Running a Setting
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...
Supporting staff and apprentices with SEND
According to The Labour Force Survey for the six months ending June 2020, employment rates in people with SEND were: Depression, bad nerves or anxiety: 54.3% Mental illness or other nervous disorder: 33% Severe or specific learning difficulties:...
Child-led learning
In the revised EYFS, early years practitioners should consider “the individual needs, interests and development of each child in their care and use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of...
RSPB Big Schools Bird Watch
Winter days can be cold and unforgiving; sometimes there is snow and many of us loathe the additional time spent in the morning defrosting our cars so that we can drive to work, if COVID restrictions allow. But the vast majority of us move from...
Chinese dumplings
This simple recipe is from BBC Bitesize. You could use this craft to celebrate Chinese New Year in your setting with the children. For the dough 140g plain flour 125ml water For the filling Finely chopped vegetables You could include: spinach,...
Supporting children with EAL
What is EAL? According to government statistics, approximately 17% of students at the end of key stage 2 are classed as having English as an additional language (EAL). That’s nearly 1 in 6 students in our primary schools, 79% of which join in...
Fruit kebabs
By The Food Teacher - Katharine TateA fun and easy recipe for young children encouraging them to create their own fruit rainbows. Ingredients: Raspberries Strawberries Grapes Blueberries Equipment: Kebab sticks Small knife for chopping Chopping...
Tree Dressing Day
Do you remember the old song “Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree” where a man returning to his hometown after 3 years in prison was unsure whether his lover would want him back, and asked her to decorate an old oak tree with a yellow...
Christmas wreath
You will need: Paper plate Liquid glue Paintbrush Green and red craft paper Pom poms or anything you would like to add as a decoration Red and green pipe cleaners Instructions: Cut out a circle in the middle of your paper plate, so it resembles...
National Safe Toys and Gifts Month
December is the biggest present-giving month of the year, and come Christmas morning, children up and down the country will be waking up to see if they have made it onto Santa’s ‘nice’ list, eager to play with all the new toys they receive....
Fun and educational games for the festive break
he Christmas holidays is a great time to meet up with family and friends and to spend some quality time together, but what about keeping up some educational content too? We’ve come up with some fun and educational games to play with the whole...
Christmas Jumper Day
As the days draw in and the Christmas adverts fill the slots between TV and radio programmes, it’s time to dig out that storage bag from under the stairs and dust off the one piece of clothing that Christmas would not be the same without… No,...
Top tips for a festive play
Putting on a festive play is often the highlight of the year in any pre-school setting – at least that’s what parents say! But anyone who has ever organised any kind of performance knows that behind every slick recital is a lot of hard work,...
Celebrating Diwali, Festival of Lights in your setting
practiced religion in the world behind Christianity and Islam, and is considered to be the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Muslims and Buddhists around the world, and...
Anti-Bullying Week
Wouldn’t it be nice if our children could grow up in a safe, secure and nurturing environment, free from any form or abuse or the influence of people who do not have their best interests at heart? Yet sadly, despite a myriad of safeguarding laws...
World Toilet Day
There are some statistics we read that raise eyebrows, some that cause us to look twice, and then there are the ones that shock us into action – or they ought to! At Parenta, we think that the following fact is one of those statistics that we...