It takes a village to raise a child

Most of the time being a parent and raising our little bundles of joy is an absolute pleasure. As a mum of three boys having children is a blessing and I am so proud to be a mum, they are my world and they will always be my number one priority in life. As parents we protect our children, we keep them safe, we make sure they have a warm home with food on the table and clean clothes on their backs.

However, at times, parenting can be hard and can feel overwhelming and lonely. As parents in a modern and ever demanding world, we are juggling so much mental load. “Has anyone booked the school dinners” “mum I need a haircut”, “my school shoes are too small, can we get some more” “has anyone fed the dog today” “how are we covering the school holidays” “do we have any more cereal.” 6 questions in 6 minutes! I am sure you can all relate. There are times that are tough, yes, but it is manageable (just!) and there are times when we need to ask for help – to share the load. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.

For some this ‘village’ may be made up from family, friends, neighbours, grandparents, partners, and ex-partners. However, for some these options may be limited. You are not alone. At Poppins we pride ourselves with our parent partnerships and the relationships we have with our parents go beyond “they’ve had a lovely day, have a nice evening.”

We are always here with a listening ear, we may even be able to offer some help and support. We understand that parenting can be tough, and we understand that there are many dynamics to family life. Modern life often consists of two working parents, together or separated, working full time to pay the ever-growing bills and battling through the best we all can.

If you don’t have a village around you, or for whatever reasons the village has broken down, there is support available. In Worcestershire we are very fortunate to have a whole village of people, called Early Help. This is a free service that parents can either access themselves, or we can access for you if the process seems a bit overwhelming. Whether you are battling challenging behaviour at home, issues with sleep, routines, or you are currently experiencing a separation or financial difficulties, Early Help can offer support. You lead the support every step of the way, it is completely voluntary and free to anyone. It holds absolutely no bearing on you as a parent, you are simply extending your village for a short period of time to help you through a tricky phase.

Accessing Early Help is so easy, they have a QR code here that you scan on your phone camera and they have lots of information on their website too.

It is completely up to you if you let us know if you are accessing Early Help, however it may be in the best interest of your child if you confide in your key person. We can then continue to support your child during their time at Poppins and we can communicate with you their feelings or any worries they may have. Please remember we are here to support you all, as a whole family whatever that may consist at the time.

We are also implementing some “Borrow Bags” which may be of some help to you during times such as experiencing a family bereavement, moving house or separation. These have been carefully designed to support your child through these times. Please speak to me if you would like some further information about these, or speak to Zoe if you would like to borrow one.

We are your village

Sam

Annual summer trip to Attwell Farm Park!

In this month of June, we have taken our children at Poppins on their annual summer trip to Attwell Farm Park!

The amazing staff at the farm provided the children with some lovely experiences, allowing them to feed and handle various animals around the farm park, from bunnies, chickens, pigs, goats and even alpacas! The children got to learn all about these different animals, had the opportunity to play in tractors, ride the giant fire engine, jump about on the giant bouncy pillows and even got a chance to take part in the park’s soft play area with all their favourite friends and staff. Thanks to the hard work of the park staff, nursery staff and management the children were able to create those special memories with their friends that will truly last a lifetime.

Also, here at Poppins we believe it is so important to celebrate our team and the extensive efforts that each individual makes everyday for the children. The girls at Poppins ensure to make each day fun, entertaining and enriching for children. To honour this we have introduced a monthly vote for Tribe Leader! Staff vote on who they feel has made an impact on them and the children that month, and the tribe leader this month is Cathy!

Cathy is an enthusiastic, loving character and overall, a joy to be around every day at Poppins. Cathy always goes out of her way to ensure that the children are having fun and that they all feel included in everything that she does. Cathy is truly an irreplaceable character at Poppins and the children and staff are very lucky to have her!

Hi I am Eris and here is something interesting about me...

Hi! I’m Eris, and I’m an Early Years Apprentice working on my Level 3 qualification within the Poppins Day Nursery Setting and learning about the values of play and theories of development during my practice is something that I have been thoroughly enjoying so far. 

As a practitioner, I feel it is important to share a bit about me. I have a formal Autism Diagnosis that I received during the beginning of 2023 and I am currently being assessed for ADHD. I have always learnt through experience, which makes learning through play something that I find incredibly important to incorporate through my interactions with the children. I find that having a passion in the things I do excites the children and fills them with a want to learn. I do however sometimes find the way I communicate can come across to be rather blunt and straight to the point at times when I am communicating, especially in an unfamiliar situation. This is something I am working through, so that I can have positive interactions with you, and share with you information about your child's day. 

