Cosy Direct Blog

With Halloween fast approaching, it's a good time to reflect on how you can incorporate this seasonal event into your mud kitchen area. The joy of the mud kitchen lies in its versatility - it's so much more than mud and water! A fantastic way to encourage children to get creative at the same time as nurturing communication and language...

By Juliet Robertson Halloween is a day where dressing up and having fun outside is celebrated. The origins of this festival are a matter of debate but this article is a useful starting point for any teacher wishing to acknowledge the cultural or religious connections. My favourite Halloween took place many years ago whilst I was working in a tiny Highland school with 9...

Why Representation Matters With children growing up in increasingly diverse communities, we really need to reflect on how our settings and schools represent different cultures. Although we are now well into Black History month, this should not be a tokenistic gesture with black culture only celebrated at particular times. Rather, identity, race and culture should form part of our curriculum...

We know that play is a valuable vehicle for nurturing learning and development. Not only that, but children have a right to play, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. However, perhaps we now need to question how play is represented through social media and other online mediums. Play can be big...

My experience, by Kieran Wragg This year I swapped Cavtat for Kids Camp. I know what some of you might be thinking - why? Why would I swap a relaxing break in the rural, relaxing sunshine in a villa in Croatia for one camping in a field with 30-something kids? Growing up, I was fortunate enough to go on holiday...

I am aware that confusion and controversy exists around the use of tyres. I hope this blog post is informative and helpful so that adults who work with children can make sensible decisions based upon their own specific context. It has been written in good faith based upon material I can find out and my own experiences of working outside with...

Books really are a fantastic resource, aren't they?! We love how they can be used in many ways to promote learning and development in a child-friendly way. With educators thinking ahead to the start of the new school year, it's a good time to focus on the power of books in helping children to navigate the transition as they start...

The way that we organise, present and store learning resources, can really make a difference in children’s independence and learning. Thinking carefully about how we present and organise our resources can create opportunities for children to develop their concepts of shape, size, space, number, sorting and literacy skills. When organising your provision, the old adage of, ‘Everything in its place...

Most schools are feeling the pinch in terms of having money to spend on resources and equipment. Thankfully, working outside does not have to rely on expensive kits. Here’s a selection you can make from cardboard, paper and other easily available materials. Remember – your class can make their own kit! There’s lots of skills to be learned along the way...

Play is a common language which can bring children together, regardless of their differences. It holds tremendous value as a vehicle for learning and development, as well as a way of promoting diversity. In this blog, we will reflect on how one particular type of play, small world, can be embraced as a way of encouraging children to recognise and...