Tag Archive for: Little Acorns

Toothbrushing for Under-5s — Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing!
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Toothbrushing for Under-5s — Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing!

Toothbrushing for Under-5s — Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing!

Children can learn about brushing teeth by following their parents' examples.Today we bring you a guide to toothbrushing for under-fives, inspired by children at Little Acorns Nursery taking part in Lancashire’s Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing campaign. An initiative of Lancashire County Council Public Health, the programme is designed to educate and encourage young children, including toddlers, to brush teeth for 2 minutes twice a day using age-appropriate toothpaste. What’s more, their message is that it’s never too young to begin and can even start before the first tooth has surfaced. At Little Acorns Nursery, the programme is supervised by staff and is intended to take place in tandem with toothbrushing at home — it does not replace it. Nursery staff guide children to establish a positive and proactive routine around toothbrushing, to foster good habits around oral hygiene, and thereby minimise tooth decay and problems associated with it.

“Children who start brushing at a young age tend to have healthier teeth as they get older.”— Lancashire County Council Public Health.

As part of the “Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing” initiative:

  • Children at Little Acorns have each received a free toothbrush (replaced every quarter), a toothbrush holder, toothpaste, a brushing timer set for 2 minutes, and interactive learning resources that will help encourage them to brush regularly and thoroughly;
  • Children’s families have received information leaflets about the campaign along with a reusable toothbrushing chart. If needed, more can be requested from your local Family Hub, Lancashire’s Healthy Young People and Families Service∞ or via a family’s health visitor.
  • Learn more about the Let’s Get Lancashire Brushing initiative here.
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A toothbrushing chart.
Some of the free resources.
Young boy practises brushing giant teeth.
Girl under five practises brushing some giant teeth.

Little Acorns children have loved taking part in this scheme and the good news is that appropriate toothbrushing has already become embedded in their daily routine. This approach is a great way to encourage children to look after their teeth from an early age. That’s something that’s known to keep teeth, gums, and oral health in good order as children get older, thereby reducing the need for fillings and the prospect of losing teeth.

“Taking care of your children’s teeth is essential for them to eat, drink, smile, talk, sing – and even shout, as well as protecting them from tooth decay!”— Michael Green, cabinet member for Health & Wellbeing.

Quick Guide to Brushing Children’s Teeth

Children’s teeth should be brushed twice per day, including once in the evening before bedtime. Brush for 2 minutes each time and, where possible, encourage children to spit out excess toothpaste. This may not be possible, of course, for babies and the youngest children. There is no need to rinse. Some additional guidelines for brushing children’s teeth follow:

Babies

  • The NHS recommends that you start brushing babies’ teeth as soon as one or more teeth have begun to appear.
  • Use an infant’s toothbrush, a “finger brush”, or a piece of clean gauze wrapped around a clean finger.
  • Use just a smear of toothpaste.
  • Use children’s fluoride toothpaste containing a minimum of 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of fluoride, unless a qualified dentist recommends the use of family toothpaste containing 1,350ppm to 1,500ppm of fluoride. (Source: NHS).

Children 3 to 6 Years

  • Brush under adult supervision.
  • Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
  • As with babies, the NHS recommends the use of children’s fluoride toothpaste containing a minimum of 1,000ppm of fluoride, unless a qualified dentist recommends the use of family toothpaste containing 1,350ppm to 1,500ppm of fluoride.
  • Encourage the child to spit out excess foam after brushing.
  • Don’t rinse – the fluoride toothpaste will not work as well.

Children Aged 7 or More

  • Children aged 7 or more should now be able to brush independently. However, they should be monitored to ensure they brush each time for the full 2 minutes.
  • They should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the brush.
  • Children of this age should use a family toothpaste containing 1,350ppm to 1,500ppm of fluoride.
  • The child should spit out excess foam after brushing but, as with younger children, not rinse.

Supervising

Sit your baby or infant on your knee (taller/older children can stand), in front of a mirror so that you can both see the reflection as you brush their teeth.When brushing a baby or infant’s teeth, one of the best approaches is to sit them on your knee (taller/older children can stand), in front of a mirror so that you can both see their reflection. Tilt their head slightly backwards onto your chest and face them away from you towards the mirror. In this way, they can see how you are brushing their teeth and learn from your example. Small circular movements on their teeth and gums are a good way to start when they’re very young. Ensure all areas of their teeth and adjacent gums are brushed. By using the mirror approach, they will see how best to brush teeth and pick up the idea as they grow older. Once they learn to brush teeth independently, however, ensure you continue to supervise them. In this way, you can ensure that they remain thorough and spend a minimum of 2 minutes brushing each time. Guide children’s hands if they need help. An egg timer is useful as a reminder and may also be used to inject a bit of fun into the activity.

Safety tip: Never let children run around when they’re brushing their teeth; it’s dangerous and they could potentially end up hurt.

Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Please get in touch if you’d like to explore a possible nursery place for your child at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, Lancashire. As well as providing for Padiham families, we’re located conveniently close to those in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. We provide a first-class early years education and high-quality weekday childcare for families. We also support many of the free childcare schemes funded by the UK Government, making it much more affordable for Lancashire families.

Interested in a nursery place for your child? Choose a button to start your child’s journey at Little Acorns Nursery:

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822
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The Essential Guide to Primary School Applications
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The Essential Guide to Primary School Applications

The Essential Guide to Primary School Applications

Parents of 3- and 4-year-olds have limited time in which to apply for a school place for their child. Primary school applications need to be received by mid-January at the latest, which is earlier than for secondary schools. And, for parents who are deferring a child’s school start until they’re five, don’t be fooled into thinking you have more time for your application — you simply don’t! In today’s Essential Guide to Primary School Applications we outline the key dates, rules, and advice to help parents submit applications on time, increase chances of receiving an offer for a preferred school, and avoid disappointment.