During my own childhood, there were many times where my needs as an undiagnosed neurodivergent child were not met and were even neglected. This led to delays in my development that could have otherwise been avoided, especially within my social development. As a practitioner, these experiences have pushed me to be the best I possibly can when it comes to providing opportunities to children to better their experiences and enforce their development.  

When choosing which path to go into, I originally chose to pursue an Art and Design course, but I found that while I loved being allowed to create, that it was overall unfulfilling, and that I wanted to spend my time helping people, something that I had been pursuing for a long while with first aid courses that I had been doing for around four years before a personal experience left me unable to do so through that chosen path. I have always loved interacting and spending time with younger children, even when being the youngest in my immediate family. I spent family reunions playing with my younger cousins, and I spent time on the playground with the younger children, and beginning my apprenticeship at Poppins helped me realise my passion for doing so. 

I feel that as both a practitioner and an individual with negative experiences within early years settings, it’s important to share my experiences with you to show my perspective as a practitioner with support needs of my own, and how I will use my own experiences to push my practice to be the best it can possibly be. I adore my chosen career path, and helping support children through their early year's development is incredibly important to me. 

The importance of Physical Enrichments – a blog written by Cara Watkins

Hi, my name is Cara and I have worked at Poppins for just under four years. I have a great passion for physical exercise and dance. I have also just qualified as a fully licensed Zumba instructor.

Dance has always been a huge part of my life and works wonders for my mental health. Growing up with my Dad having MS times was really hard, but dance felt like an escape and brought me so much Joy. I now attend Ballet, Tap, Modern Dance and Gymnastics and I love doing all of them every week. It has been a privilege for me to be able to run the physical enrichments at Poppins each week. I have been able to bring my enthusiasm and skills to the younger generation. I feel in a very lucky position to be able to bring my passion to the physical enrichments I provide for the children, and to see the joy and happiness on the children’s faces.

Dance instills confidence, friendships, coordination, balance and most importantly a general positive overall wellbeing. It has also been fantastic to hear that some of the children have enrolled in various dance classes after being introduced to styles at Nursery.

Some of you may not be aware that I am also part of the deaf community myself and I rely on my hearing aids. I would like to championship the deaf community and raise awareness as I feel so supported and understood by the Poppins team. I have been able to feel very confident in sharing my experiences with both the staff and children. It is very important to me that differences are be celebrated and anyone can achieve their dreams if they feel accepted, supported and positive about themselves. This is something I try to instil in the children.

Meet Millie, our Nursery pet dog.

Poppins has a new family member! One with four paws, a curious nose and a happy waggy tail.

Growing up with a dog holds so many benefits for children, however owning a pet is a huge responsibility and one that not all families are able to do for many reasons. Millie attends Nursery three and a half days a week, with a day and half rest at home for her own well-being. During her time at Nursery she is free to roam upstairs and has her own safe space for sleeping (when she isn’t cuddling staff on the sofa). We have made upstairs a safe space, with risk assessments in place and consent from parents, for children to visit Millie whenever they like and they are always supervised.

The children adore Millie and she has settled in beautifully! We take her for walks with the children, they can pet her and help with her care such as making sure she has water, food, toys and lots of fuss and cuddles. They are not shy at telling her where she can go to the toilet either!

The benefits of learning to look after a pet help the children to develop lifelong skills such as empathy, understanding, and respect for animals.

At Poppins we are proud advocates of supporting children’s mental health with our Mindfulness curriculum enrichments, providing children with the awareness of their emotions and feelings. The companionship of a pet offers support for children’s mental health by offering coping skills for children, alleviating loneliness and isolation, which can be part of anxiety and depression. Children find support and security in having a pet companion to always be there for them and provide them with the feeling of unconditional love. It is shown that children who interact with dogs have increased levels of oxytocin released into their brains, reducing anxiety and stress.

Did you know that children who grow up around a dog also develop a stronger immune system? Recent studies in paediatric health have concluded that children who lived with pets (but especially dogs) during their first year of life actually had a better immune system than those who did not. They believe that exposure to dogs may have positively boosted the maturation of their immune system during infancy. In addition, when they did fall ill, they needed a shorter course of antibiotics compared to the children who did not live with pets.

Another study found that children who were predisposed (at least one parent suffers from) respiratory allergies or asthma are much less likely to develop similar issues if they have a dog in the house. They found that early exposure is key. Children who had a dog after the first year of birth had no added health benefits. The health benefits also extend to children’s skin where recent studies found that dogs actually protect children who are at risk for eczema. In fact, children with dog allergies, who did not have dogs in the home, were four times more likely to develop eczema than those who did.

