Magazine November 2018

Issue 48 

NOVEMBER 2018 

FREE 

INDUSTRY 

EXPERTS 

Spectacular setshifting 

activities 

Empowering 

children through 

stories 

Creating 

environments that 

develop potential 

+ lots more 

HOW MUSIC CAN 

IMPROVE CHILDREN’S 

CONFIDENCE 

Write for us 

for a chance to 

WIN 

£50 

p 27 

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY • CELEBRATING DIWALI • ROAD SAFETY WEEK

Hello and welcome to the November edition of the Parenta magazine! 

There have been lots of heart-warming stories in the news this month. A couple which have caught our 

eye have been inspired by the Channel 4 programme ‘Old People’s Home for 4-Year-Olds’ which shows 

nursery children visiting retirement homes. The show’s purpose is to demonstrate how encouraging the 

younger and older generations to mix and share stories can transform the physical, social and emotional 

well-being of both age groups. 

From ages 60 to 102, residents from the largest retirement community in the UK, Lark Hill Village, and four-year-old 

children share daily activities created by experts - including a physiotherapist, a gerontologist and an early years specialist. The 

effect that the youngsters have on the behaviour, movement and mobility of the older group will be monitored and measured 

over a period of 10 weeks. You can read more here about this fantastic initiative, as well as learning how the children of 

Northgate House Nursery got on when they visited the elderly residents of Bradbury House. 

This month’s magazine is packed with so much advice - including how music can improve children’s confidence, how to help 

with boys’ literacy, and how to safeguard your staff in your setting. We have some great tips on how you can take part in Road 

Safety Week and find out how settings celebrate the Indian festival of Diwali. We take a look at the history of Remembrance 

Sunday and have a wonderful poppy craft for the children to do, in this 100th anniversary year of the end of the First World War. 

Congratulations once again to sensory specialist, Joanna Grace, who has won our guest author competition for a third month 

with her incredibly popular article “a sensory look at the fussy eater” – clearly a subject close to many hearts! We are so grateful 

to all those who send in their articles for publication. If you have written on a topic relevant to early years and would like to be in 

with a chance to win £50 in shopping vouchers, turn to page 27 for details. 

Christmas is not too far away – how this year has flown by! Turn to page 23 for details on how to win 1000 Christmas cards for 

your setting – printed with your own design! 

Happy crafting and best wishes, 

Allan 

hello 

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY 

ROAD SAFETY 

It’s vitally important to 

help shape children’s 

understanding of road 

safety from an early 

age - take a look at 

our activities to get 

you started 20 

INSPIRING 

A special bond is 

forming as toddlers 

and pensioners 

enjoy weekly get 

togethers as nursery 

inspired by Channel 4 

documentary 

4 

BOYS’ LITERACY 

10 

Tamsin Grimmer discusses methods 

of encouraging little boys to read and 

write more 

NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE 48 

IN THIS EDITION 

REGULARS 

14 The Adventures of Rocket Rabbit & Sidekick 

Squirrel Part 4 

22 Spotlight on... Bryony Abbott 

26 Remembrance Sunday hand-painting poppy 

craft 

27 Write for us for a chance to win £50 

34 What our customers say 

38 Parenta job board 

NEWS 

4 Northgate House Nursery inspired by television 

documentary 

6 Little green fingers at Tops Day Nurseries 

Salisbury Gardening Club 

7 Parenta Trust news 

ADVICE 

8 Recycling Week: Support sustainability in your 

setting 

12 Celebrating Diwali in your setting 

20 Teach your children about road safety with Beep 

Beep! Day 

24 Remembrance Day - We will remember them 

30 Safeguarding staff 

INDUSTRY EXPERTS 

10 What are little boys made of? 

18 How music can improve children’s confidence 

28 Spectacular set-shifting activities 

32 Empowering children through stories 

36 Creating environments that develop potential 

and the ideas of Reuven Feuerstein 

Support sustainability in your setting 8 

Activities to mark Remembrance Day in your setting 24 

Win 1000 Christmas cards for your setting 23 

Stacey Kelly discusses the benefits of storytime and 

how stories can be used to empower children 32

Northgate House 

Nursery inspired 

by television 

documentary 

A special bond is forming between the young 

children of Northgate House Nursery and the 

elderly residents of Bradbury House as they 

enjoy weekly get togethers, inspired by a 

television documentary. 

Nursery, remembers the 

exhilaration of the young 

children: “When the 

children returned after 

the first visit I asked them 

did they have fun, they all 

spoke at once and were 

so excited about meeting 

a man who was the “same 

age nearly”. I asked how 

that could be so and they 

replied: “well, we are 4 

and he is 104 so it’s nearly 

the same!” 

In modern times, where 

families are often 

scattered hundreds 

of miles apart, the 

opportunity to spend time 

with different generations 

is not always possible. 

Paul Bosson reflects, “It 

is important that elderly 

people can meaningfully 

engage with the young, 

and vice versa, for the 

benefit of society as a 

whole. We are delighted 

with this intergenerational 

partnership and the 

pleasure it brings to both 

the children of Northgate 

House and our residents.” 

This wonderful 

collaboration has proved 

so successful that both 

parties are looking at 

increasing the visits 

and thinking of other 

ways to strengthen their 

relationship. 

After watching “The 

Old People’s Home” 

for Four-Year-Olds, the 

heart-warming Channel 

4 documentary, the 

trustees and managers 

at Bradbury House, in 

Beaconsfield Old Town, 

relished the opportunity 

to provide their residents 

with a similar experience. 

Manager of the home, 

Wendy Stallwood explains: 

“Many of us watched the 

Channel 4 documentary 

and we were inspired to 

see the positive impact 

this had, particularly the 

improvement in happiness 

and health of the 

residents. We now have 

the opportunity to do the 

same for our residents.” 

Paul Bosson, Chairman 

of Trustees for Bradbury 

House, contacted 

Northgate House 

Nursery, also based in 

Beaconsfield. They didn’t 

hesitate to get involved in 

this wonderful initiative. 

Sarah Fahey, director of 

the nursery explains: “We 

are always looking to 

provide our children with 

enriching experiences and 

recognised how beneficial 

this partnership could be 

for everyone involved.” 

A small group of children 

from the nursery visit 

the Activity Centre in 

Bradbury House every 

Thursday morning and 

Tuesday afternoon to 

engage in speciallychosen 

activities that the 

different generations are 

able to enjoy together. 

Beverly Nash, social carer 

for Bradbury House, 

devises a variety of crafts, 

games, imaginative play 

and singing activities 

for everybody to share. 