When do Parents Need to Apply for a Primary School Place?

The standard deadline for primary school applications is the 15th of January.Primary school applications need to be submitted while the child is three or, at the very latest, has very recently had their fourth birthday. Because applications received on time are processed first, failure to apply by the due date means a child is less likely to receive an offer for their preferred school — places may no longer be available that late in the day.

The application deadline itself is January the 15th at 11:59 pm. Note, however, that it’s usually different for ‘in-year’ applications* where a child may, for example, have moved into a new area mid-year. At the time of writing (late November), there is therefore only limited time remaining for applications, so time is of the essence if your child is three or recently became four.

What if I Want My Child to Start Primary School at the Age of 5 Not 4?

Most children in England begin Primary School when they’re four. However, from a legal standpoint, children can defer starting school to when they reach Compulsory School Age which, in essence, arrives on or soon after they have turned five. It’s a personal choice and perhaps more of a conundrum for summer-born children whose birthdays fall between the beginning of April and the end of August. These children would either be amongst the youngest in the year if they begin school at the age of four, or amongst the oldest if they begin at the age of five. What’s more, it is not be up to the parents whether a child deferring until five goes into Reception Year with mostly younger children — or info Year One with mostly older children. That decision is made by local authorities and schools although the child’s abilities, needs, and best interests will be important decision factors.

Whether they start school at 4 or 5, a child’s Primary School Application must be submitted while the child is three or, at the very latest, has just reached the age of four.

That’s important, so don’t be caught out if you are deferring your child’s start until they’re five.

*In-year applications

This guide focuses primarily on primary school applications made for children starting at the beginning of the standard academic year (in the September term). Applications made outside of the standard timing are also possible, for example, for a family that moves house in the middle of an academic year. For such scenarios, it’s important to realise that some of the rules and timings are different. Deadlines, for example, may not be the same and alternative or even additional applications forms may be required in some circumstances. It’s similar for those who missed the mid-January application deadline as such families will need to fill in and submit a late application form. Priority for places, however, is usually given to those who applied on time by the standard mid-January deadline. More details about late and in-year applications will be available on your local authority website.

How to Select Your Preferred Primary School(s)

Choosing a primary school that's conveniently close makes sense.Choosing a primary school for a child is an important step for any family. Somewhere conveniently close makes sense — and indeed is one of the most important criteria for offers, as we’ll see later. After all, you don’t want to be late dropping off or picking up your child because you’re stuck in a traffic jam miles away. Somewhere local will also mean your child has friends who are conveniently close by, which is another good thing. And, of course, if your child’s sibling already attends, then that school would usually be a natural first choice, assuming you’re happy with it of course.

Parents/carers will also want to gather feedback from parents whose children already attend schools on their radar. Ofsted reports and performance tables are also a gold mine of information. Online ratings and reviews by previous or existing parents are also useful indicators to consider.

One of the best things a parent can do, however, is visit the contending schools, particularly if the child accompanies them. Open days/evenings are great but some schools also accept appointments. Ask teachers and heads any questions to learn as much as you can about each school. Ask yourself questions too. How does the school feel? Does it have a good atmosphere? Can you see your child fitting in? What did your child think about it on their visit? Does the school have all the kinds of facilities and resources that you’d like your child to have access to? Do they cater well if your child has SEND if applicable? Is the school too small, too large, or just right? How do children do there? All these questions need consideration and a visit will help answer them.

You will need to select three schools on your application, so ensure you research and visit several so that you can make an informed choice. It’s important to get it right, particularly for the sake of your child.

A hugely worthwhile measure for parents to take is to check whether schools on their shortlist are likely to be oversubscribed. Data from previous years is likely to be a good indicator of this and usually such information can be supplied by local authority admissions staff and/or schools themselves. If a school on a parent’s shortlist has a history of being oversubscribed, then it’s very wise to ensure that at least one other school on a parent’s shortlist is not. Otherwise, if three oversubscribed schools are marked down on the application form it’s likely to lead to disappointment and an offer from a school that has perhaps not even been considered.

Although parents can specify their three preferred schools, in order of preference, the final decision is not theirs. The final offer is decided for their child by local admission authorities in tandem with schools although the parent’s list of preferred schools, and the order they’re listed, will be taken into consideration.

What are the Eligibility Criteria?

Although the eligibility criteria for school places are not identical for all locations, there are several factors that are fairly standard.While the eligibility criteria for school places are not identical for all locations, there are several factors that are fairly standard. For example, schools closest to a child and those where a sibling already attends are usually favoured. Children may also be more likely to be accepted at a school where a parent has worked for 2 or more years. Church/faith schools are often also more likely to accept children who share the same faith. Additional school admissions criteria can be found here.

How to Apply for a Primary School Place

Once you’ve decided on your three preferred primary schools and your preferred order, make your application by the mid-January deadline. This is done through your local authority website although be aware that some ‘non-catchment’ schools, including faith-based schools (e.g. Catholic) and academies may require a supplementary form to be submitted. Summer-born children deferring until five may also need to submit an extra form and submit it by the same January deadline. Research will be required on the part of the parent/carer in such scenarios to ensure all application requirements are met.

Include a Valid Email Address

Include a valid email address on your application. By so doing, you’ll receive your offer as quickly as possible. Those not including one will be notified by post, so are likely to receive their offer several days later than they might otherwise have done.

How to Accept an Offer

The generally-accepted wisdom is to accept whichever school is offered. That’s so that your child has a school place to fall back on even if you appeal, change your mind, or put your child on the waiting list for a different school (all are options). Accepting an offer will not adversely affect an appeal, by the way, so there’s nothing to lose by ensuring your child has the original offer secured.

Offers need to be accepted by the acceptance deadline specified on the offer communication received. Failure to accept in time may mean the offered place is withdrawn and given to a different child, so this is important.

