Parenting Category | Little Acorns Nursery School, Padiham

Children, Early Years Education, Education, Learning & Development, Nursery, Parenting, Preschoolers, Preschools, Toddlers, Under-fives

The Power of Parental Involvement in Children’s Education

There is one thing that parents can do to profoundly benefit children of any age and that is to be involved in their education. Many studies have indeed concluded that parental involvement in a child’s education has immense positive benefits for the child. What’s more, those benefits are long-term and far-reaching in their impact. Findings and statistics show that parental involvement in a child’s education supercharges the child’s success every step of the way. That series of boosts seems to snowball from nursery and preschool, through primary, junior school, secondary education, and higher education, right into adulthood. Such are the positive effects of a parent’s involvement that the benefits even extend to better career opportunities and higher earning potential once children become adults. Let’s explore, therefore, what we mean by ‘parental involvement in a child’s education’ and look in more detail at some of the key benefits to children.

What Does ‘Parental Involvement in a Child’s Education’ Mean?

Referring to the right text books, helping with homework, and helping the child understand topics are examples of areas where parents can help children at home. Parental involvement in a child’s education can take several forms. Note, however, that the benefits are most positive when parents engage right from the early years, beginning in children’s nursery and preschool years. The examples below show the kinds of parental involvement that will enhance children’s lives:

Ensuring the setting chosen for a child is the best possible fit for them. That means visiting contenders, talking with staff, asking the opinion of other parents who are already attending, checking reviews, and so on — before making your final choice. For young children starting a nursery, arranging a ‘taster’ day or ‘settling in’ session is also a great way to see how well they will fit in.
Engaging proactively with nursery and preschool staff to keep abreast of the child’s progress — and again later with teachers and tutors at the child’s schools and higher education settings. This could, for example, include discussing any challenges, achievements, areas to focus on, weaknesses, and so on. A two-way dialogue and feedback ‘loop’ gives both educational professionals and parents sight of the bigger picture. As such, this interaction is extremely powerful in its potential to help the child.
Attending parents’ evenings and open days. These are a great opportunity to catch up on the child’s progress in a more formal way, and to understand any changes, developments and perhaps new resources and opportunities that may have been introduced to the setting.
Agreeing with teaching staff on ways in which parents can support their child’s learning in specific areas of focus within the curriculum.
Applying that information in the form of help and support while the child is at home. Referring to the right textbooks, helping with homework, and helping the child understand any tricky topics are typical examples of areas where parents can help children at home.
Ensuring that the child’s Personal Development Folder or equivalent is read and contributed to. In this way, there is a two-way communication channel between the childcare or education setting and parents.
Helping children attain good verbal and written grammar as well as checking the child’s spelling will help them across all areas of their schooling — and later in adult life. Showing them how to check for themselves (e.g. via a spell-checker application on a PC) and ensuring they try to learn from spelling mistakes will also be hugely beneficial. While they’re younger, this will help them understand more topics and, ultimately, make them more employable when they’re older.
When children have formal tests coming up, parents can help them significantly by regularly testing them on knowledge of the topics under scrutiny. This will help the child understand how much information they have, or haven’t, absorbed ahead of the formal test.
As we previously reported, reading with children is hugely beneficial to their success. Studies show that reading with children under five boosts language skills by the equivalent of 8 months. So, if you really want to supercharge your child’s education and progress, read with them regularly. Follow the bold green link for more details.
Help children better focus on study and homework when at home by giving them their own study area. This needs to be in a quiet part of the house, well away from distractions like TVs and noise, so it encourages learning activity.
When children do well, praising them will encourage them to keep up the good work. It’ll give them a greater sense of achievement, and some moral support, and help instil a love for learning in them.
Don’t be over-strict, though, if they don’t get things right the first time. Children learn as much from failures as they do from successes, so even failures are a good learning opportunity (ask any successful businessman or entrepreneur — they will all agree).
Ensuring that children understand what’s expected of them is also important as a benchmark. Such expectations need to be set high but be realistic and achievable. Otherwise, they will cause unnecessary stress and be counterproductive.

