https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/category/under-5s/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:08:46 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/open-day-saturday-1-november-2025/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:24:53 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7374 Little Acorns Nursery is holding an Open Day on Saturday, 1 November 2025. We'll be opening our doors to Lancashire families, so they can see this wonderful childcare setting in person. There's no need to book — you are welcome to come along at any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. What's more, being on a Saturday, it should prove more convenient for working families. On the day, our team will be available for guided tours. We can show families the rooms, excellent facilities, and well-equipped outdoor areas, and answer any questions that you might have. Saturday is a non-working day at the nursery, so you'll have our undivided attention. Why not bring your own child with you, so they can see the setting too — and get a feel for how well they would fit in? Come along — we'd love to meet you!]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/composting-activity-for-kids/ Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:24:23 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7316 As the bright days of summer give way to crisp autumn air, parks, gardens, and pavements begin to fill with a carpet of crunchy leaves. For children and under-fives, autumn is one of the most exciting times of the year. With the landscape so full of textures, sounds, and colours, it's the perfect time to get outdoors, explore, and learn about the natural world. It’s also the ideal time for them to begin a simple but deeply rewarding project: composting. In today's post, we outline how children can approach this wonderful activity and explain its significant benefits.]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/tips-for-tackling-toddler-tantrums/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 07:15:06 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7258 Gentle Ways to Handle a Toddler Meltdown We've all witnessed a toddler tantrum and, sadly, they're not pretty. Perhaps you’ve carefully prepared your child's favourite lunch and set their plate in front of them. They take one look, fling the food away from them, and collapse with a wail that could rival a tone-deaf opera singer. Welcome to toddlerhood! It's a time of wonder, growth … and occasional emotional meltdowns! The good news? Tantrums are perfectly normal. The bad news? They can happen anywhere — at home, in the supermarket, on the bus, or in that quiet café you thought was your “safe place”. However, understanding why tantrums happen, and having a few tried-and-tested strategies to hand, can make all the difference. Let's take a look.]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/summer-nature-hunt-activity-free-poster/ Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:20:30 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7213 Summer is a wonderful time for children to get outdoors. There, they can breathe the fresh air, benefit from being closer to the natural world, and escape from electronic screens. Nature is incredibly good for children as well as adults (more about that later). A simple way to encourage little ones outdoors is to take them on an exciting and educational nature hunt! There are many fascinating things to look out for during the summer months including butterflies, caterpillars, bees, beautiful wildflowers and much more. A summer nature hunt will open their eyes and minds to the wonders of nature's flora and fauna, lead to educational conversations with accompanying adults, and be an enjoyable and educational activity. Within all that in mind, we've put together a free Summer Nature Hunt poster that will give children and families an idea of what to look out for during the warmer months of summer — and serve as useful visual reference. The poster is free to download right here in this blog post (see below). Once printed out, it can be displayed large on children's bedroom walls or taken along during the activity — perhaps reduced to a convenient size like A5. Children can use the little tick boxes to tick off each item that's been spotted. So, venture out little ones — see how many wonderful things you can spot in the natural world this summer!]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/30-hours-funded-childcare-deadline-for-september-term/ Sat, 28 Jun 2025 13:44:28 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7157 (Free ‘30 Hours’ Childcare Scheme for Eligible Working Families) In September this year (2025), free childcare for eligible working families expands to 30 hours per week for children as young as just 9 months. Little Acorns Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods is supporting the funding scheme too. Taken usually over 38 weeks* of the year, it means a generous 1140 hours of funded childcare will be available to eligible children in Central Lancashire over the course of a year. For the first time, the funding will cover eligible babies aged from only 9 months and children up to 2, the scheme having previously rolled out to eligible 3-and-4-year-olds last year. An urgent factor to be aware of, however, is that the funding application deadline is only weeks away for those wanting to start in the September 2025 term. So, whether you're thinking of applying at Little Acorns Nursery or elsewhere, don't delay your application any longer if you want to access the free funding from September. If your child is eligible and you do not apply by the deadline, your child will not be able to access the free funding for the entire September term. Read on to learn more about the new funding for eligible working families, the deadlines for applications, and the rules that apply.]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/fairy-garden-activity-for-national-childrens-gardening-week/ Mon, 12 May 2025 21:18:24 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=7048 National Children's Gardening Week arrives in late May and is the perfect time for young children to get involved in gardening activities. In celebration of the event, we describe a wonderful gardening-related activity that's small-scale, easy, fun, and educational — perfect for little ones! The finished result is also rather magical and, once complete, lends itself to imaginative play. Today, we outline how children can make their own miniature fairy gardens. These are a great way to introduce little ones to creative gardening at a child-friendly scale. Under parent supervision* and largely using scavenged materials from outdoors, under-fives can let their imaginations run free and get creative! What's more, the results are simply enchanting and will bring magic and a whole lot of delight to young children!]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/world-bee-day-for-under-fives/ Wed, 16 Apr 2025 12:57:17 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=6991 Little learners, get ready – it’s almost time to buzz into action for World Bee Day! The annual event arrives in May and it’s a brilliant opportunity for children and families to get involved in something meaningful, fun, and full of learning opportunities. Bees are amazing little helpers, whether in gardens, parks or the countryside — but they need our help too! World Bee Day is a chance for children to discover the magic of these fascinating creatures, learn more about the natural world, and start to build early environmental awareness. They can get proactive too. Whether by planting wildflowers, spotting bees in the garden, or creating bee-inspired arts and crafts, even our tiniest learners can join in the buzz. Read on to learn more about this fun, educational, and hugely worthwhile event, which takes place each May.]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/winter-nature-hunt-activity-for-children/ Sun, 15 Dec 2024 08:15:07 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=6832 With the season of winter arriving in December, new opportunities for outdoor activities arise for children of all ages. And, as nature and outdoor play are so beneficial for children, we thought a winter nature hunt would be a great idea (cool even!). With that in mind, we've put together a free, downloadable, reference sheet of 20 things for children to look out for during this season. Despite the colder temperatures at this stage of the year, if children are wrapped up in warm clothes and suitably supervised by an adult, there is still lots for them to enjoy, discover, and learn from. That's even more true for children still in their early years. Nature is a huge educator and is often stunningly beautiful too. A winter nature hunt is therefore a great excuse to get them outdoors, exploring, discovering, learning and simply having fun!]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/good-ofsted-feedback-for-little-acorns-nursery/ Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:28:26 +0000 http://s351775982.websitehome.co.uk/Dev-Updates/?p=6725 Today we look at the wonderful Ofsted report published recently for Little Acorns Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley. Ofsted is The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. Their inspector visited this fabulous Lancashire childcare setting in late August and released its official report a month later on 25 September 2024. Our post today spotlights some of the many glowing comments made by the inspector therein, following her visit. It also highlights the reasoning for 'good provider' ratings across all areas of the Ofsted report. Take a look and you'll see why babies, children under five, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities absolutely thrive at Little Acorns.]]> https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/applying-for-a-primary-school-place-guide/ Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:00:30 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=6670 If your child is 3 or, at the latest, has just turned 4, it's time for you to apply for their primary school place. What's more, you only have until about mid-January to do so. That's all true whether you intend them to start school at 4 or leave it until they're 5. In today's guide, we explain the rules around applying for a primary school place, the key dates you need to know, what to expect, and the various options open to you and your child.]]>