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Celebrating our teams achievements

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:01:00 GMT

Becky King - 10th July 2026

As you may be aware, a huge part of our ethos is that we all have a love for learning, and we provide so many opportunities for our team to develop their skills and knowledge. We are therefore so grateful to have a team of early years educators that all demonstrate their commitment to our 'Love to Learn' approach.

We're so incredibly proud to share the following updates:

✨ Abbi (Tots) has successfully completed her Level 2 Apprenticeship, achieving a distinction for her knowledge test as part of her End Point Assessment! We're so proud of Abbi and everything she has achieved with us in just 18 months, and we look forward to seeing what's next!

✨ Hollimae (Smarties and SEND support), Karen (Curriculum Lead), Helena (Tots) and Ella (Babies) have all successfully completed the Elklan Speech and Language support to Level 3. This specialist training further strengthens our ability to support children's communication, ensuring every child has the best possible opportunities to develop their speech and language at the setting.

✨ We recently introduced our own Champion Awards programme which recognises not only consistently outstanding practice, but also a commitment to inspiring others as a mentor and 'champion' of different aspects of practice. There are several awards available for staff to achieve and our pilot award was 'Quality Interactions'.

We are so pleased to share that Carol is the first to complete our Champion Awards programme! As a Quality Interactions Champion, Carol will continue act as a mentor, advocate and role model, championing high-quality practice, supporting colleagues to develop their own interactions, and helping us continue to provide the very best experiences for every child.

A huge well done to you all from everyone here at Tiny Tots! We are proud to invest in our team's professional development, ensuring we continue to provide the highest quality care and education for the children and families at Tiny Tots Day Nursery.

Object Permanence

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:56:09 GMT

Elaine Handley - July 2026

Over the last few weeks, the Jelly Babies have been exploring object permanence through a range of fun, hands-on activities. The children enjoyed posting objects into containers such as baskets or cardboard boxes, as well as using closed boxes and keys to discover that objects still exist even when they are hidden from view.

Developing an understanding of object permanence is an important cognitive milestone. It helps babies recognise that people, objects, and events continue to exist even when they are out of sight. This growing awareness also supports children with transitions and helps to build their self-regulation skills, giving them confidence that familiar people and objects will return.

Learning walk - the CALM Approach in Practice

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:39:32 GMT

Elaine Handley - Wednesday 1st July 2026

Today's learning walk highlighted the wonderful engagement, curiosity and enthusiasm across the nursery in line with our CALM Approach. Practitioners were responsive to children’s interests, creating meaningful experiences that promoted deep-level learning through play. Children were engaged and eager to explore, with adults skilfully extending learning through conversations, questioning and sensitive support.

Jelly Babies

The babies have continued to build strong, secure relationships with the staff through shared experiences and responsive interactions. They have been developing their emotional attunement by taking part in lovely singing activities, enjoying music together, and exploring movement using a variety of musical instruments. Alongside this, they have enjoyed engaging in 'object permanence' activities using a variety of boxes.

It has been wonderful to see the children engaging with curiosity, building confidence, and strengthening their social, emotional, and cognitive development through these meaningful experiences.

Jelly Tots

The children were fully immersed in sensory exploration within the garden, investigating water, petals and natural materials in the messy tray. Staff skilfully encouraged mathematical thinking through opportunities to tip, pour, fill and empty containers while introducing simple mathematical language during play.

The CALM approach was clearly evident as practitioners remained attentive and responsive to children’s interests, allowing learning to develop naturally through children’s curiosity. Indoors, children also explored body painting, delighting in making marks using their hands, feet, arms and legs. This rich sensory experience promoted creativity, self-expression and confidence while encouraging children to explore different textures and surfaces.

Jelly Beans

The Jelly Beans children were engaged in a wide range of purposeful activities throughout the day, demonstrating sustained concentration and a genuine love of learning.

At the water tray, children investigated mathematical concepts by filling and emptying containers of different sizes, experimenting with volume while developing fine motor skills through the use of pipettes. Staff extended learning through rich mathematical language and encouraged children to predict, compare and investigate.

Mathematical learning continued within the sand tray, where children independently created numbers and shapes through exploratory mark making, naturally embedding early maths within play.

Imaginative play was also a particular strength, with a small group enjoying a train journey role-play alongside a practitioner. Children confidently took on different roles, negotiated ideas together and developed their communication, language and social skills as the play evolved.

Staff also demonstrated excellent responsive practice by recognising that several children had recently attended pre-school booster appointments. Doctor role play was introduced to support children’s emotional wellbeing, helping them explore feelings, develop understanding and build confidence through co-regulation and meaningful conversations about being unwell and visiting the doctor.