“The most accurate predictor of a student’s achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student’s family is able to: (1) Create a home environment that encourages learning; (2) Express high (but not unrealistic) expectations for their children’s achievement and future careers; and (3) Become involved in their children’s education” — (Study by Henderson & Berla)

The Benefits of Parental Involvement in Children’s Education

Let’s now look at some of the benefits that children can expect to enjoy when parents are closely involved in their education.

Many studies show incredible benefits from parental involvement in education. The study by Henderson & Berla quoted above, for example, shows that parental involvement in education is the strongest predictor of a child’s success at school, going beyond factors like income and social status. As such, it’s an incredibly powerful tool and a great to help level the playing field. A study by Meador agreed:

“Parents who invest time and place value on their children’s education will have children who are more successful in school.” — (Study by Meador)

A 2013 study by Pinantoan also concluded that students with active parents are more likely to succeed and achieve more A grades:

“Students with … parents operating in supportive roles are 52% more likely to enjoy school and get straight As than students whose parents are disengaged with what’s going on at school. This is especially the case during the earliest years of schooling, in Kindergarten through the 5th grade, when students with active parents are almost twice as likely to succeed.”

The benefits of parental involvement in education to children are numerous, though, also including the lowering of stress levels and improved knowledge, skills, outlook and outcomes. The deep and reliable source of support, together with all the other benefits, also combine to make children feel happier, have a higher quality of life, be less likely to skip lessons, be well-behaved, and have closer bonds with both parents and childcare/education staff.

Life skills like communication, problem-solving, organisation, tenacity, self-esteem, self-confidence and social skills are all improved when parents have an active involvement in education as children grow up.

Prospects are improved because of enhanced grades and a greater range and depth of skills. Through these, children gain the ability to have a wider choice of schools, higher education settings and universities, and careers as adults. Thereby, even incomes and their standard of living can be lifted. Parental involvement in education has a truly profound impact on children’s lives and we wholeheartedly support it at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham.

Little Acorns Nursery: Your Childcare Provider in Padiham

If you are looking for a childcare service for your child in Padiham, Lancashire, do consider Little Acorns Nursery. At Little Acorns, we offer a warm, home-from-home environment where every child feels loved and valued. Our high-calibre early years professionals bring out the best in them, nurturing them in every area of their learning and development so they are set for success and ‘school-ready’ by the time they leave us.

Little Acorns Nursery supports many free childcare schemes for eligible families and may also suit those living near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Get in touch today to register for a nursery place, arrange a guided visit, or for answers to any questions you may have:

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

30 August 2024/by Mark

The Incredible Power of Reading With Children Under 5

Activities for Children, Children, Early Years Education, Learning & Development, Parenting, Preschoolers, Reading, Toddlers, Under-fives

The Incredible Power of Reading With Under-5s

Parents and caregivers have a simple yet incredibly powerful tool at their disposal to significantly boost the education of children under five: reading with them. In study after study, this simple activity has been shown to transform a child’s early years of education, giving children short-, medium-, and long-term benefits that even extend into adulthood. With that in mind, we take a look today at the many benefits and incredible power of reading with children, especially those under five.

Read with children, not just to them for the most positive impact.

That’s important as the most profound benefits to children come about when you read with them rather than just to them. It’s a case of involving and immersing them in the reading, which can be done in a variety of different ways to make it more interactive. We’ll explain more about how parents can do that later in this article*. First, though, let’s take a look at the benefits of reading with under-fives.

What Are Some of the Benefits of Reading With Your Child?

It turns out that reading with little ones punches well above its weight when it comes to enhancing young lives. In a nutshell, some of the key benefits of reading with children include significantly improved cognitive, emotional, and social development. Indeed, some of the benefits of reading with children are simply transformational. Even social mobility is improved because of reading with children in some circumstances. Let’s take a closer look.

Cognitive Benefits

When you read to them, the cognitive benefits to children are profound and this is backed-up by findings from multiple studies. The benefits include improved memory, problem-solving, logical thinking, and memory skills. Even children’s attention spans are seen to improve when parents regularly read with them.

