Charlotte Parry

With an increased focus on communication and language in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), settings and schools need to consider their provision.  Leaders will now be thinking about their current provision and whether adjustments need to be made to ensure children are given an abundance of opportunities to talk, share stories, extend their vocabulary, engage in imaginative role...

The H Crate is so versatile. They are robust, weatherproof and can be left outdoors. Enabling imaginative play, they can be used as large loose parts for stacking and construction, creating vehicles, mud kitchens and obstacle courses. Upcycle those crates, tyres and wooden planks - encourage children to use their imagination to create whatever they want. Here we show a...

Autumn is a lovely time to read to children and talk about nature. There is so much to learn about the seasons and the very visible changes that occur all around us. We know that so many of you use books in your setups and we get tagged in so many wonderful ideas that we felt it would be great...

Autumn is a special time of year and with lots to discover, play with and learn about. Seasons, falling leaves, conkers and lots of natural loose part treasures to collect on your autumn walks. Crates make great locations for setting up areas for children to discover. Crates can be packed up and taken outdoors too. We have gathered some of...

We get tagged in so many wonderful tray play activity ideas that we wanted to share with you some of our favourite autumn tray play activity ideas from our cosy club members. From regular tuff trays of varying colours, to mirrored spot trays and mirrored magnetic tray and of course our heuristic wicker tray, there are so many options for...

Crates are very popular at the moment in play and learn set ups. Not only are they great for storage but they can also be used in a variety of ways to inspire learning in your setting. Here we show 12 of the best ways to use wooden crates in play. Mud Kitchens Create your own affordable mud pie kitchen...

Outdoor play quotes help us to feel inspired to get our children outdoors, in nature. For them to feel empowered and close to nature, they help us to feel deeply about our values and our place in nature. Outdoor play quotes for children, parents and educationalists: 'If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.' Vincent Van Gogh. 'Mother...

It might be cold, damp and grey but the outdoors in winter can be an inspiring place to play and learn.  Winter offers us new experiences which are in stark contrast to spring, summer and autumn.  The change of season enables us as educators to empower children to be adventurous, explore and discover and ignite their innate drive to be...

We get tagged in some wonderful ways to play with conkers and so we wanted to share these with you in this blog post. Did you know that Conkers is a traditional children's game in Great Britain and Ireland played using the seeds of horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself...

Fine motor skills are those small, intricate hand and finger movements.  Children's muscles can take time to evolve as the brain builds important connections.  This is achieved through practice, with some children finding it easier to master the skills than others.  Why are fine motor skills important? Fine motor skills are an important factor in early writing.  Children need strong...