Smarties

The Smarties children have continued to build on their fascination with transport by exploring cars, ramps and road layouts in the garden. Staff thoughtfully extended this interest into discussions about road safety, different vehicles and the role of transport in everyday life, encouraging children to share their own experiences and ideas.

A small group also enjoyed making playdough alongside a practitioner, carefully following simple instructions while independently selecting different materials to add. This sensory experience encouraged children to explore textures, colours and smells, developing patience, communication and descriptive language as they compared familiar scents and confidently shared their own ideas with their friends.

Overall Reflections

Across all rooms, practitioners demonstrated a strong understanding of children’s interests and used these to create engaging, purposeful learning experiences. Adult interactions were warm, responsive and well-timed, supporting children to think, communicate and solve problems independently.

It was wonderful to see children so deeply engaged in meaningful experiences that fostered curiosity, independence and a genuine love of learning - all part of our CALM Approach.

A day of curiosity, creativity and independence

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:14:22 GMT

Elaine Handley - Wednesday 1st April 2026

We’ve had a lovely and engaging time across all rooms, with the children showing curiosity, creativity, and growing independence. Here’s a snapshot of what everyone has been up to...

Jelly Beans

The children have been busy exploring playdough, cornflour, and paints. They especially enjoyed experimenting with colour mixing, discovering that yellow and blue make green!

Some children explored painting in a sensory way, using their hands to dab paint onto large paper for free creative expression.

At the playdough table, a group worked together to create a train using different tools, showing great teamwork and imagination. Staff supported this by encouraging key vocabulary such as poke, pull, push, and roll, while also helping develop fine motor skills as the children rolled playdough into balls.

We are also encouraging independence. Children have been washing their hands before snack, choosing their own food, and pouring their own drinks. It’s been wonderful to see such high levels of engagement, involvement, and wellbeing across the group.

Jelly Tots

Staff and children have really embraced a slower, more thoughtful approach to play, in line with our setting’s ethos. The children have enjoyed spending quality time together exploring different resources, sharing ideas, and following their interests.

Out in the garden, they explored nature, based sensory activities, and they developed fine motor skills using pincers to pick up small pieces of orange peel within the outdoor messy tray.

In the mud kitchen, the children have loved practicing skills like tipping, pouring, and filling containers with water and flower petals, great for both coordination and imaginative play.

Babies

It’s been a calm and peaceful time in the baby room, allowing lots of focused exploration.

The babies have enjoyed investigating different resources on the light boxes, noticing how objects respond in different ways. They have also been exploring new materials such as coloured tubes, experimenting with how to fit them into spaces and discovering new ways to use them, supporting early problem-solving skills.

We’ve also shared lots of quiet, meaningful moments reading books together. This has supported early language development, with staff asking simple open-ended questions and encouraging interaction in a relaxed environment.

A day of learning, laughter and little moments of maths

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:55:16 GMT

Becky King - 27th March 2026

As part of our 2025-26 development plan, and as part of our work towards achieving the Maths Champion Award, we have focused on increasing Maths teaching throughout the nursery, alongside a nature based approach.

Over the last few months, the teams within each room have did their own research and created the most wonderful display boards to share with their colleagues!

Today our team then came together for a truly inspiring training day, where each room proudly showcased their work around maths and nature-based learning. Through networking and sharing practice with one another, our incredible and knowledgeable team demonstrated just how much they have grown, not only in their understanding, but in their confidence too. Their hard work, commitment and passion for giving children the very best truly shone through.

We place a huge value on our team’s continued professional development, because we know that investing in our staff means we can provide the very best experiences, care and learning opportunities for our children. Days like today are a reflection of that commitment and we would like to thank each and every one of them for their hard work.

We believe maths is everywhere, in everyday moments, in the natural world, and within the play children are already drawn to. That’s why we’re so passionate about creating a love for maths from the very beginning

In the afternoon, it was lovely to welcome families to our Stay and Play session. Together, we explored filling, pouring, building, counting and problem-solving through play, showing just how meaningful (and fun!) maths can be.

We are so proud of our team and everything they bring to Tiny Tots

Messy play in Tots

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:46:25 GMT

Alice Wignall - Wednesday 25th March 2026.

This morning in the Jelly Tots the children have supported Terri to make play dough! Each child took it in turns to mix the play dough together, using gross motor skills for big movements.