A Long-Term Academic Performance Boost

What’s more, many of these benefits are long-term ones and this means they positively impact children’s academic performance throughout all the school years and even beyond. This results in better grades, a wider choice of further education choices later on, and even career and income advantages once they become adults. That’s all accomplished simply through the act of reading with children in their early years — it’s incredible!

Reading with children in their early years encourages good reading habits and a natural love for learning.

A Social Mobility Boost

You can see why the above benefits can go on to improve the quality of lives once children reach adulthood. Indeed, studies have produced some remarkable findings in that regard. Several have found a strong link between children regularly reading with adults in the early years and improved socio-economic mobility later in life. This boost is even more prominent in children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. So, reading with children is a great way to level the playing field and improve outcomes right into adulthood.

Emotional Benefits

Books are great vehicles through which children can glimpse and immerse themselves into different situations. For example, through reading books, they’ll learn about different characters, their successes and perhaps their struggles. As such, they’ll learn to see things from the point of view of others. This is a great way to nurture emotional intelligence in children, boost feelings of empathy, and better understand the feelings of others. This will be particularly important for their interactions with peers, friends and surrounding adults.

Supercharged Creativity

Books are a wonderful conduit to greater creativity in children. When adults read with young children and older children read solo, it opens up whole new worlds, situations, and characters to them. Through stimulation of their imaginations, they can see new possibilities, be inspired to create in different ways within their own writing and arts, and significantly boost creative skills.

Enhanced Language Skills

One of the biggest winners when reading with children is the boost to their language skills. Indeed, a 4-decade study (∞) saw a massive 20% boost in such skills when adults regularly read with them. For the children studied, the average age was just 3 years and 3 months, meaning their language skills were boosted by the equivalent of about 8 months. That’s an enormous boost at such a young age. Receptive language (understanding), expressive language (verbal use of grammar and vocabulary), children’s understanding of word structure, and pre-reading skills especially benefited from early years reading with a parent or adult caregiver. Such skills lay wonderful foundations that will help children excel across multiple areas of education.

And Much More

The benefits outlined above are really just the tip of the iceberg. As well as these, additional benefits include allowing a closer bond to develop between the parent/caregiver and the child, greater comprehension of the world, a wider knowledge of multiple subjects, better self-expression, and social skills that are enhanced because of children’s improved vocabulary, understanding, and knowledge.

* How to Involve Under-5s When Reading

The best results from reading with children will come when you make it interactive, engaging and fun to ensure they are involved. If children are to get the most from reading, it’s important to read with them. That’s all about making it interactive, engaging and fun to ensure children are involved. There are a number of ways to accomplish this and doing so will be the key to them gaining the most benefit from the activity.

Bring the storyline to life by being animated when you read to under-fives. Gesticulate, speed up or slow down your reading to reflect what’s going on in the text and to give life to the story. Give characters different voices, and try accents and different tones to really bring characters and storylines to life. Use different volumes as appropriate to the story unfolding, whisper to give tension, shout when a character shouts, and make the story seem as real as possible. This will make the reading on your part, and the story from the child’s point of view, more fun. It’ll draw and retain children’s interest and engagement, so they immerse themselves and really listen.
Encourage your child’s interaction. Let them exclaim or answer characters, and ask them what they think may happen next, or what they might have done in that situation.
Whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, encourage questions; it’s a great way for children to learn.

By making reading more engaging, it will help improve comprehension, boost critical thinking skills, and stimulate children’s creativity.

As you can see, the benefits of reading with children in their early years are truly profound. Through reading, children are learning constantly, improving themselves in multiple areas, and setting amazing foundations for present and future success.

High-Quality Childcare & Early Years Education in Padiham

At Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, Lancashire, we fully understand the importance of reading with children. It’s therefore one of the many tools used in the early years education of children under our care. At Little Acorns, we tailor the learning and development of every child to bring out the best in them across all areas of the curriculum. If you are a parent looking for a Padiham nursery for your child or a childcare nursery near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham or Wood End, consider Little Acorns Nursery for your little one. To explore the possibilities, get in touch and we’ll be happy to answer questions, show you and your child around, or explain the next steps towards registering for a place.