She explains: “We are 

so pleased to see how 

involved our residents are 

when the children arrive, it 

makes them smile; seeing 

them all together reading, 

singing, reciting nursery 

rhymes, brings back fond 

memories for us all. You 

can really feel the warmth 

in the room.” 

On the children’s first 

visit to the home, they 

encountered Ken Medlock, 

a gentleman aged 104 

years. The children were 

four years old, so to 

meet somebody a whole 

hundred years older than 

themselves was hugely 

exciting and memorable. 

Nadine Higley, manager 

of Northgate House 

4 Parenta.com November 2018 5

Little green fingers at Tops Day 

Nurseries Salisbury Gardening Club 

Tops Day Nurseries in Salisbury has recently been inviting their children to experience the 

cycle of growth through the implementation of a thriving Gardening Club. 

NEWS 

Parenta Trust news 

Parenta Trust Charity 

Balls, Maidstone and Bath 

Change a 

life for as 

little as 

56p a day 

Party-goers enjoyed fabulous food and danced until the early 

hours at this year’s Parenta Trust charity balls. 

Every week, the children aged from 

3 months to 5 years are getting 

involved in a host of gardening 

activities. Babies and toddlers 

are being encouraged to explore 

different growing environments by 

planting seeds and transferring 

seedlings to a specially-designed 

area of the show-stopping garden. 

Pre-school children are being given 

the opportunity to take responsibility 

for their own growing projects and 

have autonomy over nurturing their 

plants. 

The focus of the Gardening Club 

is not just about planting but also 

places a strong importance on 

caring. The children are actively 

engaged in tidying the borders of 

the garden and weeding. They also 

take charge of watering, feeding and 

protecting their plants. 

As with all events at Tops Day 

Nurseries, Gardening Club will 

run all year round. Tops Salisbury 

is fortunate to have a fantastic 

canopied area within the garden 

which allows the children to continue 

planting, monitoring, and eventually 

harvesting, whatever the weather. 

According to Deputy Nursery 

Manager, Sally, there has been “a 

definite increase in our children’s 

interest in nature. They love growing 

various plants and have also been 

really interested in finding out 

more about insects and animals. 

It’s delightful to see!” Since the 

implementation of the Gardening 

Club, the nursery has also been 

pleased to see an increase in 

children’s engagement during 

mealtimes. Recipes are often 

created by the children using their 

own hand-grown produce in Tops 

Cooking School. 

The two sparkling fun-filled evenings – held on 22nd September at the Great 

Danes Mercure Hotel in Maidstone and 20th October at the Hilton in Bath 

– raised an incredible £7,000 for Parenta Trust - with all proceeds going 

directly to help provide an early years education to the children who need it 

most in deprived areas of the world. 

Details on how you can support Parenta Trust by way of making a donation, 

sponsoring a child in a Parenta Trust pre-school or taking part in a 

fundraising event can be found at www.parentatrust.com 

Our sponsorship programme gives 

orphaned and disadvantaged preschool 

children the chance to lay 

the foundations for their learning 

in a safe and loving environment. 

Having a basic education means 

these young children can break 

out of the cycle of poverty and look 

forward to a much brighter future. 

Find out more at: 

bit.ly/PTsponsor 


Recycling Week: Support 

sustainability in your setting 

How we dispose of plastics has become a contentious issue lately, especially with images 

circulating on social media of the effects that plastic waste has on marine life and the 

environment. Documentaries such as Blue Planet II have also helped bring the problem to the 

public’s attention, as well as the work of charities like Surfers Against Sewage. 

The lessons and habits laid down for youngsters in early childhood can last a lifetime, so 

what better time to teach them about sustainability? Here are some ideas to celebrate 

Recycling Week in your setting: 

Introduce recycling stations in all your pre-school rooms and teach children how to sort 

recyclable materials from items destined for landfill 

Back in October 2015, the 

Government introduced a 5p bag 

charge to retailers with more than 

250 staff. Although it was seen 

as a radical move at the time, 

the Department for Environment, 

Food and Rural Affairs has 

reported an 86% fall in the number 

of disposable bags issued by 

participating supermarkets since it 

started. Now, Prime Minister Teresa 

May is considering extending the 

scheme to retailers of all sizes and 

increasing the charge. 

Elsewhere, Tops Day Nurseries 

made headlines this year for 

banning the use of glitter in their 

settings due to its harmful 

effect on the environment. The 

nursery chain is rapidly working 

towards becoming ‘the most ecosustainable 

childcare provider in the 

UK’. So far, they’ve taken initiatives 

such as replacing plastic milk 

bottles with glass ones, stopping 

the use of plastic gloves and 

investing in bamboo toothbrushes. 

Are we heading towards a plastic 

ocean? 

Environmental charity Greenpeace 

has warned that the equivalent 

of one truck-worth of plastic is 

emptied into our oceans every 

minute of every day. The problem 

of plastic is very real and, if current 

trends continue, there will be more 

plastic than fish in the sea by 2050. 

It’s alarming to think that even 

something as small as a plastic 

straw can take up to 200 years 

to decompose, according to 

global movement 4Ocean. 

Plastic bottles can take 

even longer, with an estimated 

decomposition time of 450 years or 

more. 

From the 24th to the 30th 

September, recycling charity WRAP 

is promoting Recycling Week. 

The theme of this annual event 

is “Recycling. We do. Because it 

matters.” The organisation hopes 

to change people’s recycling 

behaviours and put across the 

message about why recycling 

plastic is so beneficial. 

Educating children about waste 

Teaching children about the 

importance of recycling and how 

waste can negatively impact the 

environment is a great driver 

for future change. It can help 

youngsters learn about the 

consequences of their choices and 

make them more environmentally 

responsible as adults. 

Build a worm farm to show children how worms can break down food waste and create 

‘super soil’ for vegetables and flowers 

Replace single-use items such as plastic straws with reusable ones made of bamboo 

or metal. Why not extend this to find sustainable alternatives for items like plastic cups, 

aprons and gloves? 

Use jars to collect off-cuts/scraps of paper and reuse these for crafts 

Create flash cards which show both recyclable and non-recyclable items. Ask 

your children which materials should go in the recycling bin and explain how 

this item can be recycled 

Clean up a local beach or park. This is a great activity for teaching children 

about caring for the environment whilst giving something back to the 

community. Bring clear trash bags and pickers to help children sort rubbish from 

recyclables 

Encourage youngsters to produce posters (either individually or as a class) to 

promote Recycling Week and the importance of sustainability. Display these 

proudly throughout your setting 

We’d love to hear what ideas and activities 

you’ve put in place to teach children about 

recycling and plastic waste. Share them with us 

on Facebook or Twitter using @TheParentaGroup 


What are little boys made of? 