Once mixed, Terri emptied the mixture onto the table and the children used fine motor skills to poke, squeeze and roll the play dough together. Once finished the children used different tools to make patterns and marks. Adults used age-appropriate and encouraging language to build on knowledge and introduce new skills, such as, naming colours, exploring textures and making big and little movements.

The children developed both gross and fine motor skills through mixing, squeezing, rolling, and manipulating the play dough. They strengthened hand muscles which support early writing development. The activity also supported turn-taking and social skills as children waited for their turn to mix.

Children explored creativity and early mark-making skills while experimenting with tools and patterns. Adult interaction supported language development, including colour recognition, descriptive vocabulary, and understanding of textures and movement.

The Jelly Tots children have also been exploring flour play. Adults introduced different tools for children to make marks with. Adults were observed using language to identify marks and with some children making the marks that they asked for. The flour was positioned close to the play dough allowing the children to transport from the table to the tray and back again. The children were observed collecting handfuls of flour and moving it to the table to sprinkle onto the ply dough. This activity supported sensory exploration as children experienced the texture of the flour.

They developed fine motor skills and hand control through grasping, sprinkling, and mark making. Transporting the flour between areas encouraged problem-solving, independence, and early scientific exploration such as cause and effect. The activity also supported early mathematical concepts such as quantity and movement between spaces. Adult modelling and language helped develop communication skills, listening, and understanding of instructions.

A wonderful day of creative play

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:40:11 GMT

Elaine Handley - Thursday 19th March 2026.

A Wonderful Day of Creative Play

This week, the children enjoyed a fun and engaging large-scale painting activity that encouraged creativity, confidence, and exploration.

What We Did

We set up a large sheet of paper on the floor with a variety of colourful paints and tools. This gave the children plenty of space to move freely and express themselves. Some children were excited to jump straight in, while others chose to watch their friends first before joining when they felt ready.

What We Saw

It was lovely to see each child approach the activity in their own way. Some made bold marks and explored colours straight away, while others carefully observed and then joined in more gradually. This is a great example of how children learn from one another and build confidence at their own pace.

How This Supports Your Child’s Learning

Activities like this are not just fun, they help support important areas of development, including:

Fine motor skills (important for early writing)
Hand-eye coordination
Confidence and independence
Creativity and self-expression
Communication and language skills

We also encouraged the children to talk about what they were doing, helping them to describe colours, shapes, and their ideas.

Adding a Touch of Imagination

To make the activity even more exciting, we introduced a playful idea of making “pizzas” using circular shapes and different colours. The children loved this, and it sparked lots of imaginative thinking and conversation.

Resources We Used

We kept things simple and engaging by using:

A range of colourful paints
Brushes and mark-making tools
Water and trays
Large paper for free movement

Why It Matters

Creative experiences like this give children the freedom to explore, experiment, and express themselves in their own unique way. It also helps build confidence, especially for those who prefer to observe before joining in.

We love seeing the children enjoy these experiences and grow in confidence. You can try similar activities at home, just a bit of paint, paper, and imagination can go a long way!

Learning walk - A lovely morning throughout the nursery

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 06:57:47 GMT

Keeley Cutts - 10th March 2026

It has been a calm yet busy morning across the nursery today, with lots of wonderful moments of creativity, exploration and play happening in each room. Here’s a little snapshot of what the children have been enjoying.

Smarties

This morning the Smarties room had a very calm and focused atmosphere. When walking in, it was lovely to see all of the children deeply engaged in their play and creations.

At the table, some of the children were busy cutting paper and using their imaginations to create different pictures and models. Others chose to use paint sticks to add colour and detail to their artwork.

On the floor, Jessica had set up an exciting creative invitation using a tuff spot filled with bricks, cups, shaving foam and pieces of foil blanket. The children have been exploring these materials as part of a creative project to make jellyfish wind catchers, experimenting with textures and different ways to build and design their creations.

Beans

It has been a lovely morning in the Beans room, with the doors open and the children making the most of the outdoor space. The children have begun creating their Mother’s Day cards, carefully sticking small pieces of paper to design their own special pictures. Each one is unique and made with lots of thought and creativity.

The team were thoughtfully deployed across the room and garden to support the children’s play and learning. Courtney and Kerri-Ann were outside exploring with the children, Teghan was supporting children in the quiet room, and Carol was engaging with children in the construction area.

Babies

Today we only had three babies in the room, and it was a particularly calm and peaceful environment. The team had created a beautiful nature exploration set-up on top of a unit using natural materials such as pinecones, acorns and pieces of bark for the babies to explore and investigate.