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

30 July 2024/by Mark

Activities for Children, Children, Early Years Education, Education, Exercise, Lancashire, Learning & Development, Nursery, Padiham, Parenting, Preschoolers, Toddlers, Under-fives

Lancashire’s Walk & Talk Scheme – Boosting Children’s Communication & Language

Lancashire’s Walk & Talk Initiative is a scheme that’s wholeheartedly supported by the childcare practitioners at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham. We encourage all Lancashire parents to take part too. It’s an initiative that is incredibly simple but has far-reaching benefits for children in their early years. Let’s take a look today at what Walk & Talk is all about, what its aims are, the benefits to children, and how families can get involved.

What is the Walk & Talk Scheme & Where Did it Come From?

The Walk & Talk scheme is an initiative started by Lancashire County Council back in September 2022. The idea is simply to encourage families to get outdoors and, while doing so, to communicate with each other whilst they walk so that children can improve a variety of skills. As their explanatory video explains, going for a walk helps children hone attention skills, listening skills and, when proactively conversed with, communication and language skills too.

Key Aims of the Scheme

Key aims of the Walk & Talk Initiative include:

a reduction in the ‘word gap’ — helping children learn new words and widen vocabulary;
supporting parents with ideas for deeper interactions with their children;
encouraging adults to talk with children more during everyday activities;
garnering a deeper sense of curiosity in children;
encouraging conversational skills in children, for example, knowing how to take turns when discussing things;
getting children outdoors more often — it’s great for their well-being.

The Walk & Talk Scheme

There are so many beautiful places in Lancashire where families can explore. While doing so, they can both walk and talk with little ones to promote the importance and benefits of communication.

“Our Walk & Talk initiative aims to get families outside and promote the importance of communication.” (Lancashire District Council)

The scheme also aims to encourage children to use a variety of senses. These include, for example, sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing and, of course, active listening. When out on walks there are so many different things for children’s senses to be stimulated by and each lends itself to a conversation. Whether it’s the sound of birdsong, the feeling of the wind on their faces, the smell of freshly-cut grass on the breeze, the noise of traffic, the dazzlingly beautiful colours of blossom, or the mouth-watering smell of food cooking around the neighbourhood or town, walking is indeed a feast for the senses.

The secret, of course, is for adults to discuss such things with the children and that’s all a part of what the Walk & Talk initiative is all about. So, whether you’re at the beach, in a shop, at the park, in the garden, or out in the street with a child, take every opportunity to ask them to describe what they see, hear, feel, touch and, when appropriate, taste. Feed back to them too, to expand the conversation.

Get Involved

“Let’s make walking and talking a priority.” (Lancashire District Council)

Walk & Talk Examples

Stuck for ideas of what to talk about as you walk with your child, or do you need some examples to get you started? No problem. Here are a few ideas to give you a flavour of the type of conversations you can start with your little one.

When you’re walking along streets, in town, or travelling on roads with your child, ask them to spot and name any numbers on signs, road signs, number plates, or buses. Ask them how many wheels the bus or lorry has. What noise do the cars make when they pull off from the traffic lights? What does a red traffic light mean? How about a green one? Have they noticed the difference between the sound of an electric car compared to a petrol or diesel one?

If you’re at the park with your child, get them to notice things around them and point them out to you. Examples might include flowers, dogs going for a walk, ducks on the lake, birds, bees, and different types of leaves. Discuss them. Perhaps even encourage your child(ren) to make up a poem about what they see or hear.

Similarly, you can instigate a conversation with them about the flora and fauna in a garden. Can they spot and describe a butterfly? What is the butterfly doing? What is a bee doing and why are they important? (Click the thumbnail images for more ideas).

At the local shops, you might ask your little one what they can hear, for example background music, the babble of chattering people, tills being used to scan items, and so on. How many bananas do we need this week? Can you fetch them for me, please? Let’s discuss what’s left on the shopping list. And can they smell the lovely scent of food cooking in the bakery section?

