Activities

I have many different activities available in my home.   I like to base most of my plans on real events, people and animals.   For instance I have a theme called mini-beasts which is all about invertebrates.   We will go out into the garden looking for mini-beasts, set humane traps to catch them, make butterfly buns and ladybird stones.  We will have a look to see what is happening inside the wormery.  We will also visit the butterfly house at North Anston as part of this theme.  We will make bees wings and then pretend to be bees buzzing in the garden and use honey when we bake bread.

I  include many different multicultural festivals such as Holi, Passover, Raksha Bahndan, Chinese New Year and Christmas into my plans as this helps children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world.  When celebrating these festivals we will make cards, food items, bracelets and gifts to exchange with each other and the childrens families.

I have a fully enclosed back garden with different climbing frames suitable for differing ages.  I have a separate slide, a cosy coupe car and a tri-cycle.   I will also encourage children to take part in gardening activities and will provide each child with their own mini potted garden for them to grow fruit and veg or flowers.  In the spring we will plant sunflower seeds to see whose will grow to be the tallest.  I also have an outdoor blackboard so that children can mark make and express themselves outdoors as well.

I am planning on major changes to my back garden over the next 12 months. These will include a covered outdoor play area so that children are able to take part in physical activities and explore the outdoor environment all year round. I am going to plant a sensory garden, children will be able to feel and smell lots of different scented herbs and flowers like lemon thyme and lavender.

I live in very close proximity to Newfield Green Library so I aim to visit the library with the children once a week.   I also have many books in my home and we will have a quiet time with a story every day.   I have a quiet corner in my living room so that if at any time a child wants to sit and read they can do that.   I also make all my own sensory play dough.   Yellow play dough will smell of lemons.  Green play dough of limes and purple play dough of lavender.   It is vital that I know any allergies that your child might have to prevent reactions.

I have lots of different toys and resources in my home including a fully stocked fully accessible unit in the living room that the children are free to explore. A safe foam mate has been put over the laminate flooring in the living room for a softer surface for knees and bottoms!