There are of course so many educational benefits of having a Nursery dog too and the list is endless. Children have more exposure to physical exercise by walking and playing with Millie which teaches them a sense of responsibility, improves their self-esteem and confidence as well as greater opportunities for a great run or walk outside in an open space.

Children have opportunities to extend their vocabulary and having a dog will encourage verbal communication for children of all ages. Through nurturing and helping to take care of a pet children will learn to have a trusting relationship which is important for their social-emotional development.

If you have any questions or queries related to Millie, or if you would like to come and visit her, please just get in touch with Sam on 01905 748478.

You can also find our Nursery dog risk assessment here and our policy here.

Baby wearing, what is it?

The benefits of baby wearing and how this can be adopted in the home environment

Baby wearing has been around for as long as women have been having babies! It is the practice of wearing your baby, these days, in a specifically designed baby carrier, sling or wrap that is safe and ergonomically designed to support baby while protecting mother’s back and babies backs too.

On a holistic level, it meets baby’s need for closeness and helps you to be sensitive to their needs. The many benefits are well documented both for mother and baby. Baby wearing promotes bonding, secure attachment, and healthy development emotionally. It is also proven to reduce crying episodes, unless there is an underlying issue. There has been research published that found baby wearing for around three hours daily, had shown in one study to reduce crying by over 50% in the evening and by a whopping 40% overall.

By keeping baby close in a sling or similar, you can enhance your closeness to your baby, this will also make you more attuned to your baby’s needs. This builds strong bonds and relationships as your baby is able to let you know about their needs without reaching the point where they will need to cry in order to communicate those needs. A clear example of this is when your baby is hungry, he or she will begin to root around, looking for the breast in the first instance. This will then give you the cue that they are hungry, allowing you to respond almost immediately. This process will strengthen your attachment to one another and is of particular benefit to mothers who may be at risk of post-natal depression.

Equally, baby wearing can allow you more freedom when it comes to getting on with the daily chores around the home. It may be that you need to care for an older sibling or siblings. Perhaps you want to do some ironing or dusting. You will not have to worry about not hearing baby cry if you’re doing the vacuuming as you can keep baby with you and respond as necessary.

When you’re out and again, baby wearing again makes it much easier to feed baby or get around without the need for cumbersome buggies or additional travel systems if you have another child in tow. You will be able to connect with your baby in a way that you may not connect otherwise.

When considering your baby’s emotional well-being and your own physical health, baby wearing meets both of these at once. You can meet your baby’s needs for a close and loving attachment while being free to continue with your physical activities each day. This promotes closeness in your relationship and physical exercise for you which is beneficial to your mood and overall well-being.

As baby is carried close to you, often allowing skin to skin contact, your own breathing rhythms, heartbeat and general movements will help to regulate, stimulate and pacify your baby. Baby wearing is also beneficial for special needs babies where possible. Premature babies for example are often prone to overstimulation leading to crying and generally unsettled periods. The research shows that these babies thrive faster when they experience loving touch and closeness from being held.

The benefits of baby wearing are immense. It is however important to do so in a responsible manner. Seek the latest advice and evidence backed information on the safest way to wear your baby. Be sure that when choosing a carrier, sling or wrap, you have investigated the safety rating and that they have been tried and tested over an extended period. It is also important to select a carrier that supports your baby’s spinal development so that there is no risk to their nervous system or overall well-being.

Selecting a baby carrier that is safe and comfortable

It is important that when selecting a baby carrier, you chose one that is supportive of your baby’s natural spinal curve. It should be age appropriate and of a good quality rating. Refer to the age or stage guide on the product to ensure that not only does it meet the safety criteria outline but that it is also age and stage appropriate as this will impact on your baby’s growth, comfort and safety – it will also promote good hip development if chosen correctly.

Hip Dysplasia is a rare but serious condition. Some baby carriers can help to reduce the risk of this condition but again, it is essential that you check the rating of the carrier you’re buying to ensure that this is the case. Hip Dysplasia is the abnormal development of the joints in the hips. This usually means that the joints are not stable and the ligaments may be stretched or loose causing instability within the joint.

The carrier fabric should ensure that the bottom supports the thighs and knees in design. Your baby should be carried facing inward to ensure adequate support. Assess the carrier to ensure that your baby is able to be positioned safely so that their airways are not compromised when they’re carrier facing inward. This will support the natural spinal curve. Until your baby is older, around six months, it is not recommended that your baby is carried facing outward as they will not have adequate support in place. When you carry your baby facing you, it also reduces the risk of over-stimulation.