I have come across a lovely book by Robert Neubecker who has re-written the nursery rhyme ‘What are 

little boys made of?’ Instead of ‘slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails’, it says ‘moons and stars and 

rockets to Mars!’ It is generally accepted that boys have different interests to girls, and if we consider 

research, we know that there are some differences in how men and women respond socially and 

behaviourally; however, the basic structure of the brain is more similar than it is different. Therefore, we 

cannot make any assumptions like, ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘that’s just what boys are like…’ Instead, we 

need to ensure that we are planning experiences that build on boys’ interests and fascinations - activities 

that use their strengths and offer opportunities that will tap into their knowledge and skills. 

Tamsin Grimmer 

Providing equality of 

opportunity is not enough! We 

cannot say that because we 

offer the same opportunities 

to both boys and girls in our 

settings, we are ensuring that 

they can progress in literacy. 

If boys rarely want to engage 

in mark-making or reading in 

our settings, we need to ask 

ourselves: 

• How can we make markmaking 

and reading 

more attractive to boys? 

• Are we tapping into the 

interests and fascinations 

of boys? 

• In what ways can we 

make mark-making 

and reading active and 

physical experiences? 

• Are we expecting boys to 

sit still and passively read 

or write in our setting? 

• Can we incorporate more 

opportunities to read 

and mark-make using 

technology? 

• Do we praise boys and 

encourage competition 

and team playing/ 

collaboration? 

Despite boys underachieving 

nationally in all measures 

relating to literacy within the 

EYFS, we must remember 

that boys are just as able as 

girls and therefore we must 

reflect upon our practices to 

ensure that boys have plenty 

of opportunities to become 

engaged in learning. If levels 

of engagement are not high, 

we must consider our provision 

and our values, attitudes and 

the quality of the relationships 

that we build with boys. In 

this way we can endeavour to 

understand why boys are not 

making as much progress as 

girls in the EYFS (and beyond). 

Through tracking children’s 

progress, one setting noticed 

that boys were not achieving 

within the writing 

aspect of the EYFS. 

They observed 

boys during 

free-play times 

and found that 

the numerous 

mark-making 

and writing 

opportunities were 

largely untouched 

by boys and 

they did not 

appear keen to use the 

mark-making resources that 

were available. The setting 

decided to approach this by 

finding out where the boys 

spent the majority of their time 

and what they were engaging 

in. They found boys were 

regularly outside, building 

with large blocks, using iPads 

and engaging in fantasy play, 

often relating to superheroes. 

The setting used this 

information as a starting point 

and found more varied and 

interesting ways of markmaking 

outside. For example, 

using mud and sticks or 

drawing a road for the scooters 

with large chalks. They 

downloaded mark-making 

apps onto the iPads and also 

stuck paper in unusual places, 

such as underneath tables 

and on walls. They created a 

‘bat-cave’ which had batshaped 

black paper, and HB 

pencils with torches to shine at 

the marks made. In addition, 

they introduced different 

ways of mark-making inside, 

for example, using small 

superheroes to make footprints 

in paint and using soil and 

paper in a builder’s tray for 

cars and trucks to ‘drive’ 

through and leave muddy 

tracks on the paper. 

Over time, the boys began 

to engage more in markmaking 

as they found these 

activities more interesting 

and engaging than what had 

previously been on offer. 

Here are a few ideas of how to engage boys in mark-making and reading activities: 

• Use the interests of your boys as a starting point for planning 

• Put paper underneath table-tops and make mark-making as large-scale as possible 

• Offer opportunities that allow boys to stand, sit, lie down, or move as they mark-make 

• Think about the different mark-making resources that are available. Can you 

incorporate mud, clay, sticks, cars, superheroes and so on? 

• Ensure that books are available in different places within your setting, e.g. a 

construction book next to your construction materials or a book about dinosaurs in the 

small world area 

• Offer different examples of drawing and writing, e.g. architect’s plans, bus timetables, 

train tickets and offer materials so that children can re-create their own versions of 

these 

• Display text in different formats and demonstrate writing for a purpose, e.g. football 

scores or a party invitation 

Here is a list of ideas or themes that many boys are interested in: 

- Sport 

- Superheroes 

- Latest craze 

- Cars/Transport 

- Construction 

- Castles 

- Dinosaurs 

- Technology 

- Mechanisms 

- Wild animals 

- Wizards 

- Dragons 

- Cartoons 

- Volcanoes 

- Aliens 

- Toolkits 

- Pirates 

- Sharks 

- Fire-fighters 

- Police 

- Doctors 

- Camouflage 

- Horrid Henry 

- Monsters 

- Films (Paddington, Toy Story etc) 

Although this sounds 

like a stereotypical list, 

we need to focus on the 

things that interest and 

motivate boys in order 

to encourage them to 

participate. Of course, 

there will also be boys 

who are interested in 

animals, dolls, dressing 

up or colouring so just 

go with whatever they 

show an interest in! 

So what are little boys 

made of? Let’s reframe 

this rhyme and engage 

boys in reading and 

mark-making in our 

settings. 

With mud and clay we’re 

mark-making today – 

that’s what little boys are 

made of! 

Tamsin Grimmer is an 

experienced early years 

consultant and trainer and 

parent who is passionate 

about young children’s 

learning and development. 

She believes that all children 

deserve practitioners who 

are inspiring, dynamic, 

reflective and committed to 

improving on their current 

best. Tamsin particularly 

enjoys planning and 

delivering training and 

supporting early years 

practitioners and teachers to 

improve outcomes for young 

children. 

Tamsin has written two 

books - Observing and 

Developing Schematic 

Behaviour in Young Children 

and School Readiness 

and the Characteristics of 

Effective Learning. 

Website: 

tamsingrimmer.co.uk 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyears. 

consultancy.5 

Twitter: 

@tamsingrimmer 

Email: 

info@tamsingrimmer.co.uk 


Celebrating 

Diwali 

Suggestions to 

celebrate Diwali 

in your setting: 

in your 

setting 

Make greetings cards 

Wishing friends and loved ones 

a “Happy Diwali” with a card 

is traditional during this time, 

so why not have the children 

make or colour in special cards 

that they can send home to 

their families? 

Diwali, also known as the 

Festival of Lights, is celebrated 

by millions all over the 

world. Although the date of 

the festival normally falls in 

October, this year it will be 

held on the 7th November. It is 

India’s most important holiday 

and can last up to 5 days. 