When Do Parents Receive Their Child’s School Offer?

Primary school offers for those who applied on time are released on the 16th of April or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or public holiday.Primary school offers are first sent, by email, to those who applied on time and included a valid email address on their forms. Offers to such families are released on the morning of the 16th of April or the next working day if that happens to fall on a weekend or public holiday. Others who supplied an email address on their application, but who applied late in respect of the 15 January deadline, will usually receive offers via email the same day, although later on. Others, without an email address specified on applications, will receive offers via Second Class post, so are likely to see offers later than the 16th of April. Some local authorities, however, allow people to log onto a portal to view offers from that date. Note that those applying ‘in-year’ receive offers on different dates to the standard ones specified above.

The good news is that most families receive an offer for a school that they listed as one of their three preferences. Only a tiny percentage do not and, indeed, in 2023 that percentage was just 1.4%. Local authorities have a duty in such cases to offer a child an alternative school place. This is usually the closest one with an available space.

Little Acorns Nursery: Helping Under-5s Become School-Ready in Padiham

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Little Acorns Nursery is a wonderful childcare service in Padiham, and convenient for families nearby in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End in Lancashire. At Little Acorns Nursery, babies, toddlers and children under five are looked after, valued, loved and given a fabulous early years education. Our learning and development programme is designed to bring out the best in them. We nurture them in every area of the curriculum and their personal development so that, by the time they leave us, they’re the best version of themselves and school-ready. In this way, they’ll hit the ground running when they begin primary school and are set up for success.

To learn more about a place for your child at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, get in touch today, apply for a place, or arrange for a visit to see this wonderful setting for yourself. We’ll be pleased to welcome you and your little one to the Little Acorns family.

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Message Us 01282 680 822
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The Incredible Power of Reading With Children Under 5
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The Incredible Power of Reading With Under-5s

The Incredible Power of Reading With Children Under 5

In study after study, reading with under-fives has been shown to transform their early years education, with benefits that extend from early childhood right into adulthood.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

Reading with children positively impacts academic performance throughout all the school years and beyond.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.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

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. 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
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Little Citizen Scientists Wanted for the Big Butterfly Count

Little Citizen Scientists Wanted for the Big Butterfly Count

The Big Butterfly Count is free, enjoyable, educational, and hugely worthwhile for children and families to take part in.Calling all little citizen scientists — we need your help — and parents too! During part of July and early August the Big Butterfly Count takes place across the UK and the more children and families that take part, the better. All it needs to take is 15 minutes and taking part will help butterflies, daytime-flying moths and the conservation of nature and biodiversity in general. What’s more, it’s a free, enjoyable, educational, and hugely worthwhile activity for children and families to take part in. In today’s post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know in order to take part in 2024’s Big Butterfly Count. Little citizen scientists: get ready!

The Big Butterfly Count 2024

Starts: Friday 12th July
Ends: Sunday 4th August

What is the Big Butterfly Count All About?

The Big Butterfly Count is the world’s largest survey of butterflies. It takes place in Britain each year during the period when adult butterflies and daytime-flying moths are at their most prolific and active. These wonderful creatures are sadly threatened, with UK populations of many having plummeted over the last few decades.

“Right now, butterflies and moths are sending an SOS” (Butterfly Conservation)

The giant ‘citizen’ survey therefore aims to keep tabs on populations of particular species each year so that any changes in their numbers can be identified and any adverse issues affecting them identified. Only then can appropriate conservation measures be implemented to help them recover.

In addition, because butterflies and daytime-flying moths suffer from the same threats as other pollinators and wildlife (climate change, use of indiscriminate pesticides, habitat loss, etc.), trends in their populations can be used as a barometer for the state of wildlife, biodiversity, and nature in general.

So, if you and your little one(s) would like to take part and become citizen scientists, read on and we’ll explain the easy process of taking part.

“One of the great things about the Big Butterfly Count is that anyone can play their part, whether young or old.”

What You’ll Need

Families can use either the free app or ID sheet to identify butterflies and daytime-flying moths they spot.You’ll need a tiny bit of preparation, but it’s quick, free, and easy…

Either:

or:

  • For families with smartphones or tablets, download and use the Big Butterfly Count app — it’s free and also includes instructions and all the identification charts, links, and useful information you or your child will need to complete the task.

Download the 'Big Butterfly Count' app for IOS Download the 'Big Butterfly Count' app for Android

The butterfly identification sheet for England for 2024's Big Butterfly Count

Choose a Location for your Butterfly Count

Before commencing your own butterfly count, you’ll need to identify a suitable location in which to do so. That could be your garden, local park, somewhere in the countryside, or simply somewhere like a hedgerow. Wherever it is, it will need to have flowers in bloom in order to attract butterflies and/or daytime-flying moths. And, of course, it needs to be safe, with any little ones having suitable adult supervision.

The Best Places to Spot Butterflies

You/your little one will want the best chance of spotting butterflies during the Big Butterfly Count. With that in mind, the following types of locations are likely to have the greatest potential for success:

  • Places where there are lots of flowers, blooms, or wildflowers;
  • A sunny location that’s also sheltered from the wind;
  • Flower meadows and anywhere with brambles;
  • Clearings in forests where wildflowers are growing;
  • Areas with long grass if they contain wildflowers;
  • Hedgerows that contain wildflowers;
  • Glades or forest clearings where a wide variety of trees and plants can be found at different developmental stages;
  • The middle of the day is often a great time to see butterflies.

How to Do Your Butterfly Count

Over the course of 15 minutes, count the butterflies and daytime-flying moths that are included on the ID chart or smartphone app.Once you’ve chosen a suitable location that has flowers blooming and is ideally sunny and sheltered, you are ready to count butterflies and submit them to the Big Butterfly Count survey.

