Back in 1937, Chelsea Baby Club distributed these unusual and rather worrying contraptions to mothers in London. They were designed to hang outside the window of flats and enabled children to crawl into them so they could get sunshine and fresh air where gardens were not available. The most common ones had no covering and therefore were completely open to whatever nature intended, including bird droppings!! The cages were big enough for children to sleep in and play with their toys whilst getting fresh air. Although a disturbing idea it did promote something that is essential even now… children partaking in 180 minutes of outdoors. Read more

We know that not everyone celebrates Halloween, but who doesn't love messy play?! Over the next 5 days we are giving away 5 fantastic prizes. Read on to find out how to enter. Read more

I first came across tinker trays on Pinterest and I have been hooked on the idea ever since. They encompass everything I believe in; exploration, creativity, loose parts, nature and so much more! Read more

We show children where to look but not what to see…This simple phrase has become part of our philosophy, which feeds into our approach and is who we are today as a setting. Our approach was originally inspired by the Reggio Approach, but we have developed and fine-tuned it over the years and we fully expect to continue enhancing and adapting, because no matter how good you think you are, you can always be better. At the end of the day we are providing care and education for children in their early years – their most crucial years, so we should all be striving to provide the best. Read more

Although World War 2 is no longer a compulsory topic, many schools still choose to include it as part of the ‘significant events’ or ‘local history’ strands of the history curriculum. One focus that can really resonate is the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of children. Read more

As busy Early Years Educators we need to be doing our very best for boys every day. In order to do this I have put together a simple ‘High Five’ list of what we can do to help them achieve their very best. Read more

Little Pips, a Nursery in sleepy Somerset, is all about providing children with real experiences that they can learn from and enjoy. When they were approached by a local care home, Immacolata House, to team up and deliver sessions with pre-schoolers and the care home’s residents they were very excited to get involved! Hollie from Little Pips tells us all about it. Read more

My first experience of working with a child learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) was a lively, feisty 3 year old with an Italian family; I adored working with her and loved observing her emerging language skills. There were frequent moments when, out of frustration, she’d punctuate an English sentence with an Italian word or phrase, and then be further frustrated by not being understood. Except, of course, we did understand. Read more

In the UK, 20.1% of children are learning English as an Additional Language, and we expect this figure to rise. Teachers readily adapt our linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms for the benefit of all our learners, but also understand that EAL children have quite specific language needs. Read more

Create a beautiful glowing jar with this lovely autumn craft idea. Just follow these 4 simple steps. Read more

A lovely autumn craft using 3 simple items. Read more

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. Thousands of schools around the world take part and sign up on the Outdoor Classroom Day website to access lots of wonderful lesson ideas and to share their experiences. It is completely free! There are a choice of dates to suit different term times and climates around the world - the next ones are on 7th September, 12th October and 17th May. In this digital age there are so many benefits to children being outdoors and having a connection with nature: It can improve children’s health, both physically and mentally, engage them in learning and make their childhood fun! Children learn important life skills such as teamwork, resilience and creativity. Autumn term in the UK is a fantastic time to be outdoors as much as possible. The weather is often still quite mild and there is so much to explore. Here are a few more simple ideas to add to the outdoor pot! Read more

The return to school after the long summer holidays can be a little nerve-wracking for all concerned. Children are usually excited to be back, but often a bit nervous too. They hope they will like their new class and teacher, make new friends and that the work will not be too difficult! Teachers are wondering how on earth the holidays could have flown by so quickly and about how all their good intentions to be ultra-organised this year haven’t quite come to fruition. (If only there was one more week without the children!) Even the most experienced teachers can feel apprehensive about getting back on the roller-coaster for another year. The first day back is an important one because it sets the scene, allowing everyone to settle back in and feel: relieved, happy, comfortable, capable, included, excited to learn and many other emotions besides. If you are still pondering what to do, here are 10 activity ideas to help get the year off to a memorable start. Most can be adapted to suit any age group. Read more

We usually imagine the Anglo-Saxons as invaders, from across the North Sea. But I wanted to explore the world of learning and ask a simple question - what can we learn about the Anglo-Saxons from ink? I know only a few people - mostly churchmen - were literate - but great store was placed on books. Where did the ink come from - after all you couldn't just pop down the shops and buy a bottle of ink or a pen, could you? Read more

Support Phase 1 phonic skills through a play-based, practical approach, indoors or out with alphabet bags. Read more

Improving the attention and overall general well-being of children is of utmost importance to schools. The effects of teaching mindfulness can include more focused attention, a calmer persona, a kinder attitude and an overall more positive outlook on life.  Read more