Before Diwali (also known as 

Deepavali) takes place, people 

clean their homes and places 

of work in preparation for the 

celebrations. Deepavali is a 

Sanskrit word which literally 

means “rows of lighted lamps”. 

At the beginning of the festival, 

devotees light small clay oil 

lamps called diyas in their 

homes, shops and places of 

worship. The Hindu Goddess of 

Wealth, Lakshmi, is worshipped 

throughout the year but 

especially during Diwali. Lamps 

are left alight throughout the 

night to welcome Lakshmi into 

the family home. 

Diwali celebrates new 

beginnings, the triumph of good 

over evil and the victory of light 

over darkness. It also marks the 

start of the Hindu New Year in 

certain parts of Western and 

Northern India. 

What is the history and 

significance of Diwali? 

The legendary stories which 

accompany Diwali vary 

depending on the region of India 

which they relate to. 

Some believe the festival to be 

the celebration of the marriage of 

Goddess Lakshmi to Lord Vishnu 

– one of the most important 

gods in the Hindu holy trinity. 

Others believe that Diwali is 

a celebration of the Goddess’ 

birthday, which is said to take 

place during this time. 

In Northern India, people believe 

that the Festival of Lights honours 

the mythical Lord Rama’s return 

to his kingdom after 14 years’ 

exile by a demon. Lighting 

candles is thought to symbolically 

illuminate the path for his 

welcome return and celebrate his 

subsequent coronation as king. 

How do people celebrate at 

this time? 

In India, Hindus will leave the 

windows and doors of their 

houses open so that the Goddess 

Lakshmi can enter. Beautiful 

patterns (rangoli) are drawn on 

the floors near the entrance of 

the house using materials such 

as coloured rice, sand or flower 

petals. 

Diwali is typically a time for: 

• Visiting a local temple and 

wishing “Happy Diwali” to 

everyone 

• Decorating homes in bright 

reds, greens and yellows 

• Lighting candles and oil 

lamps 

• Saying small prayers (puja) in 

homes 

• Wearing traditional dress like 

saris 

• Saying prayers to the 

Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi 

• Exchanging gifts with family 

and friends 

• Preparing festive meals 

• Huge firework displays 

The last day of the festival is a 

special day for siblings and is 

called Bhaiya-Dooj. On this day, 

brothers give presents to their 

sisters, who in turn cook for them 

and make them feel cared-for. 

Decorate diyas 

Buy plain terracotta tealight 

holders and help the 

children decorate them with 

colourful clay paints and other 

accessories like glitter, stickers 

and bright rhinestones. 

Make colourful rangoli 

Help the children create their 

own rangoli patterns using 

pebbles, coloured sand, 

rice and paint. Draw some 

inspiration from Tops Day 

Nurseries and see how the 

children created a range 

of rangolis using different 

materials here. 

Let the children sample 

Indian food 

Preparing feasts forms an 

important part of Diwali 

celebrations. In your setting, 

children could try vegetable 

daal, naan bread, onion bhajis 

and other traditional foods. 

You could also try making a 

simple, sweet Indian dessert 

such as Sooji Ka Halwi. 

How do you celebrate Diwali 

in your setting? Share your 

stories and images with us by 

sending them to 

marketing@parenta.com 


The Adventures of Rocket Rabbit & 

Sidekick Squirrel Part 4 

The Adventures of 

Rocket Rabbit & 

Sidekick Squirrel part 4 

Previously on Rocket Rabbit and Sidekick Squirrel… 

Our heroes found themselves outsmarted by the 

clever witch, Agnes and her sidekick Bones. They 

were left lying a little bit helpless at her feet… 

Quick as a flash, Agnes had used her magic to tie 

the heroes up with very tight ropes. She cackled 

loudly at her own brilliance, celebrating her victory. 

Rocket and Sidekick struggled against the ropes with 

all their might but found their efforts useless. They 

remained stuck under the witch’s powerful spell. 

Sidekick suddenly had a plan, but she had to keep 

quiet for a while in order for it to work correctly. She 

signalled to Rocket to stop moving and began to talk 

loudly to Agnes in order to distract her and hopefully 

put her plan into action. 

“This is all your fault Rocket,” said Sidekick with a 

very obvious wink. “You are always so gung-ho; 

wanting to fight, fight, fight. I’m so fed up of you.” 

Rocket gasped ever-so dramatically and pretended 

to be deeply hurt by her friend’s words. “Oh do be 

quiet you silly squirrel!” she said sternly (but Sidekick 

knew she was just playing the game and didn’t really 

mean it). “If anything, this is all your fault. Always 

waiting to see the danger and never acting. You 

would rather run away than fight.” 

Agnes cackled again, very pleased with the damage 

she had thought she had done to her enemies. 

While the heroes were busy talking, Agnes had called 

her broom over – which had flown itself across the 

room and into her outstretched hand. It was really 

quite a remarkable broom. It had been in her family 

for many years - handed down to her by her mother 

… and her grandmother before her. 

Agnes climbed onto her broom with a simple grace 

and then hooked the heroes onto the back, using a 

hook which appeared from nowhere. Rocket looked a 

little worried but Sidekick was feeling confident; she 

knew how to escape. A quick whistle was all it took 

for Bones to join Agnes on her broom and they were 

off into the night sky. Hundreds of stars twinkled as 

they were whisked along toward the witch’s hideout 

and heading for certain doom. 

Sidekick waited until they were flying close to a noisy 

aeroplane and said in voice so quietly that only 

Rocket could hear, “Get the device out of the third 

pocket in your belt.” 

Rocket felt for her belt with her left paw and counted, 

‘one, two, three’ along it. Reaching into the small 

pocket, she pulled out what appeared to be a tiny 

rectangular metal box. She handed it to Sidekick, 

with some difficulty. 

Sidekick quickly and expertly unfolded it to reveal a 

useful and very sharp pair of scissors. She had soon cut 

through the tight ropes and before very long, she and 

Rocket were free, but still holding onto the broom. They 

had to choose exactly the right moment to let go, when 

they could see they could land from a safe height. 

“We should wait until we are almost at the witch’s 

hideout” whispered Rocket. 

“Don’t worry” said Sidekick, all part of my plan. 

Beneath them came the muffled familiar 

sounds of an engine. Rocket, with her big 

rabbit ears was able to hear it above 

the roar of the plane which was 

still flying next to them. Looking 

down, she noticed with glee their 

trusty Super-car below them and 

on Sidekick’s say so, they both let 

go, flew through the air and landed 

in the car with a soft bump. 