Consider the following points when looking for a safe baby wearing product:

✔ It should be safety rated and tested over a substantial period of time

✔ The head and neck support for your baby or child should be stated

✔ It should have wide and easily adjusted shoulder straps

✔ A wide base section to support baby or child’s thighs and knees

✔ Your baby or child’s posture should be well supported

✔ Baby or child’s body weight should be evenly distributed over your own surface area

✔ Your own spine should not be affected, kept in a neutral position

✔ The carrier should make it easy for you to attach or position your baby

Ensure that your baby’s spine is well supported

Babies’ spines differ from adult spines. We have four distinct curves whereas a newborn baby has only one curve in the spine. It is like a C-shape. Your baby will only develop the various curves as they develop their cervical muscles. As your baby begins to lift his head or sit, he will begin to develop the strength in his muscles that will eventually facilitate the classic curvatures that we see in the adult spine. This ultimately enables them to hold themselves up against gravity.

Your baby’s spine support is key when considering baby wearing. Your own spine health is also important so do not compromise or go against the advice given for your selected baby wearing support. Your spine contains and protects your central nervous system, sending information to your brain. It also receives external signals from your body and sends those back to your brain to be processed. This allows you to constantly react to and adapt to the environment you are in. your body to constantly adapt to the environment you live in.

What to consider when wearing your baby wearing support

It is important if you are using a baby wearing support in the cradle position to ensure that your baby can breathe and that their tiny airways are not compromised. Your baby may not necessarily alert you to the fact that they cannot breathe well, particularly those who are born prematurely or have additional needs. Babies with weak or poor muscle tone should also be carefully monitored to ensure that they are comfortable and that breathing is not restricted as a result of using a baby carrier.

Adhere to the Hip Dysplasia guidelines in order to protect your baby’s delicate hips when wearing your baby. In this position your baby’s knees are held close together, not an ideal position for optimal hip growth and comfort. The risk of hip dysplasia or dislocation is greatest in the early months of life.

Your baby may have already been diagnosed with ‘clicky’ hips or they may have been born with club foot or other conditions that may make baby wearing uncomfortable. Check with your health visitor or GP before you proceed with baby wearing if there are complications with your baby’s limbs, posture or health.

By the time your baby is six months of age, their hips are more stable and the ligaments are more developed. From this point, they are less susceptible to hip dysplasia. Some baby carriers are easily adapted depending on the age of your baby. Once your baby is six months old they are able to face outwards and some slings allow for this with a few adjustments.

Positioning is really key depending on your baby’s age. Place your newborn into a carrier, wrap or sling that is designed for use from birth or is age appropriate. Older babies may not enjoy being carried in a sling at first, if this was not done from birth. Depending on age, your baby may adapt or may not take to baby wearing. Discuss your options with your midwife, health visitor or GP if you have concerns. Ideally, baby should be placed (from birth) in the cradle position, chin up rather than pressed into your body with theirs. Follow the safe positioning guide that comes with your baby carrier.

EXCITING TIMES FOR POPPINS!

Over the last few months, we have been busy developing our nursery. Following the tough times we had and the extreme cleaning measures that have been in place since the pandemic started, we felt that our lovely little nursery had become a little tired. We also found ourselves wanting to utilise the opportunity of a ‘fresh start’ to make some changes and move forward in a way we have always felt would be right for us and our children.

We are so excited for this next chapter, it is something we have dreamed of doing for years, we feel so blessed that we have this opportunity to move forward in the way we had always hoped. We always pride ourselves on being a home-from-home for your children and we feel this little change-up really fosters our ethos and brings great opportunities for all of the children and their growing needs.

So what’s new?

We have invested a whopping £20,000+ to fully refurbish the nursery, fully equipping both rooms with the highest quality resources, taking the greatest level of care to ensure we maintain our homely and warm feel. We have worked hard, reflecting on the way in which our children learn and grow and how our team works best.

We have made the decision to swap rooms to utilise the spaces and the further support the needs of our children. We jumped at this opportunity to create a nursery that we feel will really shine! Giving children the very best opportunities to learn and grow in a safe and homely environment; designed with them in mind.

Please rest assured that whilst our rooms may be switching, our values, nursery daily rhythm, planning, teaching, and learning will all be remaining the same. All staff will be staying with their children and your child’s key person will remain the same. Children will have full access to the entire room whilst having their own key nurture group. They will come together in these small families for circle times and group activities, providing a secure base for growth with their key person supporting and guiding their individual learning needs.