More examples are available, along with downloadable activity cards, from the Lancashire Walk & Talk website.

Tips for Successful Communication with Your Child

Get their attention, for example, by saying their name or by pointing out something interesting during the walk.
Try getting down to their level. There, you can communicate face to face whilst ensuring they’re actively engaging with you and looking at or listening to things you’re pointing out to them.
Ensure they know you’re listening and responding to them too, for example, through what you say, nodding, keeping good eye contact, not interrupting, avoiding finishing sentences for them, and so on.
Allow your child(ren) proper time to respond to something you’ve pointed out or asked them about. While their language skills and knowledge are still developing, they’ll need more time to respond than an adult might.
When appropriate, add extra verbal detail for them to build on their language, knowledge and understanding of conversations.
If your child expresses an interest in something, ensure you follow that interest and explore it further with them. When they’re already interested, you are pushing at an open door.
Say, “well done” to them and give them praise when they do well, for example, when they learn a new word, phrase, or fact.
Don’t forget that communication is not just verbal and children will therefore need to take your lead in the way you also use facial expressions and body language to convey some types of communication.
Remember too that every activity is an opportunity for talking, communication, and learning.
Make it fun! When you make walking and talking with your child fun, they’re more likely to enjoy and learn from it.

A High-Quality Early Years Education at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Fostering good communication and language skills is, of course, all part of the wonderful early years education that children under five gain at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, Lancashire. Indeed, we nurture all aspects of the learning and development of all our babies, toddlers and preschoolers; we bring out the very best in them to ensure they have all the tools to thrive and succeed in every way possible. So, if you are looking for the best nursery for your child in Padiham or live nearby in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham or Wood End, contact us to explore a possible place for your child at our exceptional nursery and preschool. We’ll be happy to answer any questions, show you and your little one around, or register your child for a childcare place.

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

31 May 2024/by Mark

Activities for Children, Activities for Kids, Childcare, Children, Learning & Development, Nature, Nature Activities, Nurseries, Nursery, Outdoor Play, Parenting, Preschoolers, Preschools, Toddlers, Under-fives

Let’s Go on An Autumn Nature Hunt!

As leaves start to blanket the ground and the earthy scents of autumn begin to infuse the air, it’s the perfect time to engage children in a captivating adventure that celebrates the season. In today’s post, we’ll introduce you to an Autumn Nature Hunt, an exciting outdoor activity for children that’s not only entertaining but also educational.

Explore the Beauty of Autumn with a Nature Scavenger Hunt

The autumn season offers a unique opportunity to immerse children in the wonders of nature. The changing colours of leaves, the falling acorns, and the crisp air make it an ideal time for outdoor exploration. This nature-based treasure hunt is designed to get children of all ages outdoors, closer to nature, where they can enjoy the many benefits that outdoor play and exposure to the natural world provide.

Download Your Free Reference Sheet

To make this autumn-themed nature hunt even more enjoyable, we’ve created a reference sheet that children can use to check off the items they find. This sheet should keep them engaged and help them learn about the beauty of the season. N.B. supervising adults will need to decide whether children should simply spot the items or collect them. Factors including hygiene, safety considerations and the child’s age and abilities should inform their decision.

What You’ll Need

Before the commencement of this adventure, ensure your child has the following:

Our free reference sheet. We’ve prepared a free reference sheet that features images of various natural items children can look for during their outdoor excursion. The A4 sheet includes leaves of specific colours, catkins, wild hazelnuts, pine cones, acorns, oak leaves, pine needles, ‘winged’ seeds, horse chestnuts, sweet chestnuts, pumpkins, cereal crops, sunflowers that are now turning to seed, and even some fruit that may be found at this time of year. It’s available below, for free, in Acrobat PDF format and you can download and print it for your convenience.
Adult supervision in place. Ensure that adult supervision is available, especially for the youngest children. Safety is a priority, so be certain to keep the kids out of harm’s way while they explore.
Safety precautions. Teach the children about safety precautions. For example, emphasise the importance of not running off out of sight, avoiding poisonous items like fungi, not touching berries, keeping all items away from mouths, and being cautious around things like chestnut cases, which have sharp points.
Good hygiene. Encourage the little explorers to exercise good hygiene practices and wash their hands thoroughly after the adventure.

