Early Years News, Articles, Guides & More
Stay up-to-date with our articles, guides and news relating to early years learning and education.
Early Years News, Articles, Guides & More
Stay up-to-date with our articles, guides and news relating to early years learning and education.
Journal — Latest Articles for Parents:
News & Articles
- The Importance of Outdoor Play in the Early Years: A Guide for Parents
- Leaf Nature Hunt Activity for Kids – with Free Reference Poster
- Never Let People Kiss Your Newborn Baby! Here’s Why
- Ofsted: Little Acorns Nursery is a ‘Good Provider’ – It’s Official!
- Applications Now Open for ‘30 Hours’ Childcare Scheme — for Children (9m+) of Working Parents
Our Amazing Nursery
Little Acorns is a nursery & preschool in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham & Wood End. We offer outstanding weekday childcare for babies (3 months +), toddlers & children up to 5 years old.
Contact Little Acorns
Chapel House
Victoria Road
Padiham
Lancashire, BB12 8RF
01282 680 822
Email us here
Opening Hours
Open 7 am – 6 pm Mon-Fri
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
Bird Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)
Butterfly Spotting for Kids (with Free Poster!)
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.
Free Childcare Through Universal Credit (Rough Guide)
In today’s post, the third in our series of guides about Government childcare funding schemes, we look at free childcare funding available through Universal Credit. This is particularly timely because the scheme becomes significantly more generous from the 28th of June 2023, so eligible families will start benefitting just as today’s guide goes live. The changes come into effect following commitments made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Spring Budget back in March. They make childcare funding through Universal Credit more generous and easier to fund. We will explain what we mean by that, as well as outline the facts, figures and eligibility requirements for the scheme, in our guide to Free Childcare Through Universal Credit below.
Free Childcare for 2-Year-Olds in England (Quick Guide)
Today we explain the Government’s free childcare funding scheme for eligible 2-year-olds. While it’s not as universally available as the childcare funding scheme for 3- and 4-year-olds, there are still a significant number of children who will be able to benefit from this scheme for children aged two. And, by starting their early years education no later than this specific age, children are known to boost personal bests, social skills, cognitive development and even life outcomes — in many profound ways. (More information on the benefits of starting an early years education early is available here). What’s more, this particular funding is aimed at 2-year-olds that are disadvantaged in some way, so it can help to level up the playing field for them.
So, how does the scheme work, which 2-year-olds are eligible for the free funding and how do families access it? In today’s guide to Free Childcare for 2-Year-Olds in England, we explain everything you need to know and answer all such questions.