The new EYFS – which focuses on less paperwork and more play – really lends itself to the Poppins way. We want to take this opportunity to coincide the new curriculum release in September with our new environment to really kick start a fresh and exciting us. Waving goodbye to bubbles and covid struggles and move forward with being the outstanding nursery that we are! 

OUR NEW FOREST SCHOOL LEADER

A huge part of our ethos is cultivated from the importance and value of the natural world in educating our children. Being based in a city we have many families that have limited experience of 'the forest’ and ‘the wildness’. We are very pleased to be able to offer these kinds of holistic, child-led experiences daily to all of our children.

This year we have stepped it up a notch and gained our very own Level 3 Forest School Leader, Caitlin. Caitlin is an absolute joy and joined our team full time to enable all of our children, from our babies to our pre-school to experience all the outdoors has to offer under the experienced eye of a specialist forest school leader.

Caitlin’s words on why she loves the outdoors and what inspired her to train as a Forest School Leader.

“Playing in mud, climbing trees and making fires started my passion for the outdoors. Since a young age I spent hours outside making mud pies, finding different magical lands and making dens in my garden.

Throughout primary and high school I enjoyed a more hands on approach. Working within the natural environment and using the natural objects around me helped me to understand maths, literacy and much more.

After completing high school I worked at an outdoor after school care and holiday care, with children ages 1 -16 years. This started my love for looking after children. Since then I have had 6 years experience working within different schools, nurseries, and being a nanny. All of these were mainly based outdoors.

Back in 2019 I started my forest school qualification where I learnt about the ethos, background, and how to set up a forest school provision. I chose to do this course because in the area that I live and the surrounding areas there wasn’t much forest school opportunities for the local children.

This course has given me confidence to deliver forest school sessions for children and help them to show care and concern for the natural environment around them. I have taught forest school sessions for children ages 8 months - 14 years helping them to develop skills they can use throughout their lives,

There are many reasons why I love forest school. I believe it is one of the best teaching spaces for children to learn. The forest school environment encourages children to develop holistically, helps them to understand the natural world, builds friendships and so much more. Forest school allows children to explore the outdoor environment in a safe and controlled space, this gives them opportunities which they may not get at home. ”

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Some photos of our children enjoying our wilderness garden

No boundaries - transient Art

Transient art is simply, art without glue. A none permanent form of artistic expression using objects.

Transient art can be large scale or small scale, practiced solo or as a group collaboration. It is completely child-led with no boundaries, offering multiple outcomes allowing learning as individual as the creator.

Found objects, and natural resources, or ‘loose parts’ as you may have heard them referred to, lend themselves beautifully to transient art; they allow children further learning opportunities from a sensory perspective along with aiding children in constructing further learning pathways to build on prior knowledge. Which also gives us as practitioners ample opportunities to find those child-led teachable moments and extend thinking.

The benefits do not stop there, transient art can be very therapeutic. A mindful, calming and relaxing activity that requires concentration, delicate touch and patience. Children can become very engrossed and loose themselves in their own thoughts and feelings whilst completing their pieces.

Below are some of the beautiful creations that have been made this week in our pre-school room.

Art - Process over product

We believe in allowing children time and space to be creative in their learning and play. We do not enforce our ideas or ideals on them. 

As adults it is easy to lose sight of ‘why’ we are providing the experiences we are for our children. Who is it REALLY for? We are conditioned to plan, look forward; getting caught up in the end product or end goal. If this is applied when caring for young children it will ultimately restrict the critical thinking and creativity of our children. At Poppins we remind ourselves daily that it is on the journey that we learn and grow, not at the destination. 

We see lots of childcare settings getting sucked into the ‘conveyor belt’ process of producing pre-determined pieces of art work for loved ones without stopping to question what the children gain from this experience? That is not to say we don’t provide opportunities for our children to create special items for their loved ones, quite the opposite, we give our children freedom of choice and build confidence to allow them to create unique pieces that showcase their personality and preferences. As well as giving the children pride it shows that we respect our children and their own ideas and learning needs. 

Children are so much better than grown ups at living in the moment, naturally taking each opportunity for what it is rather than what it could be. Let’s support them in keeping the magic of living in the moment by giving them liberating freedom in their play! 

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WHAT ART LOOKS LIKE AT POPPINS

SHARE A STORY

“So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall.”

— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

World Book Day has caused quite a stir in the education sector this year, with many educators believing that it has become more about dressing up than books. This, partnered with the shocking statistic that 1 in 8 disadvantaged children in the UK say they do not have a book of their own meant it was time to reflect.