The Autumn Nature Hunt is a fantastic way to connect children with the wonders of nature, encourage outdoor play, and create lasting memories. So, download the reference sheet, gather your young explorers, and set out on a journey through the enchanting autumn landscape. Remember to emphasise safety, ensure adult supervision, and cherish the opportunity to immerse your kids in the beauty of the season. Enjoy your autumn adventure!

Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham, Lancashire

We understand the incredible importance of nature and outdoor play to children; they bring enormous benefits to children of all ages. So many, in fact, that we’ll publish separate guides on those benefits in the near future. So, watch this space.

Little Acorns is a high-quality childcare nursery in Padiham, Lancashire, offering the very best childcare and early education to babies, toddlers and preschoolers. As well as giving little ones the very best start in life and ensuring they are as ‘school-ready’ as possible by the time they leave us, we help them to become the very best version of themselves. Part of this is achieved through a learning and development programme that’s tailored to them as individuals. In this way, they achieve personal bests across all areas of their development.

If you would like to explore the possibility of sending your baby, toddler or preschooler to Little Acorns Nursery, please get in touch using one of the following options:

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

Little Acorns is a nursery and preschool located in Padiham, Lancashire (BB12), also convenient for families seeking high-quality childcare near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham or Wood End.

31 October 2023/by Mark

At the time of writing, it’s peak butterfly-spotting time — more adult butterflies can be seen in late July and early August than at any other time in the year. That makes it the perfect time for children to get out in nature to spot these charming creatures. Doing so is fun, educational and also beneficial in so many ways – we’ll explain more about that later.

Fun Fact: About 60 different types of butterflies can be found in the UK.

Butterflies come in many different forms and sizes, often with incredibly beautiful patterns and colours on their wings. They are also rather endearing as they flit around on seemingly haphazard flight paths. As such, infants, toddlers and young children will naturally be drawn to them when they see them flying around flowers, gardens and hedgerows. With that in mind, we have designed a free butterfly identification poster for families to download. It features 36 different types of butterflies that are commonly seen around large parts of the UK. The poster can be printed out for children to display on bedroom or nursery walls, or for use as a hand-held reference when out and about on butterfly-spotting nature trips. Take a look at the preview below — full instructions for printing it out or viewing it on screen are explained below the preview. The poster is free to download and you do not need to sign up for anything, nor register in any way.

Butterfly Poster Preview

The preview image below shows the 36 wonderful butterflies that are included on the identification poster. However, be sure to download the Acrobat PDF version for greater clarity and detail.

Download Instructions

Depending on your specific device and browser settings, the high-resolution Adobe Acrobat version of the poster can be viewed and/or downloaded by left- or right-clicking the preview image above, or alternatively use this link. If you do not already have it on your device, Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free. ^∞

Amazing Fact: The Painted Lady butterfly flies all the way from Europe or Africa, travelling thousands of miles, before arriving in the UK for the summer. When travelling, they fly up to 100 miles per day, travelling almost 30 miles per hour. Unlike some other butterflies, Painted Ladies do not hibernate in Britain, instead migrating back to Europe or northern Africa.

Butterfly Spotting Has Many Benefits

The Benefits of Butterfly Spotting to Children

Butterfly spotting is a delightful and almost magical activity for children to take part in. On a simple level, it’ll help children learn the names of different butterflies and open their eyes to some of the UK’s wonderful wildlife. On a deeper level, though, it’s hugely educational by teaching children about nature and the natural world more widely. Through the simple task of butterfly spotting, children will get to understand the important role of butterflies, bees and other insects as pollinators. They’ll learn about concepts like metamorphosis, where food comes from, how plants, trees and creatures reproduce, the circle of life, and even about their own place in the world. These are profound and important concepts.