Over the course of 15 minutes, count the butterflies (and daytime-flying moths) that are included on the ID chart or smartphone app (only about 21 of the possible 60+ species are targeted in the Big Butterfly Count*). You/your child can log your sightings either directly in the app or by marking them on your butterfly ID printout. Don’t worry if you don’t see any at all within the 15-minute window — that counts in the survey too.

* If you/your child would like to identify and log butterfly and moth species not included in the Big Butterfly Count, you can do so using an alternative smartphone app, iRecord Butterflies, which you can use any time of year.

Tips!

You can either stay in one spot or walk while counting during your 15-minute slot.

  • If staying in one spot, you need to count how many of each targeted species you see at the same time. That’s so as to avoid counting the same butterfly more than once.
  • If walking during your 15 minutes, it’s far less likely that you’ll encounter the same butterfly more than once. Therefore, you can simply count up how many of each species you see during the 15-minute walk.

You can do as many 15-minute surveys as you like within the survey dates. Each can be submitted as a separate survey, along with the date and location for each.

See the Results!

Once you and your child have counted and submitted your results, you are officially Citizen Scientists! Well done! We hope it was fun and interesting as well as being a good thing to do to help the adorable butterflies, moths, and conservation of the natural world itself.

If you’re wondering what the results of the thousands of citizen scientist surveys across the UK are, you can check these out on this interactive map or the equivalent map available through the Big Butterfly Count smartphone app. You will have to wait until the results are available, i.e. for 2024 this will be from the 5th of August. Once available, you’ll be able to see counts and details of what was spotted in all areas of the UK. Try zooming in on your own area, which will include your own survey(s) within the data presented.

Other Ways Children Can Help Butterflies

Children and families can help butterflies in other simple ways too.In addition to taking part in the Big Butterfly Count, children and families can help butterflies in other simple ways too. What’s more, they’re also fun, educational, and make the world a better place. Additional ways to help butterflies – and other pollinators – include:

  • Sowing wildflowers in gardens and outdoor spaces;
  • Making gardens and outdoor spaces more wildlife-friendly;
  • Putting out pieces of overripe fruit (apples, oranges, bananas) and shallow dishes of water for them to sip at;
  • Refraining from using harmful chemicals in gardens (e.g. pesticides, weedkillers, slug and snail killer, etc.);
  • Keeping gardens ‘natural’ — e.g. avoiding replacing lawns with fake grass, mowing too often, or paving over areas that can be kept natural.

Nature & Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham is perfectly located for children’s involvement in the Big Butterfly Count and for being close to nature. That’s important, because nature is incredibly beneficial to children — and adults, of course. Nearby are parks, hills, waterways and the gorgeous Lancashire countryside. And, at our Padiham nursery itself, we have a lovely garden with a wild zone for children to explore. These areas allow children to get close to nature in a safe, supervised, environment. They also support the nursery’s tailored curriculum including any specific areas of interest for children under our care.

Consider a nursery place for your child at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham today. Here, they will get the very best start in a nurturing, homely environment where we will bring out the very best in them. Choose an option to get started:

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

Our location in Padiham, Lancashire, means that our nursery is also near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

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

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

Today we explore what the Walk & Talk scheme is all about, its aims, the benefits to children, and how families can get involved.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?

As this explanatory video explains, going walking and talking helps children hone attention, listening, communication and language skills.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:

  • The Walk & Talk scheme can reduce the 'word gap' by helping children learn new words and widen vocabulary.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 Walk & Talk scheme also aims to encourage children to use a variety of senses.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.

Walk & Talk activity ideas for when you're walking along streets, in town, or travelling on roads with your child.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?

Activity ideas for walking and talking with your child in the park.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.

Walk & Talk activity ideas for when you're in the garden with your child.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).

Conversation ideas for when you're at the shops with your child.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?

Tips for Successful Communication with Your Child

  1. Get their attention, for example, by saying their name or by pointing out something interesting during the walk.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. When appropriate, add extra verbal detail for them to build on their language, knowledge and understanding of conversations.
  6. 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.
  7. Say, “well done” to them and give them praise when they do well, for example, when they learn a new word, phrase, or fact.
  8. 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.
  9. Remember too that every activity is an opportunity for talking, communication, and learning.
  10. 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

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. 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

 

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British Land Mammals – Free Poster for Children
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British Land Mammals – Free Poster for Children

British Land Mammals – Free Poster for Children

Last month, we published 20 Benefits of Nature to Children, which explained the profoundly positive impact that nature has on children. Indeed, it can transform their lives cognitively, emotionally, spiritually, creatively, and even academically. With that in mind, we continue our series of free nature-based posters that children and families can download and print out. Today’s poster is all about British* Land Mammals. Children can display it in their rooms or print it out as a reference sheet to use when out in nature. How many of the mammals can your child name — or spot over the coming months?

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

The free poster features high-resolution reference images of 20 land mammals that can be spotted in Britain, including anything from badgers to weasels. There are several types of deer, plus mice, foxes, hares, hedgehogs, rabbits, squirrels and more for children to name and try to spot when out and about. Some, like red squirrels, for example, are less commonly seen than others — but that’s all part of this challenge! Here’s a preview:

Preview of the free poster featuring 20 land mammals that can be spotted in Britain. Click to download.

Click the poster image or this link to first download the poster in Acrobat PDF format, then either view it on a screen or print it out using your printer’s best printing settings and paper for best results.

Other Free Nature-Based Posters Available for Kids

The British Land Mammals poster is part of a growing set of nature-based posters that children and families can freely download and collect from this nursery website. They are attractive and educational — and little ones generally love animals. Other wildlife posters in the same series include minibeasts, birds, and butterflies, plus an autumn nature hunt poster that’s along similar lines.

