Children and childcare staff at Little Acorns Nursery love nature. So, with World Wildlife Day coming earlier this month and Spring now upon us, it’s the perfect opportunity to release our free Wild Mammals poster. Shown in full colour and printable in high resolution at A3 or A4, it features 20 British¹ wild land mammals that young children can learn to identify and look out for. Some can be seen when on walks, on holiday, or even perhaps at the local park, while others are rather more elusive — but that just makes it more exciting for children when they finally spot them! The poster is perfect for displaying on the wall at home — and is a fun way to both intrigue and educate children, including under-fives. With that in mind, why not download your free land mammals poster today, print it out, and get your little ones closer to nature?
“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world. But themselves.” (Stephen Moss)
Nature is So Good for Children!
As we’ve reported before, nature is really good for children! Its many benefits include improved attention, reduced stress, better academic performance, improved self-confidence, higher levels of empathy, enhanced fitness, motor skills and coordination, boosted imaginations and a whole raft of other important benefits. Learn more about the importance of nature to children here.
“Children are born with a sense of wonder and an affinity for nature. Properly cultivated, these values can mature into ecological literacy, and eventually into sustainable patterns of living.” (Zenobia Barlow)
Importantly too, nature-based activities like spotting mammals, birds, butterflies, minibeasts, and wildflowers will also encourage children to get actively interested in conservation issues as they grow older. By appreciating nature and flora and fauna from a young age, they are more likely to want to help protect the natural world in the future, including into adulthood. Such a path can lead to healthier lifestyles, greener choices, and a better world for everyone to live in. And that’s all part of what World Wildlife Day was all about back on the 3rd of March this year.
Download Your Free Wild Mammals Poster
With all that in mind, take a look at the preview of today’s free British Wild Mammals poster below. Click it to view or download the high-resolution PDF version, which will give you the best print-out quality. Whether you right- or left-click to download the poster file will depend on your own particular device’s set-up, so perhaps try both and you’ll soon see which type of click will enable you to save the PDF poster to your device’s drive. Then view it in Acrobat (available free here) and print it out from there.
“We don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” (Unknown)
So, try to ensure children under your care get ample access to nature and the natural environment — it’s so good for them. The free wildlife posters and charts available on this website should help to encourage that, whilst intriguing and educating children too.
Looking for an Outstanding Nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley?
Little Acorns Nursery is an outstanding, award-winning childcare provider
Little Acorns is an outstanding and award-winning childcare nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley. Ofsted rates us an ‘Outstanding Provider’ and our National Nursery award speaks volumes about the quality of our childcare service. So, if you want the very best start for your baby, toddler or preschooler and live in Central Lancashire, Little Acorns Nursery offers an outstanding choice. We give children a complete early years education and bring out the very best in them so they can reach their full potential. We also support Government-funded childcare schemes for eligible families.
Get in touch to register your child for a nursery place, or come for a visit to see how well they’ll fit in. We’re here to answer any questions too.
Little Acorns is a nursery and preschool in Clayton-le-Woods, near Chorley, offering the highest-quality childcare and early years education to under-fives. That includes those from nearby towns and villages including Clayton Brook, Clayton Green, Thorpe Green, Pippin Street, Buckshaw Village, Whittle-le-Woods, Farington, Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Euxton, Leyland and Penwortham.
| 1. By ‘British’ we mean wild mammals that can be found in Britain. We appreciate, however, that some animals shown on the poster are not indigenous to the UK and originated in other countries. Examples include the Muntjac Deer, which came over from China, and some red squirrels that were imported from abroad to bolster our own dwindling populations. |
With Chorley Football Club being only 4.8 miles and a 14-minute drive from 
Participation in sports benefits children in many different – and often profound – ways. That’s especially true for children in their early years, being a stage when they learn fundamental skills like jumping, running, throwing and catching balls, etc.
Sports and active hobbies will also help little ones hone balance, agility, coordination and motor skills. That’s incredibly important during early childhood as these key skills are still developing and, as the old proverb goes, “practice makes perfect.”
Sport is a great socialiser too. Through sport, they’ll get used to interacting with other children as well as coaches, teachers, or childcare professionals. Moreover, children not only make new and deeper friendships through sport, but also learn social skills before, during and after such play. These skills and benefits will stay with them for the long term and will help to enrich their lives in profound ways.
January’s Big Garden Birdwatch is a perfect home learning opportunity where children can find out about wild birds and get a better understanding of nature itself. What’s more, it’s a hugely worthwhile event that will benefit birds, conservation efforts, and children themselves. The activity also demonstrates how easy it is for little ones to become citizen scientists. With that in mind, let’s explore today the Big Garden Birdwatch, explain what it is, how to take part, and why it’s important for families to get involved.