Spending time in and around nature is also hugely beneficial to children in mind, body, spirit and even academically. That conclusion is supported by study after study, all around the world. Indeed, we have written a separate article about the benefits of nature to children. Take a look by following the bold link.

Some of the Benefits to Butterflies & the Natural World

Nature-based activities like butterfly spotting will also begin to foster a deeper appreciation in children for the natural world and the flora and fauna within it. Children who regularly spend time in and around nature will tend to develop an affinity for it, right into adulthood. As well as enjoying everything that the Great Outdoors has to offer, children who are used to spending time in natural environments are often more environmentally conscious, with a greater sense of empathy for other creatures and a more responsible attitude around the impact that humans are having on the planet. And, as we’re seeing in recent news about global warming, climate change and the effects on recent weather patterns, such attitudes have never been more important. Children are the planet’s future, so encouraging them to look after the natural world is crucial for its very survival. The human race needs to act decisively to reverse both climate change and habitat loss so that wildlife populations can begin to recover. If there were no pollinators, then we’d all be in deep trouble.

The Best Places to Spot Butterflies

There are some obvious, and not-so-obvious, places where children are most likely to see the most butterflies:

Around flowers and blossoms, as nectar is their food.
Especially around butterfly-loving plants like Buddleia, also known as the ‘Butterfly Plant’.
Around calm, sheltered, sunnier spots, especially in the middle of the day — although they’re around any time of day if it’s warm (above 20ºC if it’s cloudy). Butterflies are delicate and do not like the wind.
Butterflies love brambles, flower meadows and forest clearings (‘glades’) where wildflowers grow.
They’ll also be drawn to forests and glades where a variety of different tree and plant species are growing at different stages of development.
Areas with long grass and hedgerows are good spots if they contain wildflowers.

Look But Don’t Touch

Butterflies are very delicate creatures, with wings that are easily damaged. Therefore, teach children not to try to catch or hold them. It’s best if families simply look rather than touch. Also, try to keep fairly still because butterflies can sense movement from multiple directions and are constantly on the lookout for danger.

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool, Padiham

Children also get to immerse themselves in nature-based activities at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, where we offer high-quality weekday childcare for babies and children under five. The service is much more than that, though, as we give children the very best start in life, nurturing them in their early years to become the very best version of themselves by the time they leave us to start school. Their learning and all areas of personal, social and emotional development come on in leaps and bounds during their time with us. This gives them all the tools they’ll need to thrive going forwards. We also support all the free childcare schemes offered by the Government to eligible families, including free childcare hours for 2-year-olds and up to 30 free hours per week for 3 and 4-year-olds and much more.

For more information, to register for a childcare place, or request a guided tour with your child, please get in touch using an option below:

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

Little Acorns is a nursery & preschool in Padiham, also being convenient for families nearby in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

25 July 2023/by Mark

If you’re a parent of a child under five, consider following Little Acorns Nursery on our social media channels and here on our blog. As well as showcasing some of the activities and events at our Padiham nursery, we’ll also publicise useful and informative guides, articles and advice about parenting, early years learning and development, and everything to do with childcare. For example, we may publish guides explaining eligibility rules for the various Government-funded schemes for free childcare, or discuss the findings of important studies into the education of under-fives. We may show images from trips the children have been on, or highlight a fun and educational activity that children under five can take part in at home. These are just a few examples, so do follow us if you’d like to be kept better informed.

Follow Our Journal

This is what we call our blog (short for ‘web log’) where we regularly publish guides and useful information for parents of children under five. The main blog page can be found here and parents can take a look at the article list and pick out any that they find interesting. They’re all carefully researched and professionally written. Articles include a series of guides and useful information for parents, covering topics like childcare funding schemes, activity ideas, health and wellbeing of babies and children under five, a Hygge explainer, and much more. We add new articles every month and will also include key happenings at the nursery. So, do bookmark this page in your browser if you’d like to keep up to date.