“Because little nature lovers grow into big nature lovers.” – Unknown

More Reasons to Get Children Interested in Nature

As well as the benefits of nature already mentioned, getting children interested in the Great Outdoors will also benefit their fitness, knowledge, empathy, and awareness of ecological matters. Learning that we need to nurture nature and look after the future of the planet are all things that can come from an interest in nature in childhood. So, downloading today’s poster may well become a step along the path to a healthier lifestyle and greener choices for a child. As the saying goes, “from little seeds grow mighty trees” and that’s a perfect metaphor to illustrate where the simple act of printing out nature-based posters could lead for any child.

“Children are born with a sense of wonder and an affinity for nature. Properly cultivated, these values can mature into ecological literacy, and eventually into sustainable patterns of living.” – Zenobia Barlow

Nature Around Little Acorns Nursery & Padiham, Lancashire

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Children and families from Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham are lucky to be surrounded by parks, hills, waterways and Lancashire countryside. Here, a rich variety of wildlife may be seen, including perhaps some of the mammals featured today. Patience, perseverance, self-control, active listening, and a degree of quietness will be needed if some of the more shy creatures are to be spotted. Those are all good skills for children to practise, though.

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder … he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” – Rachel Carson

At our Padiham nursery, we also ensure that children get to spend time in our lovely garden and its wild zone. These are regularly adapted to complement specific learning topics being covered in the nursery’s curriculum, as well as to suit children’s individual nature-based interests.

If you are considering sending your baby or child under five to our excellent childcare nursery and preschool, please select an option below:

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

It may help to know that our nursery/preschool is also close to families in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

  • * For the purpose of this poster, British refers to those mammals that can be seen and found in Britain. While not all of those featured were originally indigenous to the British Isles, they’re here now and are therefore an integral part of today’s Britain.
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Get Ready for Pyjamarama 2024
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Get Ready for Pyjamarama 2024

Get Ready for Pyjamarama 2024

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.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.

“Spend a day in your pyjamas to raise money for BookTrust and be part of something amazing.”

How Does Pyjamarama Work?

Settings like Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham first register with the Pyjamarama fundraising scheme, well ahead of the event date. In return, they receive a free downloadable fundraising pack. This contains information and activity resources that they’ll be able to use with the nursery children on Pyjamarama day as well as things like posters to publicise the event. Access to BookTrust’s Pyjamarama Hub will also be given. This allows access to additional resources and activity ideas for children to take part in.

On the day itself, the idea is for children and staff to come to the nursery/preschool dressed in pyjamas to add an extra element of fun. Having said that, PJs are not obligatory — children can wear something else if they prefer, for example colourful T-shirts. Either way, we ask that each child brings £1 with them. This will be donated to the BookTrust charity to raise money for disadvantaged children, who might otherwise not have access to bedtime stories. The ensuing day will be relaxed and fun, with time spent together reading and sharing stories, watching specially-recorded videos from children’s favourite authors and taking part in a whole host of other fun, reading- and story-related activities.

At the end of the day, children who took part in Pyjamarama will receive certificates to take home. All money raised by the children and setting will subsequently be sent off to the fundraising team at BookTrust.

Pyjamarama is Fun, Educational & Worthwhile

Pyjamarama raises funds to give disadvantaged children and their families opportunities for reading and bedtime stories.Pyjamarama is always a fun day for both adults and children. The added aspect of pyjamas makes it special, quirky and relaxed. And, at the end of the day, it’s incredibly worthwhile. Not only does it raise money to give disadvantaged children and their families opportunities for reading and bedtime stories, but it also encourages those children taking part in Pyjamarama to read more, for pleasure as much as anything. Additionally, it gives children a different perspective and encourages altruism and empathy for others less fortunate than themselves.

“Raise vital funds to help every child get a bedtime story.”

How Pyjamarama Helps Disadvantaged Children

Every £1 helps. So, children and parents — please get involved. Here’s how fundraising can typically help:

  • £25 is enough to provide 15 under-fives from deprived communities with books and reading resources.
  • £50 is enough to provide an entire class of primary school children with a selection of books to share and read at home.
  • £100 would allow the BookTrust charity to help teenagers in a struggling secondary school reconnect with reading.

How Can You Get Involved?

“Through Pyjamarama we want to help support the children who are at risk of missing out on the joy and confidence that bedtime stories provide.”

If you haven’t already seen them, look out for posters and a letter to parents highlighting the date for Pyjamarama at your child’s setting this year. On the day, please ensure your child goes to nursery/preschool or school with £1 and is ideally dressed in PJs although, as we said before, it’s not obligatory — but is a lot of fun when everyone joins in.

More details and a FAQ about getting involved in Pyjamarama as a setting or individual can be found here.

“Naomi has seen how reading takes her into imaginary worlds and helps her deal with everyday worries and is amazed how it is also helping her to do well in all subjects at school.”

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool, Padiham

High-Quality Weekday Childcare in Padiham, Lancashire

Little Acorns Nursery & Pre-School is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

Babies and under-fives get the very best start at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham. As well as offering a convenient childcare service in a loving and homely environment, children also receive a comprehensive early years education at Little Acorns. We also support all Government-funded free childcare schemes including free childcare hours for eligible 2-year-olds and free childcare hours for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds. Contact us if you’d like to register your child for a childcare place. Or, if you’re not yet sure, why not arrange a guided tour? We can show you and your little one around to see how well they fit in. We’re also here to answer any questions. Please choose a button to get started:

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

Little Acorns is a nursery and preschool in Padiham, (BB12), also being conveniently close by for those in Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham, and Wood End.

BookTrust is a Registered Charity, number 313343.

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20 Benefits of Nature to Children - Including Under-5s
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20 Benefits of Nature to Children

20 Benefits of Nature to Children - Including Under-5s

Nature is incredibly beneficial 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.