Neither Agnes nor Bones noticed that their prisoners 

had escaped. They were far too busy trying to race 

the big plane which was slowly flying further and 

further ahead. Rocket really hoped that Agnes was 

not a sore loser who would put some kind of spell 

on the plane to make it slow down or worse – fall 

from the sky – it was the kind of mean thing that she 

could possibly do. 

The heroes landed safely in their car, but somehow 

Sidekick had landed in the driving seat – a position 

she was no used to! She attempted to switch seats 

by shuffling along, but Rocket said, “Stay there, 

you can do this, we are going at full speed and it’s 

dangerous to change. Besides, we don’t want to lose 

them.” 

Sidekick smiled at her friend’s kind words and 

concentrated on driving. Although she was not 

used to driving at all, she found that it was rather 

good fun and was soon really enjoying herself. She 

weaved along the winding road while Rocket kept a 

close eye on the broomstick above with the help of a 

telescope from her belt. 


They soon arrived at the hideout 

and it was here that the witch 

suddenly realised with shock that 

she had lost her two prisoners 

along the way. Rocket heard her let 

out an angry scream. 

Sidekick drove behind a large tree 

so that they wouldn’t be spotted 

and stopped the car. They watched 

in the silvery moonlight as the witch 

and skeleton flew into the huge 

black castle. The heroes didn’t want 

to waste any time, so they gathered 

their things and moved slowly and 

quietly towards the drawbridge. 

They got there just before it started 

going up and had to run to stop 

themselves from falling off and 

into the murky, deep, green water 

below. 

Once inside, they crept along the 

narrow hallway to the left of the 

Great Hall. The gadget which 

Sidekick was carrying showed that 

the baddies had gone this way. 

They moved faster and drew their 

stun guns. The baddies were back 

in the library, trying to find a book 

for a spell to help them find the 

escaped heroes. 

Rocket and Sidekick found them 

and were able to plan their attack. 

They sprang out when the witch and 

skeleton were looking at a huge old 

book and caught them by surprise. 

Rocket fired her weapon at the witch 

and Sidekick fired at Bones at the 

same time. 

Both baddies were hit and stunned; 

unable to move. They were captured 

at last and Rocket and Sidekick were 

very happy to have finally completed 

their mission. 

Richard Dodd 

Richard has been writing for 

as long as he can remember. 

English was a subject he 

enjoyed in school as it just 

made sense to him. He loved 

to read and requested his 

own bedroom so that he could 

have a bookcase! His favourite 

childhood authors included 

Enid Blyton, R. L. Stine, M. D. 

Spenser, and Charles Dickens. 

Characters, stories and even 

words he has taken in through 

all of those books have stayed 

with Richard for two decades. 

He firmly believes that books 

are integral in a person’s 

upbringing and that those 

experiences will stay with them 

throughout their lives. 

He can recall parts of those 

books in their entirety, from 

the tone of voice described by 

the author to certain scenes 

from The Famous Five or Secret 

Seven. Richard loves fiction 

and the idea of escaping and 

therefore creating an escape 

for a reader is the very reason 

he writes. 

Richard has written four books, 

three in the Fluffy the Magic 

Penguin series and a standalone 

book called ‘The Secret 

Passageway’. 

Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/ 

richarddodd.author/ 

Email: 

Richard.dodd@upburypress. 

co.uk 

Website: 

www.upburypress.co.uk 

5 DAYS 

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find out more at parentatrust.com 

16 Parenta.com

How music can improve 

children’s confidence 

I do love a good singsong! Take our village pantomime. This is stuffed full 

of music and dance. Everyone from the local publican to members of the 

WI gather onto our tiny village hall stage in front of friends and family. 

It is a riot of fun and laughter. What gets me each time is how everyone 

grows in confidence over the weeks building up to the performances. 

This is no coincidence. Music does more than give us a good feeling. 

Music is universal, engaging and exceptionally social. It is saturated with 

positive physical, mental and social outcomes. It affects our behaviour, 

plays a key role in our identities and builds confidence. 

The benefits of music in the early years 

All children love music. Musical confidence grows when children hear and enjoy music. Through 

regular, intentional and enjoyable music activities we can help build up musical intelligence, 

supporting children’s ability to ‘think’ musically. Research shows over and over again, the 

considerable increase in children’s intelligence and thinking-skills after intentional music 

instruction and that this has long–term positive effects on intelligence and learning skills. 

How do we make use of the incredible gift of music in the early years? 

Rhythm: Don’t we all love that bit in ‘Love Actually’ when Hugh Grant dances to ‘Jump’ by 

the Pointer Sisters? Just like Hugh, children can’t stop their bodies from moving to music 

they love. We must encourage dancing to disco classics, jumping to Holst’s Planets, or 

leaping about to The Lion King. The sound and rhythm not only fill senses with well-being 

and enjoyment but also builds positive brain-connections as children engage in an activity 

they love. 

Melody and sound: Research confirms that music and speech functions have lots in 

common. Speech functions can benefit from music, and vice versa. It is believed that 

regular, intentional singing and listening to music may even aid the prevention of/promote 

the support of language, listening and learning difficulties. What an 

incentive to include music in our daily routine! In addition, when we 

sing, we are using our cardiovascular system, which means that our 

lungs are being given a good old clear out. This has a positive effect 

on health and well-being. It even makes us more alert. Singing is 

hugely beneficial! 

Recorded music: Music has become ever-present. It is in the lift as we 

enter the department store, browse in a shop, or sit in a café. Music sets the 

mood. Why not use this in the setting? Play some Mozart quietly near the book 

corner, jazz by the play dough. Intentional music played in this way is not only 

soothing; it builds the child’s musical intelligence. 

Musical instruments: Oh! The joy of a drum for a young child. And oh! The horror for 

the practitioner who is headachy and tired. But there is no other way of putting this – 

children need musical instruments around them like they need books, toys or 

people. Musical instruments placed amongst favourite toys and activities 

can help build confidence, provide joy and support cognitive skills. 

What stops us from doing 

this in our setting? 

Too often we lack the 

confidence. We don’t play 

an instrument. We feel silly 

when we sing. There are 

colleagues that are clearly 

more musical. We leave it to 

them. Musical instruments 

can be viewed as noisy, 

pointless or irritating, the 

children getting overexcited 

and boisterous. 

But I would urge you to give 

it a go! Put your anxiety 

aside. Don’t worry about 

the noise or be concerned 

about what other people are 

thinking. Give the children 

the chance to hit/bang 

something in time to music, 

or jump up and down to ‘The 

Monkeys on the Bed’. 