The idea of the Big Garden Birdwatch is to understand how garden birds are faring in the UK. Sadly, many bird populations are in decline, with some species facing huge declines over recent decades. Some 38 million fewer birds are now seen compared to 60 years ago. Song Thrush populations, for example, are down by 80% since the survey started in 1979. Even House Sparrow numbers have more than halved during that time. By studying the bird populations each year, trends can be identified including whether any bird species are in danger. Then the RSPB and other conservation organisations can work out what the problems are and how we might go about rescuing the situation as a nation. It also follows that, if there is a problem with bird populations, then there is likely to be a wider problem in nature too. This could be, for example, due to disease, over-intensive farming methods, habitat loss, invasive species, climate change, use of chemicals in gardens and farmland, and so on. Gathering data across the UK each January will help guide the nation to improve things — and children can help by getting involved in the Big Garden Birdwatch each January.
— it’s quick, easy and free to do so. Once registered you’ll receive detailed instructions in your free guide to the event, which includes your free bird identification reference sheet. This will be useful to you and your children so each bird species can be recognised more easily.
This wonderful activity is a great way to encourage families outdoors, where children benefit from nature in a myriad of ways. From lower stress and increased well-being to improved academic performance, stimulated imaginations, and better sleep, 
Together with the RSPB, we also have bird identification covered for children. The first option is the RSPB’s free bird reference sheet, which families will receive when they register for the event. Their digital version is best because it’s more environmentally friendly, is quicker to access, and usually shows a larger list than is shown on their printed version.
However, don’t forget that Little Acorns Nursery also published 
How to Encourage Birds to Visit Your Garden
As we discussed in our recent post 
Designate an area in your home for play. It doesn’t need to be elaborate — even a corner with a few age-appropriate toys, books, and art supplies may be sufficient. Ensure, of course, that the space is safe and free from hazards before your child embarks on their play activities.
Outdoor play also offers a wealth of learning opportunities. It promotes physical health, stimulates the senses, and allows for unstructured exploration, which all contribute to holistic development. Take your child to the park, explore nature, or simply play with them in the back garden if you have one. Outdoor activities will also foster an appreciation for the natural world. Indeed, we wrote a whole post about 
Reading is a wonderful way to support learning through play. Choose age-appropriate books, of course, and be sure to engage in interactive storytelling. Ask and encourage questions about the story, encourage your child to predict what might happen next, and ask them what they might do if it were them in the story. Books and reading teach children so many things and, like pretend play above, truly encourage their imaginations and get their creative juices flowing. 
Arrange play dates with other children or involve siblings in play activities at home. Social play helps children learn essential social skills like cooperation, sharing, and conflict resolution. It’s also a great way to make new friendships, learn from each other, and become a closer member of friendship circles.
By mid-November, autumn is in full swing and leaves are turning a myriad of different colours. Scenes of green, yellow, red and golden trees can be breathtakingly beautiful and the air is often crystal clear at this time of year — that’s great for photos! The autumn season also brings with it a treasure trove of fascinating natural things that children can discover if they take the time to look. Indeed, an autumn nature hunt is the perfect excuse for little ones to spend some time outdoors, where they will also 
Ensure children, particularly the very young, receive appropriate adult supervision at all times. Although fascinating and fun, the outdoors holds many hazards for the unwary. Therefore, children will need to be closely monitored by a responsible adult in order to safeguard their well-being.
In the world of child development and early education, there is a simple yet profound truth: children learn best when they are learning through play. Play is the universal language of childhood and, indeed, it transcends both borders and cultures. Whether it’s building sand castles on a sunny beach or arranging blocks on the floor at home, play is the gateway through which children explore, discover, and grow.
As adults, we often associate learning with classrooms, textbooks, and structured lessons. However, for children, the process of learning is a dynamic and ever-evolving adventure, with play being their very best companion during the journey.
Do babies benefit from play? Absolutely. Play is the first way through which infants start understanding their world. They use their senses to explore toys, grasp objects, and make sense of the environment around them. Sensory play, such as touching different textures or listening to soothing sounds, stimulates their developing senses and lays the groundwork for future learning.
During the run-up to the age of 5, play is integral to children’s development. During this phase, children are like little sponges, soaking up information from their surroundings. Play allows them to experiment, make connections, and refine their cognitive and many other skills. Skills enhanced through play include:
Creating playful environments — we understand the importance of a conducive environment for learning through play. With that in mind, we provide carefully designed play spaces that are rich in stimulating materials and resources. These spaces allow children to engage in various types of play, from imaginative to sensory, in a safe and supportive setting.
