Entries by Mark

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Winter Treasure Hunt Activity (With Free Reference Poster)

Winter Treasure Hunt Activity (With Free Reference Poster)

Today’s Winter Treasure Hunt activity is a great antidote to the cold temperatures and shorter days that families experience during this season. So long as the weather is not dangerous or insanely cold, families can still enjoy the outdoors if they are dressed appropriately and children are adequately supervised. Even in winter, there is still so much for children to discover in The Great Outdoors! What’s more, spending time in and around nature is generally very good for both children and adults (more about that later). With all that in mind, we’ve put together a free reference poster that families can download and use as the basis for an exciting Winter Treasure Hunt. There are all manner of magical things for children to search for and discover in the winter months — from leaf skeletons, pine cones, and frosted spider webs, to animal tracks, icicles and miraculously unique snowflakes. So, take a look and download a free reference poster for your child today — and check out others in the same series.

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A Big Garden Birdwatch for Little People: 24-26 January 2025

A Big Garden Birdwatch for Little People: 24-26 January 2025
The Big Garden Birdwatch takes just one hour and allows families to be part of the world's biggest garden wildlife survey.Families, set your diaries for the wildlife event of the year, which happens this January from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th inclusive. It’s free, takes just one hour, and allows children and adults to be part of the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey. During the event, families and individuals across the nation simply count the birds they spot in the garden, park, local green space, or even balcony over the course of 60 minutes. The results of hundreds of thousands of these surveys are compiled by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to build a picture of the health of the nation’s bird populations. It’s important scientific and ecological work and children can become citizen scientists if they simply take part. Learn more about the Big Garden Birdwatch and how to take part in today’s guide for families with children.

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Free Childcare in Hindley Green — for Eligible Children Aged 9 Months to 4 Years

Free Childcare in Hindley Green — for Children 9 Months to 4 Years

Eligible working families can access substantial free childcare in Hindley Green and elsewhere — and the funding scheme is supported by Little Acorns Nursery. Since September 2024, free “childcare hours” have been available for eligible babies aged from just 9 months as well as for eligible toddlers and preschoolers aged up to Compulsory School Age. What’s more, the number of free hours is set to increase in 2025 for the youngest children. In today’s post, we’ll explain more about who is eligible — and it’s a lot of families — how many free childcare hours they can access, and how the funding increases from September 2025. With Little Acorns Nursery supporting the schemes, this is great news for families of under-fives living in and around Hindley Green and Wigan, Greater Manchester.

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Let’s Go on an Autumn Nature Hunt! (With Free Reference Sheet)

Let's Go on an Autumn Nature Hunt! (With Free Reference Sheet)

Autumn is a beautiful season and one of the most magical times of the year. It is particularly fascinating for young children as they witness the wondrous changes that take place in nature. From the crisp, clean air and trees turning a myriad of colours, to leaves falling like leafy snowflakes, and nature providing an array of seeds, nuts and food for wildlife, it’s remarkable. At such a time, children can enjoy a wide variety of fun and educational activities out in the Great Outdoors. Such activities will demonstrate just how incredible Autumn and nature are and what a fascinating bounty of magical things they provide. There is so much to see and discover and all children need to do is get outside with family and friends and explore. With that in mind, we’ve put together a reference sheet that highlights 20 of Autumn’s treasures for children to look out for and collect, under adult supervision, at this time of year.

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How to Help Children Settle Into Nursery

How to Help Children Settle Into Nursery: a Guide for Parents

When your baby, toddler or under-five child first starts at nursery, it can be a time of apprehension for both parent and little one. It’s such a huge milestone when they first spend time away from home; they’re incredibly young and, until then, have usually spent most of their time around close family at home. When they first start at nursery, it’s a new, often unfamiliar setting for them and many questions may trouble the mind of any parent or carer at this time. Are they going to like it? How will they fit in? Will they make friends? What are the nursery staff like? Will they eat enough? Will they be warm enough? Will they cry when they’re left there? There are potentially so many questions and concerns! With that in mind, today’s post is all about how to help children under five settle into nursery. If you’re a parent or carer whose child is just starting at nursery, take a look.