Add some instruments to 

favourite resources, like a 

rainstick or handbells in 

the role-play area. Place 

some shakers and maybe 

a tambourine near the 

dressing up. Offer some 

recorded music to listen to, 

showing the children how 

to choose what they want. 

Let them dance. Let them 

sing. Stand back 

and see what the 

children do. You may 

well be surprised by 

how inventive they 

become! 

And finally 

We must listen to the 

research and then do what 

it says. 

Music binds people together. 

It improves our health and 

happiness. It is linked with 

intelligence and thinking 

skills. 

We don’t just make a noise 

when we provide these 

types of 

Helen Garnett 

Helen Garnett is a mother 

of 4, and a committed and 

experienced early years 

consultant. She co-founded 

a pre-school in 2005 

and cares passionately 

about young children and 

connection. As a result, 

she has written a book, 

‘Developing Empathy in 

the Early Years: a guide for 

practitioners’ for which she 

won the Professional Books 

category at the 2018 Nursery 

World Awards. She has also 

co-written an early years 

curriculum and assessment 

tool, at present being 

implemented in India. Helen 

is also on the Think Equal 

team, a global initiative led 

by Leslee Udwin, developing 

empathy in pre-schools and 

schools across the world. 

activities. We create social 

cohesion, positive brainconnections 

and build 

children’s confidence. 

It’s a lot of gain for a little 

pain. Try it today! 


Teach your children about road 

safety with Beep Beep! Day 

Road Safety Week takes place on the 19-25th November and is an annual event organised by road 

safety charity Brake. Brake works to prevent road death and injury, as well as raising funds to 

support the victims of road crashes. 

As part of Road Safety Week, thousands 

of tots and infants participate in Beep 

Beep! Day, which will take place on 

Wednesday 21st November. It’s a great 

way to educate children about road 

safety through themed activities, whilst 

also raising awareness amongst parents 

and families about how to protect 

children on Britain’s roads. 

Promoting life-saving messages and 

awareness around road safety for 

children is vital, especially when you 

consider the statistics from the latest 

accident report by the Department 

for Transport. It found that there were 

15,976 child casualties in 2016, of which 

38% were pedestrians. 

The report stated that, in 2016, 2,033 

children were seriously injured in road 

traffic accidents and 69 died. Notably, 

over a third of these accidents occurred 

during the hours of 7 am-9 am or 3 

pm-5 pm on a weekday, which coincides 

with the time children are normally going 

to or leaving school. 

Activities for your setting to take part in 

It’s vitally important to help shape children’s understanding of road safety and 

ingrain this from an early age – these lessons will help to keep tots safe whilst 

they’re young and also stay with them as they get older. 

To take part in Beep Beep! Day, here are some ideas to get you started: 

Get colourful! Have your children dress up in some bright clothing to wear 

for the day, whether it be hats, tops or socks, to emphasise the importance of 

drivers slowing down to watch out for pedestrians crossing the road. 

Make a handprint poster of all the children’s hands to display in your 

welcome area, so that everyone understands the importance of holding 

hands with a grown-up whilst near a road. You could make the heading of 

this poster “Going home? Hold hands!” 

Play stop and go games – make mock roads in your playground and use 

props to signify traffic lights and zebra crossings. Children could take turns to 

be 'drivers' on a ride-on-scooter or bike, supervised by staff. They could also 

practice crossing pretend roads safely. Your local authority road safety team 

may be able to lend you some equipment to help with this activity, too. 

Teach children a road safety song with new verses for familiar songs such 

as Wheels on the Bus. For example, swap the lyrics to: “The children and the 

grown-ups all hold hands, all hold hands, all hold hands”. 

Invite a VIP to your setting to talk about road safety – this could be a 

police community support officer, the fire brigade or a local lollipop lady. 

Make sure your chosen “VIP” understands the message you are trying to 

deliver to children such as hold hands with an adult when crossing, stay on 

pavements and away from dangerous traffic etc. 

Play a sound game by recording noises in advance such as those of an 

ambulance, car or pelican crossing. Let the children listen and guess what 

they are. Talk to your group about key road safety words such as pavement, 

kerb, road, car, danger, traffic, stop, look and listen. 

Teach children about safe places - make a giant poster of pavements, 

roads and parks and cut out a selection of pictures from old magazines of 

people, buggies, dogs and vehicles. Ask children to stick the images in the 

safest places: people on pavements, vehicles on roads. 

Consider raising money for Brake by holding a bake sale! Why not bake 

yummy traffic light-themed biscuits or cupcakes, with all money raised to be 

donated to the charity? For a healthier alternative you could offer traffic light 

fruit during break-time such strawberries, kiwis or mango. 

To help your setting’s Beep Beep! Day go off with a bang, Brake is providing 

organisers with free e-resource packs or, for a fee of £12.50, a bumper pack for 50 

children. The bumper pack includes stickers and certificates for children taking part, 

promotional posters, activity and song cards and even balloons! Find out more from 

the charity’s website. 


Spotlight on... 

Bryony Abbott 

Every month, we put the spotlight 

on a member of the Parenta team. 

This time around, it’s our marketing 

manager. Bryony helps to manage all the marketing 

activities for the company including co-ordinating 

campaigns, creating marketing materials and ensuring 

our sales leads remain high. 

What does a typical day look like 

to you? 

Each day varies for me, however, 

most of my efforts are focused on 

our digital channels. So I could be 

updating or improving our website, 

improving engagement on our social 

media channels or planning ahead 

to make sure we get a head start on 

plans for the coming month, as well 

as running campaigns to ensure we 

are generating leads for the business. 

It is also incredibly important that I 

analyse our efforts and track what is 

working, why and if it’s not, highlight 

areas that need improvement. 

How has your role progressed 

since you started at Parenta? 

Originally I started as the Digital 

Marketing Executive back in 2014, 

I developed from this to Marketing 

Executive after becoming heavily 

involved in the branding and design 

side of the business. Eventually, I 

was promoted to Inbound Marketing 

Manager, looking at the generation 

of leads and managing the day-today 

running of the marketing team. 

After a little hiatus, I returned to the 

company as a Marketing Manager, 

which is where I am today! 

What do you think makes Parenta 

stand out as a company operating 

in the early years sector? 

From an outsider’s perspective, we 

do not specialise in one area, there 

are many faces to the business. 

You should always 

put yourself in the 

customer’s shoes, 

walk through the 

process, and think 

about the type 

of language and 

images that will 

appeal to them 

From an internal perspective, it is 

very much like a family, with a very 

caring environment, which I feel feeds 

through into the ways we interact 

with our customers. I like to think this 

reflects what our customers are like. 

