watched the mixture change from hard to runny, feeling how it moved differently each time they touched it.

There were lots of lovely moments of shared excitement as the children showed me what they had discovered:
💬 “Emma, look!”
💬 “Wow!”

Simple sensory experiences like this are wonderful for encouraging curiosity, early language and confidence to share their discoveries 💛

Learning together through playful moments 🌿

📖 Storytelling Week – Can you make Stick Man? 🌿

Last week during storytelling week we snuggled in and listened to Stick Man on our Yoto machine, enjoying the rhythm of the story and learning part of the song together 🎶 The children began to recognise familiar words and were excited to join in.

Afterwards, they explored scented peppermint playdough and a variety of natural treasures to create their own Stick Man. They stretched, rolled, added pieces and changed their ideas as they played, completely absorbed in what they were making.

We heard some beautiful language and conversations throughout:
💬 “I’m making Stick Man’s feet”
💬 “We need eyes”
💬 “It looks like slime because it’s stretchy”
💬 “Make it bigger”
💬 “Stick Man lives in the family tree”
💬 “Santa, why is he dirty?”

Moments like these gently nurture imagination, listening skills, confidence and those all important little hand muscles 💛

Learning together through meaningful, playful experiences 🌱

🦓 Matching patterns & sorting animals 🦒

Last week we spent time exploring animal patterns together and the children absolutely loved it. They looked carefully at the different markings before choosing where each animal belonged, taking their time and really thinking about their decisions.

We also sorted the animals into big and small, chatting about what we noticed and helping each other along the way.

Moments like these are wonderful for building early number ideas, encouraging little thinkers and giving the children the confidence to talk about what they can see and what they think 💛

Learning together through gentle, playful experiences 🌿

🌈 Colour exploration fun! 🎨

The children enjoyed identifying colours, mixing paint into shaving foam and watching new colours appear. They coloured a rainbow and matched coloured dinosaurs to the correct splats, counting together to see which colour had more 🦕🔢

For our younger children, the activity was adapted to support sensory exploration — using fingers and a paintbrush to explore the paint and shaving foam, and enjoying emptying and refilling the dinosaur basket.

A lovely activity supporting colour recognition, early maths, fine motor skills and sensory play ✨

✨ New resources in action! ✨

Our new indoor physical resources have been a big hit!

The children have been loving exploring the climbing frame and balance pathway today. These resources support strength, coordination, balance and confidence as they climb, step, crawl and problem-solve at their own pace.

So lovely to see them challenging themselves and cheering each other on 💪😊

✨ Important Update on Our Photos ✨

To keep our children safe online, you may have noticed a small change in our posts. From now on, children’s faces will be either:

😊 covered with an emoji
🖼️ cropped out
🔲 or gently blurred

This means we can still share the wonderful activities, learning, and cosy Hygge moments from our setting, while making sure safeguarding is always our top priority. 💛

Thank you for your understanding and continued support – keeping children safe is at the heart of everything we do. 🌿🧸

✨ Home Learning Update ✨

We are making a small change to the way we share our Home Learning Packs 🍂📚

Instead of sending out weekly packs, we will now be providing a termly pack. This will give families a wider range of ideas and activities to dip into at their own pace while still supporting the themes and learning we explore together in our setting.

The termly packs will include:
✅ Fun, practical activities for home
✅ Seasonal learning linked to our themes
✅ Ideas to support literacy, maths, creativity, and wellbeing
✅ Simple, low-cost suggestions for everyday routines

We hope this new approach makes home learning even more enjoyable and flexible for families 💛

Thank you for working with us to support your child’s learning journey 🌿

📢✨ Funding Deadline Reminder for Parents ✨📢

If your child is eligible for funded childcare hours starting in September, don’t forget to apply before the deadline! (31st August) ⏰

✅ Apply through the Government’s Childcare Choices website
✅ Make sure you receive your code and share it with us before the cut-off date
✅ Don’t miss out on your child’s funded hours with us here at Little Palms Childminding 🌿💛

We’re here to help if you’re unsure or have any questions – just send us a message 💬

Let’s make sure every family gets the support they’re entitled to! 🌈

✨🌈 That’s a Wrap on Half-Term! 🌈✨

What a wonderful half-term we’ve had here at Little Palms Childminding 💛

From 📚 library visits/ 🖼 museum visits/🛝 soft play to lots of giggles, the children have had a lovely half term 🥰

We’ve loved every moment of learning, exploring, and growing together – and we can’t wait for even more adventures after the break! 🌟

🐾 We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Through Play, Crafts & Storytime! 🐻🌲

Yesterday we had a day full of adventure at Little Palms Childminding as we brought the story “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” to life through sensory play and creative crafts! 📖✨

🔍 In our Bear Hunt Tuff Tray, the children explored:
🌿 Swishy grass
💦 Splashy rivers
🌳 Thick forests
❄️ A swirling snowstorm
🕳️ And a deep, dark cave!

Each section of the tray matched a part of the story and gave the children a chance to retell and act out the tale using natural materials and small-world figures — full of fun and imagination! 💫

🎨 The children also made their very own Bear Hunt maps, using paint, collage, and natural materials to recreate each part of the journey. These maps helped build:
🗣️ Storytelling and sequencing
🖐️ Fine motor skills
🧠 Memory and creativity

📚 And in our cosy reading corner, the children enjoyed looking through a lovely selection of bear themed books. It’s been a brilliant way to support language development and a love for reading. 🧸💛

Take a look at their wonderful creations and adventures below! 👇

We love watching how stories come to life through play! 💛

Welcome back! 🌿✨ After a little break from social media, it’s time to reconnect and share all the wonderful things happening at Little Palms Childminding!

👶 We’re here, ready to nurture, play, and grow together! At Little Palms Childminding, we create a warm, home-like space where little hands learn through creativity, exploration, and care.

🎨 Exciting activities ahead! From sensory play to outdoor adventures, every child’s journey is filled with joy and discovery.

💚 Enrolment spots available! If you’re looking for a nurturing childcare environment, let’s chat! Feel free to message to see how your little one can thrive.