We had a wonderful week celebrating World Book Day at nursery, our practitioners did a fabulous job of bringing the children’s favourite stories to life in all kinds of ways! We had story sacks, puppets, readathons, fancy dress and lots and lots of stories! A big thank you to our wonderful team and our lovely parents for making it such a memorable week for our little ones. When reflecting on last weeks celebrations I couldn’t help remembering that so many children in the UK don’t have a story to share at home. We at Poppins decided to do all we can to make sure that every child in our community can have access to a story that they can share with loved ones in their own home.

I can not promote the value of sharing stories enough. It offers children and their grown ups so so much! That feeling of closeness, snuggling down in a cosy spot, sharing and playing out emotions, giggling and chatting about experiences and asking questions about topics that arise; it is just a beautiful time to connect with a little soul. It feeds our inner being and fills our hearts with human connection, something we all so desperately need these days.

It’s also important to remember that reading isn’t just for children that can ‘understand’ words. Babies gain so much from sharing stories too. Early story sharing provides babies with quiet time for closeness made even more special by the soothing sounds of a familiar voice. Equally it can thrill and fuel a wild and silly time for adventure and giggles. But most importantly story sharing teaches our babies to associate books with love and affection. It lays the foundation for a positive and healthy attitude towards books that will stay with them for a life time.

It is for all these reasons that my heart sank when I reflected on the articles I had read about the limited access some children’s have to books. So, in light of World Book Day 2020, we will be driving our ‘Share a Story’ initiative at Poppins Day Nursery, bringing a love of books to all our children!

Below are some of the actions we have, and will continue to take, in order to provide a story for every child.

• Poppins Community Lending Library. There will be a small box placed outside our nursery gate where parents, carers and the community can borrow a book to take home and enjoy. Along with our own donations, if you feel you are in a position to donate pre-loved books to the Lending Library it would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

• Poppins Book Bags. To help to prepare our pre-school children for school and the routine of ‘school reading books’ we would like to give our older cohort a Poppins Day Nursery Book Bag. This is a gift to encourage a love of books and will give our pre school teacher the opportunity to spend time with both parents and children supporting and extending their ‘share a story’ experience.

• We will be introducing a ‘Bed Time Story’ into our nursery routine. (This is my favourite objective and I can not wait for this to be a daily experience for our children!). We read many stories through out our day at nursery, but we would like to offer a wind down ‘bedtime’ experience to those children that are with us a little later. We will be turning the lights down at 5pm, getting the big cosy blankets out and snuggling down with some warm milk for a sleepy story and relax before collection.

• Reading Corner Revamp! In each of our rooms we have reading areas, they will be undergoing a revamp to entice and encourage our children to want to read and share a story. They will be cosier, comfier and most importantly enable independent reading. Offering a variety of texts and audio options.

• Reading Materials. Reading and enjoying stories doesn’t always have to mean ‘books’. To offer our children a variety of texts we have signed up for a subscription of National Geographic KIDS Magazine and Okido Magazine. We have also stocked up on some of the classic Julia Donaldson books and some more Usborne books for our children to access. We are also giving our pre school children greater story independence by giving them a Yoto box, a screen-free audio device that our children can independently control using physical smartcards to access stories.

Join us in celebrating a love of books and reading everyday, and remember…

“The more that you read, the more things that you’ll know. The more that you’ll learn the more places you’ll go!”

— Dr Seuss

Bianca Hobson BA (Hons) Early Years Education

Early Years Advisor for Poppins Day Nursery

Five Big Questions on the Under Fives

“Your greatest contribution to the universe may not be something you do, but someone you raise.”

— Joy Of Mom

For the past 8 years Kate Middleton has been speaking with practitioners, experts and academics to discuss the importance of the early years and its detrimental role in shaping our children’s futures.

Kate has now launched a public survey aimed to improve early childhood and create national conversation and lasting change for generations to come. The five questions were compiled after meeting with families across the country and listening to day-to-day issues and challenges that our families are facing, along with reflections on the conversations had with the early years professionals.

We are so pleased to see such an influential public figure supporting the growth of the very youngest members of our community and their families! Being a parent isn’t always easy and we can be left worrying if we are doing enough of the ‘right’ thing. We as practitioners at Poppins hope to provide our parents with knowledge, advice and understanding. Our staff are carefully selected for their genuine love, passion and knowledge for the early years and their friendly and comforting manner with our children and our families. We are always here to help and support in any way we can. We pride ourselves on our parent partnerships and know that the best outcomes for our children come when we all work together.