1. Nature Stimulates Imaginations & Creativity

The natural world is an amazing and multi-faceted place, brim-full of wonder and fascinating flora, fauna, landscapes and terrains. As such, it’s a place where children will naturally play, build, create, invent and imagine. Young imaginations can simply explode with creative ideas; such is the range of possibilities that are available to children who spend time out in nature.

2. Nature is Good for the Body

Spending time in nature will help children hone fine and gross motor skills, and improve coordination, balance, and fitness.Spending time in and around nature means children are more likely to be active, for example, walking, running, skipping, climbing, playing, making, or simply building a den. Such activities will not only help them hone fine and gross motor skills, but will also improve coordination, balance, and fitness. Those skills will help them day-to-day while expending energy in this way will help them maintain a healthy weight and body-mass index.

3. Nature is Good for the Mind & Spirit

When the world is getting on top of you, time spent in or around nature is sure to be a great antidote, even for children. Spending time in nature is known to reduce stress, relieve depression, lower anxiety levels and naturally give people, including children, a greater feeling of well-being.

4. Nature Gives Children Freedom

Nature gives children a huge sense of freedom.One of the more obvious benefits of nature is that it gives children a huge sense of freedom that they might not otherwise experience. Being in The Great Outdoors allows children, under appropriate supervision, to run, explore, and play in ways that are far more free than in any other situation. This will also give them a huge sense of natural joy.

5. Nature Facilitates Discovery

Time spent close to nature aids natural discovery too and that’s never more important than in children’s formative years. Out in the natural world, there are a myriad of amazing things to discover, whether they’re flowers, trees, blossoms, insects, minibeasts, animals, birds, or seasons. Even rocks can be fascinating! Discovering new things first-hand is a perfect way for children to learn more about the natural world around them — and their place within it.

6. Nature Promotes Profound Thinking

All this discovery and freedom will spark natural questions in the minds of children. What does this do?” … “Why does it look and behave like it does?” … “How did it get here?” Indeed, “How did I get here?”. Nature encourages children to think about the world in new, profound ways. Such questions are a healthy part of every childhood; they help children learn, and may even lead to careers in such things as science, medicine, or research.

7. Nature is a Feast for the Senses

Through the senses, children will learn more about the world and generate millions of new connections in their developing brains.The stimulation of the senses is never more important than during children’s early years and spending time in nature is the perfect vehicle through which to do so. With so many colours, sounds, smells, textures and even (under adult supervision) tastes available in the natural world, it is indeed a feast for children’s senses. Through the senses, children will learn more about the world and generate millions of new connections in their developing brains. It’s almost magical!

8. Nature Fosters a Sense of Responsibility

When a child is tasked with feeding animals or tending to growing seeds and plants, they will naturally gain a sense of responsibility. After all, feeding and watering flora and fauna is literally a matter of life and death when you think about it. So, allowing children to become more responsible and to look after someone or something else is one of life’s most valuable and important lessons.

9. Nature Promotes Empathy

Nature can also promote feelings of empathy in children. That’s another key trait for children to nurture, and nature will help them achieve it. Whether they’re looking after a plant, feeding a bird or animal, or simply observing them, such activities will help many to put themselves in another living thing’s shoes. Fostering greater empathy is a great skill to develop and will stand children in good stead into adulthood.

10. Nature Fosters Environmental Consciousness

Being around nature can help children lean towards environmental issues, learn about the problems, and become part of the solution.Being around nature regularly can also help children lean naturally towards environmental issues, learn about the problems and become part of the solution. An appreciation of nature is indeed the first step towards becoming environmentally conscious and proactive. That’s a great thing for the planet, particularly as today’s children will become tomorrow’s custodians of the Earth.

11. Nature Gives a Sense of Perspective

Nature is also a great leveller. When issues are troubling children at home or day-to-day, spending a little time in nature, surrounded by beautiful trees, flowers, wildlife and landscapes, will help to put things into perspective. Sometimes seeing the bigger picture can help children see the little things for what they really are. That’s a healthy thing too.

12. Nature Helps Children Academically

Studies over recent decades have shown that, if children spend time in and around nature, they perform better academically. Findings include improved reading, writing, mathematics and even better test results.

13. Nature Improves Concentration in the Classroom

Part of the above may be to do with improved concentration following time spent in and around nature. For example, children coming in from a break in the park or the setting’s garden are shown to have greater focus, i.e. improved concentration once they return. It’s almost as if nature recharged them! Even a simple view of nature from the classroom window has been shown to help children’s performance in the classroom — which is incredible when you think about it.

14. Nature Supports the EYFS Goals

A key part of the education of children under five is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This is an important framework that prescribes the format, content and approach that will benefit children significantly during their early years learning and development. A set of EYFS ‘goals’ is part of that and spending time around nature helps children achieve many of those goals, particularly with respect to understanding the world, physical development, communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development. We’ll follow up with more information about the EYFS in a separate guide in due course.

15. Time Spent in Nature Improves Sleep Quality

Studies also show that spending time out in nature helps children to sleep more deeply. Sleep, particularly deep sleep, is immensely good for children and adults alike, so that’s hugely important and will help young minds and bodies to recharge and refresh.

16. Nature Promotes a Healthier Lifestyle

Spending all this time outdoors, and it being so interesting and a lot of fun, means it’s more likely that children will have an interest in nature and outdoor life when they’re older. That’s healthy for them in all the ways described in this article, and can therefore only enrich their lives and encourage healthier lifestyles into adulthood.

17. Nature Enhances Social Skills

Spending time in nature can boost confidence, language, communication and social skills.Children generally team up with friends when they’re playing and exploring outdoors. Spending time playing together in natural environments fosters many different kinds of interaction. This can boost confidence, language, communication and social skills. Stronger bonds and a deeper understanding of peers are likely to form from this.