Since starting your career in 

marketing, what’s the single most 

important thing you’ve learnt 

about how to market a product or 

service successfully? 

Know your audience! This is so 

important, especially when writing 

copy/putting together a campaign. 

You should also always put yourself 

in the customer’s shoes, walk through 

the process, and think about the type 

of language and images that will 

appeal to them, do they tell a story? 

Is it appealing? Could the journey 

be better? Would you be inclined to 

work with that company or buy that 

product? 

What are you most excited to be 

working towards in the coming 

months? 

A new parenta.com website 

and improving our social media 

engagement! Watch this space! 

In your spare time, what do you 

enjoy doing? 

Depending on my mood, reading, 

painting (I have a huge paint by 

numbers to complete!) or watching 

movies. I love all kinds of movies, 

from Marvel to horror and of course, 

Disney! I also have a very playful cat 

who loves a cuddle! 

printed with your own design! 

Enter our “design your own Christmas card” competition with a chance to win 

1000 cards for your setting – printed with your own design! 

The children at your setting can have hours of festive fun drawing, colouring, 

sticking, or however they wish to decorate the cards - you can enter as many 

designs as you wish! 

To enter, take a photograph of your Christmassy creation and email it to 

marketing@parenta.com by Sunday 18 th November. 

We will upload your design(s) to our website and social media pages for a 

national vote – the design with the most votes will win the incredible prize! 

The winner will be announced personally and on social media on Tuesday 27 th 

November and in December’s magazine. 

Your cards will be printed and delivered to your setting by 1 st December. 

Happy Christmas crafting … and good luck! 


Remembrance Day - We will 

remember them 

REMEMBRANCE DAY 

we will remember them 

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning 

We will remember them." 

From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon 

Remembrance Day, which falls on 11th November 2018, is held in Commonwealth countries to honour 

military personnel who have lost their lives to protect the freedom of others. More than 12,000 British 

servicemen and women have been killed or injured in the line of duty since 1945. 

On Remembrance Day weekend, special 

ceremonies are held at war memorials 

and poppy wreaths are laid to pay 

respect to those who fought for their 

country. 

In London, the royal family attend 

a commemorative ceremony at 

The Cenotaph in Whitehall (near 

the Houses of Parliament). 

The Queen, members of the 

Government, politicians and 

soldiers lay wreaths at the foot 

of this famous war memorial, 

followed by a service of 

remembrance conducted by 

the Bishop of London. 

Throughout the UK, a twominute 

silence is traditionally 

observed on the 11th hour of the 

11th day of the 11th month. 

This represents the 

guns falling silent 

on this day in 

1918. 

Why do we wear a poppy? 

Many people show their respects on 

Remembrance Sunday by wearing a 

red poppy. This flower has long been 

associated with the First World War 

because, once the conflict drew to a 

close, it was the only plant to grow 

on the barren battlefields of Northern 

France and Belgium. 

In 1915, a Canadian doctor named John 

McCrae was treating soldiers wounded 

during the war and noticed poppies 

blooming amongst the gravestones. 

Inspired by the sight, he went on to write 

the famous poem, "In Flanders Fields". 

The poem is often read each November in 

memory of those who served in war. 

The poppy was also adopted as a 

symbol of The Royal British Legion, an 

organisation which provides support for 

people in the forces, veterans and their 

families. The current paper version of the 

poppy was introduced over 30 years ago 

but the sale of these continues to provide 

vital funds for the charity. 

Activities to mark Remembrance Day in your setting: 

Read a story about Remembrance Day 

Explain to the children what the day is for: to honour and remember those who died fighting for our country. Some 

children may know or know of someone who is currently serving in the armed forces. 

Create your own poppy wreath with the children 

Let them lay the wreath at a memorial held at a local church. Upon returning to your setting, lead a discussion about 

the meaning of Remembrance Day and why we pay our respects to those who served in the war. 

Make your very own craft poppies for children to take home 

These can be made with a variety of different textures and materials such as potatoes and poppy seeds or even paper 

plates and paint! 

Send thank you letters and pictures 

The children can draw pictures to thank those serving in the armed forces. Make arrangements to send them to 

someone serving - this could be a family member of one of your pre-schoolers or a friend of their family. 

Visit residents in a care home for a Remembrance-Day-themed tea party 

Alternatively you could invite them to visit your setting. Why not help the children bake some shortbread biscuits or 

cupcakes beforehand with red “poppy” icing to share with the residents at the party? 

DID YOU KNOW? 

2018 is a very special year, as it marks the 100-year anniversary of 

the end of the First World War. 

How will you be celebrating Remembrance Day in your setting? Let us know by 

emailing marketing@parenta.com and sharing your ideas! 


Remembrance Sunday 

hand-painting poppy craft 

YOU WILL NEED: 

1 paper plate 

White paper 

Green paint 

Red paint 

Write for us for a chance to win £50 

We’re always on the lookout for new authors to contribute insightful 

articles for our monthly magazine. 

1. Cut your paper plate in half and use one half of the paper plate to pour the 

green paint on to. 

2. Using the edge of your hand, from the tip of your little finger to your wrist, 

dip your hand into the green paint and carefully stamp it along the bottom 

of your sheet of paper to create lots of long green lines. These will be the 

stems of your flowers. 

3. Once you have made your stems, wash the remaining green paint from your 

hands. 

4. Pour out the red paint on to the other half of your paper plate, ready for the 

next step. 

5. Guide your child, dipping their whole hand into the red paint. 

6. Place their paint-covered hand on top of the green stems on your sheet of 

paper to create the poppies. 

7. Your craft should look something like this! 

If you’ve got a topic you’d like to write 

about, why not send an article to us and be 

in with a chance of winning? Each month, 

we’ll be giving away £50 to our “Guest 

Author of the Month”. 

Here are the details: 

•• 

Choose a topic that is relevant to early 

years childcare 

•• 

Submit an article of between 600-900 

words to marketing@parenta.com 

•• 

If we choose to feature your article in our 

magazine, you’ll be eligible to win £50 

•• 

The winner will be picked based on 

having the highest number of views for 

their article during that month 

This competition is open to both new and 

existing authors, for any articles submitted to 

feature in our Parenta magazine for 2018. The 

lucky winner will be notified via email and we’ll 

also include an announcement in the following 

month’s edition of the magazine. 

Got any questions or want to run a topic by us? 