I, for one, cannot wait to see the outcome of the survey. It will bring great insight along with the opportunity to reflect on what matters most to people in todays world. This will enable the early years sector to respond appropriately, supporting our families further in what matters most to them and giving our children the very best start in life.

Whether you have children or not, please take part in the short survey, there are no right or wrong answers. Let’s do the best for the next generation and all those to come! Visit https://5bigquestions.org.uk/ to add your voice to the mix.

Happy, healthy people; it starts in the Early Years!

Bianca Hobson BA (Hons) Early Years Education

Early Years Advisor for Poppins Day Nursery

A Sustainable Future

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

— Dr Seuss

As you all know, we love reflecting and moving forward with new ideas and visions for Poppins Day Nursery. It is for this reason that the start of a new year fills us with so much excitement! Thinking back on ventures and ideas passed and making new plans for the future. We had a fantastic year filled with so many triumphs and many ideas that have ensured our nursery is moving forward.

This year we would like to focus on supporting our next generation, staff and parents in developing life-long habits in sustainability. We all know that the climate crisis is here and we need to do all we can now to ensure we have a fighting chance in changing things for our children and theirs to come. We are in such an important and influential position as children’s educators and care givers, we feel that we must take the opportunity to teach what is integral to the survival of the earth as we know it (along with our 1,2,3’s and A,B,C’S of course). Essentially, this teaching supports the knowledge and learning of citizenship, collaboration, care, empathy and understanding as well as choices and consequences all delivered in a meaningful and real context that is crucial for our next generation!

We started some work on this last year, making small changes, most of which were office based. This year we would like to involve the children and the wider community in our fight to save our planet! Our dream is to support and model to our children how to care for our world, instilling a positive attitude towards respecting our earth that runs through them in all that they do. Most importantly we want them to understand WHY! Why we ask them to use just enough paper towels to dry their hands, or why we encourage them to use both sides of the paper to draw on. Why we have a recycling bin, and why we close the doors when it’s cold outside.

We have kicked off our learning by donating to the WWF Bush Fire Appeal. (Please be aware we will always assess the suitability of issues before discussing with the children. Some such the Australian Bush Fire, we will leave for family discussions. We will be discussing more general climate issues that we deem suitable for the maturity of our children.)  We are also continuing our work in gaining the status of ‘Plastic Free Nursery’ awarded by Surfers Against Sewage.

We have lots more ideas to roll out this year. Such as seasonal ‘eco swap shops’,  recycling points for non curb-side recyclables, and we would LOVE to set up a ‘Poppins Eco Shop’ run by the children, selling eco friendly washing up liquid, toothbrushes etc! Donating all profits made to environmental charities!

We will be reaching out soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Bianca Hobson BA (Hons) Early Years Education

Early Years Advisor for Poppins Day Nursery

Getting 'School Ready' - Our Outdoor Learning Lodge

The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn - Maria Montessori. This statement is so important to us at Poppins, we believe that a love for learning and a curious mind is the heart of effective learning! In addition to this we add a lot of love and support from our grown ups along with an enabling environment and voila, we have the magic formula to a happy and successful learning journey!

With this in mind we wanted to create a new space where our pre-school teacher could nurture our older cohort, in smaller groups, to support and inspire our children to become more independent thinkers and leaners, ready for their next journey to Primary School. Our vision was to bring a sense of calm and focus to our children’s explorations, creating a cosy cabin feel using natural materials and textures with soft lighting. Inside our hygge inspired cabin we introduced opportunities for our children to practice their listening, self-care, problem solving and concentration skills; along with the more ‘school ready’ invitations such as phonics, number and shape. Most importantly of all we have created a safe and soothing environment for children to grow in confidence and independence, feel comfortable in testing theories and asking questions and finding their own identity. These are the qualities that will enable true ‘school readiness’.

After a very busy and exciting summer creating our new space we are so proud and pleased to say that our new ‘Outdoor Learning Lodge’ is ready to spark curiosity, wonder and joy for our children! We are so pleased with the end result and believe it will provide a truly magical environment for our children to take their time in getting ‘school ready’ in a safe, relaxing, nature inspired provision. School ready, we certainly will be!

Hygge (Hue-gah) - You know hygge when you feel it

What is Hygge?

Hygge is a Danish approach to life that focuses on living in the moment and enjoying every minute!

How we Hygge!