Ella spent some time playing with stacking rings alongside one of the children, taking turns and modelling the activity before encouraging the child to have a go themselves.

On the floor, Sasha was drawing pictures on a large piece of paper while a child watched with great interest, observing the marks that appeared on the page. The babies will be heading outside after lunch today, which has been working really well for the children’s routines.

Tots

The Tots have also had a lovely morning and spent lots of time outdoors enjoying the fresh air. After snack time, Terri gathered a small group of children together and sat singing songs with them. It was wonderful to see the children fully involved, joining in with the singing and actions and clearly enjoying the shared moment together.

Moments like these remind us how much learning happens through simple experiences: creating, exploring nature, singing together and following children’s interests. It has been a wonderful morning across the nursery ��

Learning walk - Books and baking

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 06:34:51 GMT

Elaine Handley - 6th March 2026

Babies - Candice and Ella

This morning the staff and children are planning a spontaneous outing this morning to the Library, in celebration of World Book Day. They are hoping to source some further reading material to share with the babies, that explore nature and maths to enhance their provision and learning in preparation for the upcoming stay and play. Introducing nature to babies through books fosters their early environmental awareness and curiosity about the world around them.

Within the provision the Babies have curiously explored a meaningful, Autumnal Books, developing our settings approach to seasonally sensitive learning. They have developed an invitation for learning by adding supporting materials, such as natural objects and resources like pine cones, leaves and twigs to promote Nature based learning.

Jelly Tots - Lyndsey, Taylor, Helena, Karen and Abbi

The children in the Jelly Tots have enjoyed lots of sensory exploration today. On entering the room the smell of Citrus scents, such as oranges alert the staff and children, helping to wake up their individual senses and stimulate their thinking. The smell of Citrus is uplifting for young children, as they explore through lots of different sensory activities. They have been encouraged to develop their fine motor skills, through manipulating the orange pieces and through scooping and pinching. This supports them to build essential fine motor skills that they will need to grow and develop, by strengthening their hand muscles and enhancing their hand eye co-ordination.

Within the main play room the Tots have enjoyed exploring the mark making area, where they have been provided with small writing books and crayons. They have enjoyed being able to discover early mark making skills, creating lines and circles, encouraging 'Spontaneous Maths Moments', by identify shapes within the indoor and outdoor provision.

Children have then enjoyed singing Round and Round the Garden, the classic fingerplay nursery rhyme, which involves them and the staff tracing circles on the palm, fostering bonding, rhythm and sensory development.

Jelly Beans - Lauren, Courtney, Kerri-Ann, Sasha and Carol.

There has been so much happening today within the Jelly Bean provision, with lots of deep level learning. The children are all showing high levels of involvement and wellbeing as they are all separated within the provision, discovering new ideas and possibilities. Continuing their high interest in books and shared dialogue, they children have enjoyed acting out different books, boosting their early literacy skills and improve their confidence. The staff have developed their love of stories, by adding props to enhance their story telling techniques.

This morning the children have particularly enjoyed sharing the story 'Owl Babies', exploring themes of anxiety, love and separation, providing the children the opportunity to explore emotions. This then led to them developing their own care giving behaviours, such as comforting and feeding their dolls, sharing thoughts a feelings. Some of the other children have enjoyed exploring the loose parts, such as corks and small twigs in the home corner, supporting their spontaneous ideas of making pizzas for their friends and the staff, promoting their creativity and imagination.

A group of children have made an obstacle course using large scale loose parts (Balancing boards and cable drums), which encourages open ended risky play, sparking their interests and curiosity. This allows them to use their own ideas to design, build and test their on physical challenges.

Smarties - Hollimae, Hannah and Jess H

'Baking Orange Loaf Cake'. The children in the Smarties have had a full morning of baking, exploring weights and measurements, as they add the different materials to the bowl. Baking is a fantastic activity that is highly effective, hands on and educational. The children have been encouraged to develop their early numeracy skills, such as measuring and fractions, literacy, listening to instructions for the recipe and physical skills (Fine and gross motor skills/coordination) as they tip, pour and mix. Building on the children's early baking activity, Jess then supported a small group of children to make pink playdough, furthering developing their love of learning, through transitional, schematic play.

The staff have also been sharing ideas on healthy eating and used this activity as an opportunity to develop this further. The staff and children held a brief discussion on what foods they think are good for us and are healthy, promoting the children to foster long term healthy habits.

On entering the room, the children were eager to tell me they had made an orange cake and I shared that Orange is my favourite colour. The children then shared that their favourite smells are chocolate, strawberries and flowers.