18. Nature Helps Children Build Additional Skills

Playing, learning, creating and discovering with friends in natural environments will present both opportunities and challenges. These are great for the development of skills like teamwork, cooperation, leadership, problem-solving, critical thinking, the assessment of risk and more. Such skills will be useful throughout children’s lives.

19. Time Spent in Nature Opens Up Possibilities

When children spend time around nature, all kinds of possibilities open up to them. These include the chance for discovery, learning, adventure, invention, hobbies and even careers that are in some way linked to or influenced by childhood exposure to nature. Conservationists, zookeepers, wildlife photographers, travel writers, explorers and even some TV presenters ended up doing their jobs because they connected to nature from an early age.

20. Spending Time Around Nature is Great Fun!

We should not forget one hugely important aspect of nature — spending time around it in childhood is huge fun! The natural world opens up endless opportunities, adventures, new places, discoveries and new ways for children to be entertained. It’s no wonder that children love being outdoors so much — the joy is clear to see on their faces whenever they spend time in The Great Outdoors.

With all that in mind, the overall message is to give children safe access to nature as often as possible — it’s incredibly good for them and nature teaches them so much.

Nature at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. At Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham, we know just how important nature is to children. That’s why the nursery has its beautiful garden, a wild zone, a mud kitchen and a planting area where children can get hands-on with nature. We often adapt such areas to suit particular learning activities that children are focusing on at specific times of the year.

To enquire about a place for your child at 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

Our high-quality nursery/preschool in Padiham is also conveniently located for those nearby who require a childcare nursery near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

 

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

It’s 5-Star Food & Fun at Little Acorns Nursery in Padiham

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.

A Renewed 5-Star Food & Hygiene Rating

Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham, has been awarded a 5-star rating for Food Hygiene by the Food Standards Agency.Our Padiham nursery had its annual inspection by the local Environmental Health Officer recently. The purpose was to ensure, as required in all settings serving food, that Little Acorns Nursery has high standards of hygiene and follows the food preparation guidelines specified by the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Once again, Little Acorns Nursery passed with flying colours, achieving a full 5-star rating. That’s the best rating possible and reflects the highest levels of quality for food preparation, the food itself, cleanliness, and competence of staff. So, our thanks and utmost respect go to Kim, our in-house chef/cook, whose high standards, skill and expertise do the children and the nursery proud.

Recipe of the Month

To expand their learning and development and to nurture children’s interests, nursery children get heavily involved in our Recipe of the Month each month — and it’s been no different during the first part of the year. For January, it was the inclement weather that influenced the outcome of the new year’s first Recipe of the Month. Having witnessed snow, rain, hailstone and wind in recent times, the decision was made to choose a warm and healthy meal and, indeed, the final choice went down a storm! The recipe chosen for January was Warm Winter Stew.

One of the Little Acorns Nursery children peeling potatoes for January's Recipe of the Month.Because the recipe heavily involved potatoes, this also tied in nicely with the book Supertato, which our preschoolers have been looking at in tandem with discussions about food and the importance of a healthy diet. The photo shows one of the children peeling potatoes. Others peeled vegetables and even made their own dumplings. The fun activity helped to nurture children’s learning and the development of new skills and knowledge. The final result was both tasty and a huge hit with the little ones!

Recipe of the Month for February almost decided itself, as you’ll see below…

Pancake Time!

Nursery children loved mixing ingredients to make pancake batter on Pancake Day.Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a. Pancake Day, arrived on the 13th of February and it gave us a great opportunity to organise pancake-themed activities for the nursery/preschool children … for the entire week! After all, who doesn’t love pancakes? So, as you’ve no doubt guessed by now, our Recipe of the Month for February was home-made pancakes and it’s a recipe the children really enjoyed getting involved in. They loved mixing ingredients in a bowl to make their own pancake mix. We even set up a ‘Pancake Bar’ (see the main photo at the top), which included lots of yummy toppings that children could use to decorate their pancakes. The toppings included strawberries, bananas, chocolate spread, jam, lemon, sprinkles, honey and cream.

The theme continued all week with further pancake-themed activities laid on for the children. Even the toddlers had fun as they recreated pancake-making by ‘pat-pat-patting’ play-doh pancakes at the play-doh table in the nursery’s home corner.

On Valentine’s Day, the Food Theme Continued

Food prepared for Valentine's Day at the nursery.Valentine’s Day, which arrived on the 14th of February, also involved lots of food. After all, as the saying goes, it is often thought of as the language of love! At the nursery, we organised a lovely Grab ‘n’ Go Breakfast for our parents. This was followed by a special 3-course Valentine’s Day meal for our children in our lovely new dining room, which was set up like a little restaurant (see the photos). Children had sausage rolls to start, cheesy chicken and red pepper pasta for the main course and strawberry mousse – with sprinkles – for pudding. Accompanying this was some delicious blackcurrant juice. It all went down a treat with our nursery children, as did several other activities that were themed towards Valentine’s Day.

Healthy Meals & Snacks at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

Our talented in-house chef Kim ensures children receive healthy, nutritious and balanced meals.Kim, our talented in-house chef, prepares tasty home-made meals and healthy snacks for children at the nursery. Meals are prepared freshly, on site, using high-quality ingredients, which are locally sourced whenever possible. They are delicious as well as being nutritionally balanced to include a healthy mix of fish, meat, pulses and vegetables. Learn more about our menus and our approach to serving children here. The link also includes some new example menus that we’ve recently put together.

Special Diets are Catered For

All diets are catered for at Little Acorns Nursery, so if your child is allergic to anything, is vegetarian, vegan, or requires things like halal or kosher food, simply let us know and we’ll make the appropriate arrangements.