At Poppins we are passionate about creating a home-from-home experience for our children. We aim to provide a space that promotes emotional wellbeing and togetherness. When you walk through our doors we want your family to feel safe, secure, cosy and relaxed; like you have come to a family members house for the day. We have neutral colours on the walls to emulate a home. Our staff wear soft, familiar clothing that allows their personalities to shine and children to feel more comfortable when settling. We have sofas and soft furnishings, family photos on the wall all of which you would find in a typical home. Every resource is considered, cherished and has meaning. Many of our toys are wooden or ‘real life’ items such as brass cups for sand play or pine cones for cooking in the role play kitchen. We avoid purpose built toys and plastics we believe more natural resources promote imagination and improvisation along with being a more ecological choice. We like to bring the outside in when ever possible and have lots of plants and greenery to care for. This gives our children a sensory rich opportunity to explore the benefits of nature and care for our Earth from an early age.

It is vital to us that our children spend a good proportion of their day outside. We embrace all the seasons and our outdoor areas provide a wealth of experiences for our children. Ranging from, engaging in some ‘risky play’ on our outdoor equipment to exploring nature in our wildness garden. The outdoors holds huge importance in our ethos; the benefit of some good old fresh air with friends is undeniable for emotional wellbeing along with physical development.

We are a child-led setting and use ‘in the moment planning’ to extend our children’s ideas and current thoughts, its a natural and progressive approach to learning that allows the child to take the lead and the adult to scaffold and support rather than dictate. We believe in slowing down, absorbing our environment and making magic in all of the ‘little moments’ that occur during a child’s day. We enjoy the everyday moments with great love, and in doing so create secure relationships built on peaceful, mutual respect. No rushing, we take it all at the child’s pace.

Lunch time is more than just a meal; our meal times are slow, social and wholesome. All of our food is cooked fresh on site by our nursery cook. Children are encouraged to help in the preparation when possible by collecting our seasonal vegetables from the garden. We encourage conversation and reflection on our day at these times, modelling thought processes and conversational skills. We have a no pressure approach to food and instead focus on modelling and promoting healthy choices; giving our children an understanding of what fuels our bodies well.

We have plenty more Hygge inspired ideas to implement this year, including

• New lighting to create a warmer, cosier light.

• The introduction of essential oil defusers to stimulate the senses and create atmosphere.

• Introducing ‘free the feet!’ when inside to promote all things from walking and balancing to brain development- and of course getting cosy!

• And blankets, more blankets, you can’t have too many right!?!

Joining Generations

At Poppins we are very passionate about reaching out to our community and supporting our children with the skills to build positive relationships and be skilful communicators.

After learning about new research into the positive effects of intergenerational relationships we knew we had to get involved! The benefits for both the children and the elderly residents are clear to see. The children’s interactions have a positive effect on the elderly residents mental health and memory. Whilst the children gain special relationships, building their self confidence and communication skills; whilst also supporting their developing sense of self, belonging and community.

We are very lucky to be working with a truly magical and heart warming organisation, ‘Intergenerational Debutots’. Intergenerational Debutots are joining generations through imagination, songs and stories. Every fortnight our Pre-School children take a walk to our local care home where they spend time with the residents and participate in the interactive workshops on offer. Our children and staff love these visits. Observing the children’s growing relationships is truly heart warming.

Welly Wednesday

Every Wednesday our pre-school children get suited and booted for a morning of child-led outdoor play in our wilderness garden.

Taking learning outdoors offers every child an opportunity for new and exciting experiences. Natural and unstructured environments, such as our wilderness garden, challenge learning and inspire our children in unique ways. Outdoor play promotes negotiation skills, the ability to manage risk and opportunities to build trusting relationships with both adults and peers. As a result it develops children’s self awareness and self esteem; something we feel very passionately about here at Poppnis! All whilst having fun building and weaving dens, jumping in muddy puddles with their friends, drinking hot chocolate and much more!

Pre- School Leavers Tea Party!

What a great afternoon full of emotions! 

Thank you to all of our parents for joining us to celebrate your little ones! 

Your children become part of our little nursery family and it has been a pleasure and privilege to help them grow and develop into the happy, curious little people they are! We will miss them all very much but we are so pleased to see them excited and ready for their new adventure at big school!

May their love of learning continue... 

The Poppins Team x 

Earth Day Clothing Exchange

To show our support and raise awareness for Earth Day we have had a whole week of Earth friendly activities. We held our very first clothing exchange at nursery on Sunday. 

The clothing exchange was a great success! A huge thank you to all the children and parents that came. As it was so successful we will be holding an exchange twice a year; as the weather turns a little more chilly in the run up to winter and then again in the summer.

We will let you know the dates in good time so that you can have a good sort through your children's unwanted clothes as the seasons change. 

A selection of our wonderful clothes

Invitation to play

Handmade refreshments

Invitation to play