Running a Setting
National Insect Week
Can you hear the buzz of excitement for this week? Stick around, there are some un-bee-lievable ideas! Sorry – we just had to get a few bug puns into this article as we are really excited to be covering a relatively new awareness week, at least...
Encouraging male apprentices into early years
If you have been reading our magazine for a while now, you will know that we occasionally revisit the problem of the gender imbalance in the early years workforce. Change is slow in this area but it is happening. The Education Policy Institute...
International Day of the African Child
The last few years have been difficult for early years providers and in education generally. The pandemic closed schools, settings battled with staff shortages, and our entire education system moved online as millions sat at home with their...
Child Safety Week
The safety of the children in our care is the most important thing that we are responsible for as early years practitioners. Yes, we are following the EYFS and of course we are looking to enrich the lives of our children through education...
View from the door – designing learning environments from children’s viewpoints
High-powered binoculars are amazing. They let you easily see the details of an object from a long distance. Most of us think of using a pair of binoculars for leisure such as bird or whale watching, but these visual instruments are also used as...
Learning Disability Week
This month sees the return of Learning Disability Week, organised by Mencap, the national charity with the aim of raising awareness of learning disabilities and learning difficulties, and supporting those who have them, to live meaningful and...
Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II is the world’s longest reigning living monarch, and she has ruled for longer than any other monarch in British history. Only France’s 17th century leader, King Louis XIV (who ascended the throne aged 4) and Thailand’s King...
How to make the most of your outdoor space
Spring is here and it’s time to shake off the winter woollies and explore the great outdoors! Not everyone has some outside space in their setting, but if you are lucky enough to have even the smallest space, make sure you are making the most of...
Food Allergy Awareness Week
What is a food allergy? A food allergy is when “the body’s immune system reacts unusually to specific foods.” Usually, it occurs when a person has eaten the food they are allergic too, but in some cases, it can occur if the food is merely...
Fundraising for your setting
Let’s face it, who doesn’t need some extra money for their setting? Fundraising is an option that many nurseries use, and there are tried and tested ways to do this. We’ve put together a list of some old favourites as well as some new ideas to...
Mental Health Awareness Week
We cover mental health a lot in the Parenta magazine, since it is something that has a profound effect on how we live our lives. Good mental health is needed to maintain health, hold down a job, make ends meet, and ultimately, give us a reason...
Water Saving Week
Earth – not the ‘final frontier’ but seen from space, we call it the ‘blue planet’ as seventy-one percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water. The oceans hold about 96.5% of all the water on the planet but this is salt water and humans...
Social leadership in early childhood education and care: an introduction
The work we do in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is driven by a social purpose – by the desire to make a genuine difference. We want to make the world a better place by giving children the best possible start in life. That means we...
World Malaria Day
April 25th is World Malaria Day, an annual event which takes place across the world to raise awareness about malaria and how it can be prevented. It aims to celebrate the progress that has been made towards eradicating this life-threatening...
Stress Awareness Month
There is no doubt that in recent years, we have all been under a lot more stress than usual.. The pandemic, lockdowns, school and setting closures and not seeing friends and family have caused many of us to re-evaluate our lives. We are...
Things we didn’t know about recycling
Recycling is now part of our daily life, or at least, if we want to live a more sustainable life, and leave the world in a better state for our children, it should be. But apart from the 3 Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle, how much do we actually...
Improving parent communication in early years settings
Do you remember when communications were limited to the post and wired telephones? Thankfully, those days are long gone, and settings now have many ways to communicate with parents. But are you making the most of these, or are you still relying...
Easter story and celebrations around the world
Easter is a holy holiday in the Christian calendar, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. At that time, there were no Easter eggs, no Easter bunny or giant omelettes made in France! It was just the death of...
World Maths Day and British Science Week
World Maths Day and British Science Week - If your children love a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) challenge, then you will love two events...
Fairtrade Fortnight
Fairtrade Fortnight - Fancy a tea or a coffee? How about a sumptuous meal with a fresh banana dessert smothered in smooth chocolate, a bottle of the finest...
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day - It’s time to stand up and take more notice of women – what they do for their communities, their families and the world in...
Growth mindset and the theories of Carol Dweck: part 2
Growth mindset and the theories of Carol Dweck: part 2 - Firstly, we have to make the distinction between 3 sets of people whose mindset may influence that...
National Careers Week 2022
National Careers Week 2022 - How did you get into childcare? Was it always a childhood dream or was it something you stumbled into? Were you inspired as a...
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week
Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place in the week of the 7th – 13th February 2022 and is a time to not only raise awareness of mental health issues amongst children, but to also offer advice and information and showcase some of the work...
Screen and technology addiction
There was a time, when parents would metaphorically tear their hair out at the amount of time their children spent watching TV. Nowadays, you often hear the plea, “Why don’t you put your phone down and watch something interesting on TV instead!” Every generation has its own nemesis when it comes to how children spend their time, and this current generation is no different.
Living with COVID in 2022
There is no doubt that the world we knew in December 2019, bears very little resemblance to the one we find ourselves in in February 2022. The first confirmed case of Coronavirus came into the UK on 23rd January 2020, and we have been fighting...
Growth mindset and the theories of Carol Dweck: part 1
Carol Dweck may be a name that you have heard in recent years due to her prominent work on what she termed “growth and fixed mindsets”. But do you understand what she meant by those terms and what her work has to do with early years? In this short series of two articles, we will look at her research, theories and conclusions and see what relevance it has to looking after and educating young children.
National Apprenticeship Week
This month sees the return of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), and this year will be the 15th week-long celebration of everything to do with apprenticeships.
Chinese New Year
On the 1st January each year, many cultures celebrate a New Year according to the solar-based Gregorian calendar, and this year, most countries will celebrate the birth of 2022 at the stroke of midnight. But did you know, that although this is...
Pinecone birdfeeder
If you are planning to take part in The Big Schools Bird Watch, this pinecone birdfeeder might be the perfect activity, which has been inspired by the RSPB’s craft. Image source: Preschool Inspirations You will need: Dried pine or fir cones Bird...