Early Years News & Articles by Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Get ready for Pyjamarama 2024. This year it arrives on Friday 17th of May in nurseries, preschools, schools and homes all around the Nation. That date is not carved in stone, though, as some settings may find an alternative date more convenient for their particular circumstances.

What is Pyjamarama?

Pyjamarama is a one-day fundraising event that’s organised through the children’s reading charity BookTrust. It takes place each year across a variety of UK settings including homes, schools, preschools, nurseries and more. As well as being great fun for those organising and taking part, the initiative is beneficial to millions of disadvantaged children. The ultimate aim is to raise money to fund the purchase of books and resources, so that every child in the UK gets the chance for bedtime stories and each family has proper reading opportunities. The initiative is hugely popular, great fun, and transforms lives. Today, we take a look at what to expect, how to get involved, and the many benefits of Pyjamarama.

24 April 2024/by Mark

Active Play, Activities for Children, Children, Early Years Education, Learning & Development, Nature, Nature Activities, Outdoor Play

20 Benefits of Nature to Children

One of the many reasons we love nature and nature-based children’s activities here at Little Acorns Nursery is that nature is incredibly beneficial to children. What’s more, the benefits start right from their earliest years and are profoundly powerful to little ones. There have been many studies about this over the years and they all seem to conclude that nature is incredibly good for us all, especially so during the early years. Today’s post looks at 20 of the key benefits that spending time in and around nature holds for children and, with Spring now upon us, it’s the perfect time to begin getting little ones outside more, weather permitting.

29 March 2024/by Mark

Activities for Children, BB12, Childcare, Children, Food & Drink, Healthy Eating, Lancashire, Learning & Development, Nursery, Nursery News, Padiham, Preschoolers, Under-fives

It’s 5-Star Food & Fun at Our Padiham Nursery

It’s been five-star food, fun, and feasting at the Nursery during February this year! Children enjoyed making and eating pancakes, parents got to eat breakfast with nursery staff and children for Valentine’s Day, our 5-Star Food Hygiene rating was awarded again for another year, and our little ones even got involved in our Recipe of the Month. We’ll spill all the beans for you below, although not literally of course.

29 February 2024/by Mark

Childcare, Food & Drink, Healthy Eating, Learning & Development, Nursery, Nursery News, Nutrition, Padiham

New & Improved Dining at Little Acorns Nursery

Recent months have seen some positive new changes at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, which will improve the lives and experiences of children at the setting. One such change is the implementation of a new, self-contained dining room, designed specifically to recreate the feel of family mealtimes. Today’s post explains how we went about it, what form the new dining room takes and, most importantly, how this new space will benefit the children under our care. We also cover our approach to the children’s food menu, which has been updated as part of our Healthy Child Programme. Let us know if you have any feedback!

31 January 2024/by Mark

World's Biggest Garden Wildlife Survey – & Children Can Play Their Part

Activities for Children, Birds, Children, Early Years Education, Learning & Development, Nature, Nature Activities, Preschoolers, Toddlers, Under-fives

World’s Biggest Wildlife Survey – & Children Can Play Their Part

Children, adults, and whole families are gearing up to take part in the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey in early 2025. Organised by the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), the Big Garden Birdwatch requires just one hour of your time during late January 2025. It’s free, hugely worthwhile, and will benefit nature, conservation, and children themselves. So, why not set a date for your diary and take part? Today’s post explains how to enrol, what to do, and how it will benefit all parties involved.

29 December 2023/by Mark

Activities for Kids, BB12, Children, Exercise, Fundraising, Lancashire, Nature, Nature Activities, Nursery, Nursery News, Padiham, Preschoolers, Toddlers, Under-fives

Our Sponsored Walk – for a Very Worthwhile Cause

During the autumn half-term break, adults and children from Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham embarked on a sponsored walk around Gawthorpe Park. The walk took place during a cold and wet Tuesday, on 24th October, with children from our Little Seedlings, Little Acorns and Great Oaks rooms donning Wellington boots, anoraks and wet weather gear for the task. Once assembled, little ones and adults braved the inclement weather and went on to complete the walk admirably, even making the local Burnley Express paper.

29 November 2023/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.

31 October 2023/by Mark

Activities for Children, Activities for Kids, Children, Early Years Education, Education, Learning & Development, Minibeasts, Nature, Nature Activities, Outdoor Play, Padiham, Preschoolers, Toddlers, Under-fives

Minibeast Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)

Today’s Minibeast Spotting activity completes a trio of nature-based posts that each include a free poster. Featuring 30 different minibeasts for children to find and identify, it’s designed to encourage children to get outdoors, learn about the different creatures nearby, explore, and benefit from everything that nature has to offer. With previous free posters covering bird spotting and butterfly spotting activities, these nature-themed activities will give children a really good insight into some of the interesting and exciting creatures they can see in their gardens and neighbourhoods if they simply take some time to look.

28 September 2023/by Mark

Bird Spotting Activity for Kids (with Free Poster!)

Today’s bird spotting activity for kids continues our series of nature-themed posts that each comes with a free reference poster for families to download. Featuring 40 British birds, the activity and the poster represent a great opportunity to get children of all ages outdoors, closer to nature. As many of us know, nature is hugely beneficial to the health and well-being of little ones as well as fostering a greater respect and understanding of the natural world around us. Such an appreciation is also likely to encourage children to do their bit to help protect the environment as they grow older. Nature-based activities are therefore a win-win for children and the environment.

31 August 2023/by Mark

Activities for Children, Activities for Kids, Butterflies, Childcare, Children, Early Years Education, Learning & Development, Nature Activities, Nurseries, Nursery, Outdoor Play, Padiham, Parenting, Pre-Schools, Preschoolers, Preschools, Toddlers, Under-fives

Butterfly Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)

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.

25 July 2023/by Mark

Early Years News, Articles, Guides & More

Early Years News, Articles, Guides & More

Journal — Latest Articles for Parents:

Journal — Latest Articles for Parents:

Get Ready for Pyjamarama 2024

What is Pyjamarama?

It’s 5-Star Food & Fun at Our Padiham Nursery

New & Improved Dining at Little Acorns Nursery

World’s Biggest Wildlife Survey – & Children Can Play Their Part

Our Sponsored Walk – for a Very Worthwhile Cause

Let’s Go on An Autumn Nature Hunt!

Explore the Beauty of Autumn with a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Download Your Free Reference Sheet

Minibeast Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)

Bird Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)

Butterfly Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)

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