Making Bath Times Fun The bath tub can be a great playground for watery adventures. Here are our suggestions for upping the fun factor at bath times! Use a bath time song to create a special bath time routine, which will make bathing easier for your child. Turn bath time into play time. Simple toys…

Try making these nutritious Breakfast Sundaes with your child for a weekend breakfast treat.  They use ingredients that you probably already have and there is no heat involved. Encourage your child to wash their hands. Gather together your ingredients: your child’s favourite cereal, a pot of yoghurt and some fresh or tinned fruit. Help your…

Eating Out Our handy tips will help make sure that you are not relegated to the kitchen and you do enjoy your meals out with small children in tow. 1) Do your research – try to find family friendly restaurants. 2) Try eating in shifts – one parent can eat whilst the other entertains. 3) Avoid…

Paper Chains You can buy packs of ready cut paper (plain, metallic or patterned) to make these paper chains.  Alternatively, cut strips of paper yourself to stick with a glue stick. Strips of 2cm by 20cm are the ideal size.   Show your child how to make the first loop and then thread the next…

Snipping Snowflake This is a great seasonal activity that practices motor skills. You can add a little early years geography by talking about weather and snowfall. Scissors are often hard for children to master but this activity gives a nice result even if the cutting is a little haphazard!   Fold a square piece of paper…

Gingerbread Reindeer These creative reindeer biscuits are cut out using standard gingerbread man cutters turned upside down!   Preheat your oven to 190oC/Gas mark 5.   Mix 350g of plain flour, 2 tsp ground ginger or mixed spice and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda. Rub in 100g of butter then stir in 175g of soft…

My Road to School – Helping you to prepare your child for school Our pre-schoolers enjoy following “My Road to School”, our own version of the Government-supported initiative which helps prepare children in readiness for starting at school. All three and four year olds are entitled to Government-funded places, up to 15 hours during term time or the…

What is a portion size? You will see us mention “portion sizes” when you receive your end of day report on your child’s day. Maybe they ate a portion at lunchtime, or half at breakfast.  But what is a portion?   Our typical portion sizes in the main nursery are pictured below, and hopefully this…

Broken crayons can be a trauma for parents everywhere; we are sure that you will identify with it! The thin ones snap in little hands (you know the ones, the kind that you get for free when you visit a restaurant!); pieces break off and embed into the carpet, or, at best, the crayons languish…

Creating Egg Box Gardens Research has shown that in our ever-busy lives, children are spending less time outside.  At Bumpkins, we believe that fresh air and the great outdoors grows little minds and allows children to explore the world around them.  Gardening is a great way to enjoy the outdoors. We love this recycling idea…