Little Acorns Nursery

High-Quality Weekday Childcare in Padiham, Lancashire (BB12)

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. If you have a baby or child under five and require the best weekday childcare service near Padiham in Lancashire, do consider Little Acorns Nursery. As well as looking after little ones, we give them a high-quality early years education too. Indeed, we bring out the very best in every child and help them achieve personal bests across the board, so they’re ‘school-ready’ by the time they leave us to begin school around the age of five. Contact us if you’d like your child to have the very best start in life — we’ll help children grow into the very best version of themselves, so they’re ready to take on the world and thrive! We’d be delighted to show you and your little one around and you’ll soon see how well they will fit into our warm, caring, and homely environment.

Get in touch today to explore more about a childcare place at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham.

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

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool in Padiham may also suit families in nearby towns and villages including Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End.

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New & Improved Dining at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham, Lancs.
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New & Improved Dining at Little Acorns Nursery

New & Improved Dining at Little Acorns Nursery, Padiham

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!

The New Great Oaks Dining Room

Attractive William Morris-style wallpaper was hung on a ‘feature’ wall.To make way for the new children’s dining room, an existing room at the setting was repurposed and totally revamped. Starting in Summer 2023, the contents of the existing room were sorted and relocated where needed, leaving a wonderful new space to use as the new ‘Great Oaks’ dining room. Walls, ceilings and skirting boards were prepared and freshened up with new paint. Attractive William Morris-style wallpaper was also hung on a ‘feature’ wall. Large canvas wall images were displayed to form interesting focal points and storage was added in the form of a large cabinet and a small cupboard. Large and small dining room tables and chairs were added for the different age groups along with high chairs, which will be close at hand whenever needed. All this sits on a durable floor with an attractive wood finish. All in all, the outcome is a pleasant home-from-home for children.

How the New Dining Room will Benefit Children

This new ‘Great Oaks’ dining room has been designed to benefit children in several specific ways…

  • The new dining space is designed to recreate family meals at home.As well as simply being a pleasant and highly functional place for children and staff to eat and drink, the new space is designed to recreate family meals at home. Eating meals here with peers and childcare practitioners will have a cosy, homely, feel, rather like being part of an extended family. The space lends itself to a convivial atmosphere where children can recharge and relax as well as eat and drink.
  • It’s a distraction-free environment too. When combined with the relaxed atmosphere, this allows free-flowing conversations and interactions to take place. Children can then discuss things like their interests, what they’ve been doing at home, what they have enjoyed at nursery, and so on.
  • This opens up natural communication pathways between our children and practitioners, allowing staff to learn much more about each child’s likes, dislikes, areas of challenge, model language, and so on. By discovering such feedback, practitioners are then able to follow each child’s lead and build appropriate content, resources and activities into their learning environment and bespoke learning plan.

The Menu Board

  • Our chalk menu board communicates which delicious meal combinations our in-house chef has lined up for the week.Another area of focus for one of the walls is the new chalk menu board. This is an attractive feature and one that communicates which delicious meal combinations our in-house chef has lined up for the week. Our practitioners talk children through the menu board each day to spark both interest and conversations with them. As well as being a great way to let them know what food to expect, the chalkboard menu is also another opportunity for little ones to begin to link letters to words and ultimately to real-life things that they’ll encounter.

The Menu Itself

  • Our talented in-house chef Kim ensures children receive healthy, nutritious, and balanced meals.As part of our Healthy Child Programme, our menus were thoughtfully reviewed back in the summer of 2023. Through Kim, our talented in-house chef, children receive delicious, home-made meals, which are freshly made with high-quality ingredients. Kim ensures children receive a healthy and nutritious balance between meat, fish, vegetables and pulses.

Our Approach to Serving

  • To encourage and continually promote independence, Chef Kim serves components of the meals separately. This gives the children the opportunity to choose and, for older children, self-serve how much they would like of each type of food. This is approached in an age- and stage-appropriate way. Our older Seedlings, for example, will be supported in holding the large serving spoon and the portioning out of their meals. For children from the Little Acorns Room, the serving bowl is passed around the table with nursery practitioners supporting children if they need help.
  • Small details such as the cupboards, mirror and wallpaper make the new space feel like a home-from-home.As well as promoting independence, this approach also encourages useful feedback from children in respect of any likes, dislikes or opinions that they may have about each meal.

Self-Care

  • We have also implemented a face washing station for the children. As well as promoting good hygiene, this encourages their development within the area of self-care, helps the children develop enhanced gross motor skills, and allows the children’s confidence to grow when faced with such new challenges.

Menu Examples

The menu at Little Acorns Nursery rotates on a 4-week basis. Here’s what’s on offer this term (Spring 2024):

  • Mixed Mediterranean vegetable pasta
  • Vegetable chilli with tortilla chips
  • Mac ‘n’ broccoli cheese
  • Spaghetti Bolognaise with garlic bread

All in all, the new dining experience at Little Acorns Nursery has been a huge success and it’s not just about how homely the newly refurbished room is. By allowing the children the freedom to serve themselves, we have noticed children are promoting good manners themselves, taking turns nicely, cooperating beautifully, and even helping other children who may require extra support. Above all, though, we have found that our children are now eating more at meal times — and that’s a wonderful outcome!

Little Acorns Nursery School, Padiham

Little Acorns Nursery & Preschool is in Padiham, Lancashire, near Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. Little Acorns is a wonderful nursery and preschool located in Padiham, Lancashire, also serving nearby families from Hapton, Rose Grove, Burnley, Altham, Huncoat, Read, Simonstone, Sabden, Higham and Wood End. If you’d like your baby, toddler or preschooler to have the very best start in life, do get in touch to explore the possibility of them attending Little Acorns Nursery. We’ll make them feel right at home from the start and help to bring out the best in them. By helping them become the best version of themselves during their time with us, they’ll eventually leave us suitably prepared for school — and ready to thrive!

Get in touch today to discuss a nursery/preschool place for your child, arrange a guided tour of the setting, or ask any questions. We’re here to help and cannot wait to meet you and your little one!

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