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Discover British Mammals – A Fun Nature Activity for Children

Discover British Mammals – A Fun Nature Activity for Children (with Free Poster!)

Today, we’re publishing a lovely new poster in our wildlife series for children and their families to download. This one features 20 beautiful British wild mammals that little ones can learn to recognise, name, and look out for. It’s important to encourage little ones to have an interest in nature because nature is incredibly good for children, especially in the early years. That’s just one of the reasons we regularly publish free wildlife and nature-themed posters for families. Once printed out, children can display our posters on bedroom walls or perhaps print out smaller to take with them when they walk or play in natural spaces. With that in mind, take a look at the preview below, click to download it, and print it out for your child today. This British Mammals poster is a simple, fun, and educational way to get children interested in nature-based activities outdoors.

“The best education does not happen at a desk, but rather engaged in everyday living – hands on, exploring, in active relationship with life.” — Vince Gowmon

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15 Reasons to Choose Little Acorns Nursery for Your Childcare

15 Reasons to Choose Little Acorns Nursery for Your Childcare

When choosing a nursery or preschool for your child, it’s very important to get it right. After all, when they’re under five, your child’s learning and development are at a critically important stage. You will want to ensure they’re safe, well cared for, and happy at your chosen nursery. You’ll also want to ensure they learn and grow optimally as individuals and are as school-ready as possible by the time they leave to start ‘big’ school. What’s more, you’ll want to hear what other parents and professionals think about the setting. With all that in mind, we’ve put together 15 reasons why choosing Little Acorns Nursery could be right for your child if they live in the Hindley Green area near Wigan. As you’ll see, many of the benefits of choosing Little Acorns for childcare are also backed up by independent opinions, for example, those of Ofsted inspectors and the parents of children who have attended.

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Connect With Us on Social Media — for Latest Nursery News & Early Years Information

Connect With Us on Social Media — for Latest Nursery News & Early Years Information

This is a message to parents, guardians and caregivers of children under five, especially if they’re attending Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green. Please connect with us on social media to keep up to date with news and useful information. We regularly publish updates including some of the goings-on at the nursery/preschool itself as well as highly useful information about parenting, early years education, childcare, and much more. You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter). And, of course, we post highly useful articles right here on our blog. Read on for more details.

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Open Days for Little Acorns Nursery Hindley Green – July 2024

Open Days for Little Acorns Nursery Hindley Green – July 2024

Little Acorns Nursery & Pre-School in Hindley Green, near Wigan, Bolton & ManchesterLittle Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green is rated as a good childcare provider by Ofsted.Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green is holding three open days in July 2024. So, if you are a parent, guardian, or caregiver of a baby or child under five in the Hindley Green region, register to come along. We’d love to meet you and show you and your little one around! You’ll be able to see the wonderful, newly refurbished setting in action, its incredible resources and equipment, the extensive outdoor grounds with all their different zones, and the happy children learning through play at this amazing childcare setting near Wigan.

Nursery Open Days 2024
Tuesday 23rd | Thursday 25th | Friday 26th July

Register for an Open Day: Call 01942 259 870

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The Importance of Play in Early Childhood

The Importance of Play in Early Childhood (Guide)

Our guide explains why play is incredibly important to children's learning and development.One of the most widely accepted truths among professionals involved in ‘early years’ education is that play is incredibly important to children. That’s not just because it comes naturally to them and is fun; play is the key tool through which children learn about themselves, each other, and the world around them. Indeed, the act of playing benefits children in a wide array of profoundly beneficial ways, including socially, mentally, physically, and emotionally. With that in mind, today’s post highlights some of the many benefits of play to children, particularly in their early years. So, if you have a child under five, take a look and you’ll soon see why encouraging your little one to play in a variety of ways will bring out the very best in them and help set them up for life.