For many children (and adults!) Easter is about the excitement of the Easter Bunny, chocolate eggs, Easter egg hunts and Easter bonnet competitions, with not much connection to the biblical Christian festival which celebrates the time that Jesus rose from the dead – his resurrection. Not all cultures celebrate Easter, but they may still take part in the modern tradition of giving chocolate eggs as gifts, and get involved in Easter Bonnet competitions and crafts. Read more

These cross-curricular Easter themed activities are perfect for your setting. Including an Easter egg hunt combining literacy and maths, inspire story-telling and creative writing with animal track foot stampers - perfect for outdoor learning, celebrate similarities and differences with a Basket of (Easter) Bunnies and take a look at some easter facts. Read more

Is your visualiser gathering dust in the store cupboard?  We’ve seen lots of these wonderful tools lost to teaching; sitting in cupboards, closets and on shelves, and being overlooked by many. It’s time to dust yours off!  Read more

A well planned outdoor classroom that is integrated into the school community will become an important part of your school and can be used for every subject, in every season. Any outdoor classroom will need to suit the grounds and needs of your school, meaning it is entirely up to you what style you go for! Read more

Once upon a time, a little girl discovered a secret. She stood a stool on a chair on a box and climbed on top of the whole teetering pile. Reaching up, she teased a book from the top of the bookshelf with her fingertips, and clutched it to her as she climbed down. She took it into the light and blew the dust from its cover, and as the dust flew into the shaft of light, she saw something that changed her life. That dust wasn’t the normal kind of dust – as it floated and glittered in the light, she knew that it was the sign of something magical. It was fairy dust, and it meant there was a fairy in the book, reading and loving the story, bringing it to life, crying with the characters who are lost, afraid with the girl alone in the woods, laughing with the two jolly knights. This girl, the one who had climbed on a stool on a chair on a box, this girl had found the Phonic Fairy, who had come to share her love of stories with the little girl. Read more

You may be able to recall going into your garden and collecting rose petals and slushing them around in a jam jar. There was something rather wonderful about going out and collecting your own ingredients for your potion, or perfume as you’ll have referred to it back then! In this article I wanted to convey the richness and value of the lovely learning opportunities that can cascade from marvellous, messy play. Here I’ll share some of the experiences and observations from being out and about in settings. Read more

I am a huge advocate for loose parts within every early year’s environment; they’re open-ended, developmentally appropriate and they foster creativity and critical thinking. However, I understand that some practitioners can be wary of the risks associated with loose parts, in particular when introducing them to younger children who use their senses to explore. Read more

Throughout my teaching career I have had the pleasure and privilege of teaching many pupils with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Amongst these wonderful pupils there will always be one particular individual who stands out. Read more

Oranges have always been a tradition at Christmas time. In this blog we explore why oranges are special at Christmas and explain how to make a Christingle. Read more

Give these Stripy Berry Desserts a try and make learning tasty. Cooking in the classroom is made easy with these specially designed, appealing free recipes. They are supported by activities that link the ingredients and practical experience to the curriculum, especially Maths, English and Science. Read more

Development Matters 2012 (guidance material supporting practitioners in implementing the statutory requirements of the EYFS) recommends the use of resources that stimulate babies to handle and manipulate things. We all know that manipulative toys create a world of opportunities for children to explore. Well-placed wall panels in accessible areas will quickly encourage even the youngest explorer how to push, pull, press, twist and turn. Make the most of available space by utilising lower wall areas, ensuring resources are at a suitable height for children to reach. You can observe how children learn by looking at their levels of involvement, their focus and their curiosity. Do children persist until they have achieved what they set out to do? Do they like a challenge? Do they show satisfaction when they have achieved what they set out to do? Read more

Giving a child social and communication skills is the most important aspect of early childhood development. Open-ended, quality resources will give children the opportunity to improve their confidence, state their own opinions and share ideas. They encourage children to initiate their own conversation. Read more

Your school sports day is one of those events that everyone remembers, whether it’s good or bad. Being the one in charge can be daunting, but the event can and should be enjoyable for everyone – even if the responsibility lies with you! Read more

The benefits to taking a class trip to a forest school and learning outside are endless, but by creating your own forest school on site you can design activities that offer deeper learning opportunities whilst meeting the learning requirements of the national curriculum. Read more

In the early years this core British Value is all about helping children to develop respect for their own and others’ cultures, whilst exploring similarities and differences. It links to the EYFS areas of People and Communities (Understanding the World) and Making Relationships (Personal, Social and Emotional Development). These 5 resources have been tried, tested and recommended by our practitioners as the perfect way to develop understanding of these concepts through every day play. Read more

In the early years this core British Value is all about helping children to develop respect for their own and others’ cultures, whilst exploring similarities and differences. It links to the EYFS areas of People and Communities (Understanding the World) and Making Relationships (Personal, Social and Emotional Development). These 5 resources have been tried, tested and recommended by our practitioners as the perfect way to develop understanding of these concepts through every day play. Read more