Follow Us on Twitter

We’re @NurseryPadiham on Twitter, so you can follow us at https://twitter.com/NurseryPadiham/

• On Twitter, we’ll tweet images and links to our useful guides for parents and interesting information about early years education, parenting, childcare funding, and much more.
• We’ll include tweets and retweets of other useful information from third parties too. For example, tweets may be about learning and development, books/reading, nature, wildlife, early play, outdoor play, the well-being and health of children, creativity, activities for kids, sport, food, literacy, numeracy, and basically anything to do with childcare or raising a child under five.

Follow Our Facebook Channel

We’re @TotsNursery on Facebook (because we took over the Adventure Tots childcare business), so you can follow us at https://www.facebook.com/totsnursery/

Our Facebook profile is jam-packed with updates and includes:

• Information about the nursery — all about us, opening times, etc;
• Facebook ratings — currently we have the highest possible 5-star rating after reviews from tens of people;
• Newsletters from the nursery, as they’re published;
• Photos and videos from the nursery;
• Useful information, guides, and links to the in-depth posts from our main blog;
• Latest updates from what’s been going on at the nursery — events, outings, and initiatives, etc;
• Comments from parents;
• Occasional competitions;
• Posts and re-posts of useful and interesting Facebook posts that we think might interest our parents/families. For example, activity ideas, games, learning and development insights, play ideas, wildlife information for families and children, etc.

Follow Us on Instagram

We’re @LittleAcornsNurseryBB12 on Instagram, so you can follow us at https://www.instagram.com/littleacornsnurserybb12/

At time of writing, our Instagram profile is pretty new, but we’ll soon be adding pictorial content including:

• Great images showing activities at the nursery/pre-school in Padiham;
• Photos of outings, outdoor play, etc;
• Photos of creative play at the nursery;
• Photos of events involving our under-fives;
• Images with links to highly interesting and useful articles and guides published for parents of under-fives on our main blog.

Follow Our Pinterest Pins

We’re also @LittleAcornsNurseryBB12 on Pinterest, so you can follow our pins and boards at https://www.pinterest.co.uk/LittleAcornsNurseryBB12/

We love Pinterest and feel it’s very underrated! Follow us on Pinterest for:

• Interesting photos, images, and videos, particularly for parents of under-fives.
• We also re-pin useful and interesting images and ideas from others who have pinned about early years play, activity ideas, learning and development, etc.
• Our own “title image pins” with links to our highly useful blog posts, articles and guides for parents, information about early years education, parenting, and more.

On our Pinterest channel, pinboards have been created for the following topics: Preschool, Nursery School Activities, Little Acorns Nursery Padiham itself, Early Years, Sensory Activities for Under 5s, Early Years Parenting, and Nature Activities for Under-Fives. We may add more and we’ll be adding more and more ‘pins’ to each category as time goes by.

Find us on Google

We appreciate that, if you’re reading this, you’ve already found us. However, if you ever need to find us again and aren’t sure where to look, we’re also on Google. Our Google business profile is here. It shows:

• Our reviews (we have a full 5-Star rating at the time of publishing this article);
• Our business details including address, opening/closing times, contact details, etc;
• Photos from the nursery and as uploaded by the public;
• An outside interactive street view;
• Links to the latest blog posts from the nursery;
• A map and directions — particularly useful if you’re visiting or working out distances and travel to/from the nursery.

Review Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

If you’re a parent of a current child at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, why not write us a review? You can review us on Google (here) and review us on Facebook (here). Many thanks if so. Or, if you have any comments, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Little Acorns: a Nursery & Pre-School for Children Under 5 in Padiham

The highest quality childcare in Padiham, Lancashire

At Little Acorns Nursery, we give babies, toddlers, and children under 5 the very best start in life. We are a nursery and pre-school in Padiham that offers weekday childcare and a complete early years education. We’re also conveniently close for those living or working nearby in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham, or Wood End. Government-funded childcare places are all supported for eligible families, so do get in touch if you’d like to register your child for a childcare place, to arrange a guided tour, or ask any questions. We’re here to help.

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822

31 March 2023/by Mark

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