For more details email marketing@parenta.com 

SEPTEMBER’S WINNER 

Joanna Grace 

Congratulations to our guest author competition 

winner who has won for the third consecutive 

month! Joanna Grace’s article ‘A sensory look at 

the fussy eater’ was incredibly popular with our 

readers. Well done, Joanna! 


Spectacular 

set-shifting 

activities 

underpinning skills. Meaning that for people at risk of 

frontal lobe deficits there is extra potential at stake in 

these spectacular set-shifting activities. 

Playing at set-shifting 

To play at set-shifting, we need to create a play 

environment which gives the brain the opportunity 

to view one set of resources, or one environment, in 

multiple ways. In other words to see something in a 

particular way and then shift to see it in another way. 

In this first of four articles exploring sensory support for emotional regulation, Sensory 

Engagement Specialist and Sensory Projects Founder, Joanna Grace, explores how we can boost 

the brain’s ability to set-shift through play. This article is based on one of Joanna’s free leaflet 

guides, more can be found at: www.thesensoryprojects.co.uk/guides 

What is set-shifting? 

Set-shifting is the brain’s ability to move 

between one set of cognitive strategies to 

a new set in response to changes in the 

environment. We need to be able to do this 

in order to achieve all sorts of other things, 

for example: 

• It underpins our ability to pay 

attention: To pay attention, we 

must switch between what we were 

attending to, to what we are asked 

to attend to. 

• It is fundamental to our ability to 

behave in a socially-acceptable 

way when faced with challenges: 

To behave acceptably we must 

be able to switch between our 

instinctual response to challenge, 

which might be to lash out and kick 

or hurt another person, to a more 

considered response, which could 

be to tell a teacher or ask an adult 

for help. 

• It is utilised by the brain when it 

tackles mathematical problems: 

To solve maths problems we need 

to switch between functions, for 

example one moment adding, 

another moment taking away. 

These are only a few examples of all the 

fantastically brainy things our ability to setshift 

underpins. 

Spectacular set-shifting 

The brains ability to set-shift is one of its 

spectacular functions, underpinning our 

ability to interact successfully with the 

world around us. It takes us a while to 

secure it, with most typically-developing 

people’s brains only fully getting the hang 

of it in late childhood/early adolescence. 

But as with so many things achieved in 

later development, its roots begin in our 

early experiences and even for very little 

children we can begin nurturing these 

roots. Practice at experiences associated 

with set-shifting are like a work out for the 

brain, which is an incredibly flexible organ. 

Experiences in early childhood can mean a 

lot to later cerebral abilities. 

The Frontal Lobe Deficit and setshifting 

Unsurprisingly, the frontal lobe is the 

part of the brain at the front of our skull, 

the part just behind your forehead. The 

frontal lobe is the home of set-shifting. 

People with various conditions can 

experience impairment to their frontal 

lobe abilities and this will in turn affect 

their capacity to set-shift. For example, 

people with Parkinson’s disease, foetal 

alcohol spectrum disorder (currently 

one of the leading causes of learning 

disability in the UK), autistic spectrum 

disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity 

disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, 

epilepsy and individuals with specific 

brain injury to the frontal lobe can all 

experience impairment to their frontal 

lobe capabilities. 

The brain is a fantastically adaptable organ, 

and it may be possible to improve abilities 

in areas that are impaired by practicing the 

As you play at set-shifting, it is important that you check 

the understanding of the children playing with you at 

each phase of the game. They need to understand the 

environment, or the resources, as they are in the first 

phase, before you move on to the second phase. Do not 

shift before they have ‘got’ what is going on initially. You 

are looking to support their change in understanding. 

►► 

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Activities ripe for set-shifting exploration 

Choose a toy or resource that the children you 

support play with regularly in a particular way. 

Invent a totally new way of playing with that 

toy and share it with them. For example if they 

regularly build models out of toy bricks show 

them how to use the bricks to colour in a drawing 

on the floor as if building a mosaic out of them 

Use stacking bricks to make print paintings 

Place damp sand in a tough tray with sandcastle 

buckets and spend time making sand castles. 

Then remove the buckets and add in large 

pencils, spread the sand flat and use it to write in 

Turn a piece of furniture upside down and use it 

in a different way. If inverting a classroom table, 

use tennis balls cut along one side to pop over 

the ends of table legs to prevent injury. Turning 

a table upside down and making it a boat in an 

imaginary game is a wonderful piece of setshifting 

Line up a selection of sturdy toys and hit them 

with a musical mallet to see what sounds they 

make. Order them according to their sounds and 

then play them as if they are a glockenspiel 

Make grated-cheese sandwiches by sprinkling 

grated cheese onto a plate, buttering the bread 

and then printing it into the cheese 

Activities like these have also been shown to 

increase creativity in adults so by playing at 

spectacular set-shifting with your children, you may 

well find you are better able to come up with new 

activity ideas yourself! 

The Sensory Projects believe that with the right 

knowledge and a little creativity, inexpensive 

resources can become effective tools for inclusion. 

Find out about The Sensory Projects events here: 

bit.ly/tsptickets 

Joanna Grace 

Joanna Grace is an 

international sensory 

engagement and inclusion 

specialist, trainer, author, 

TEDx speaker and founder of 

The Sensory Projects. 

Consistently rated as 

Outstanding by Ofsted, 

Joanna has taught in 

mainstream and specialschool 

settings, connecting 

with pupils of all ages and 

abilities. To inform her 

work, Joanna draws on her 

own experience from her 

private and professional 

life as well as taking in all 

the information she can 

from the research archives. 

Joanna’s private life includes 

family members with 

disabilities and neurodiverse 

conditions and time spent 

as a registered foster carer 

for children with profound 

disabilities. 

Joanna has published three 

books: Sensory Stories 

for children and teens, 

Sensory-being for Sensory 

Beings and Sharing Sensory 

Stories and Conversations 

with People with Dementia. 

Her latest two books were 

launched at TES SEN in 

October. 

Joanna is a big fan of social 

media and is always happy 

to connect with people 

via Facebook, Twitter and 

Linkedin. 

Website: 

thesensoryprojects.co.uk 


Safeguarding staff 

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017 requires childcare providers to have policies for 

safeguarding and child protection. Most of this is geared towards safeguarding children, but 

there is growing evidence that nursery staff also need protecting against unsubstantiated or false 

allegations which can destroy an adult’s long-standing reputation and career in seconds. 

Allegations usually fall 

into the category of 

either personal/company 

negligence, or child 

abuse, including neglect, 

sexual, emotional and/or 

physical abuse. 

Below are some tips and 

advice to help safeguard 

your staff against this. 

Working environment 

All staff have the right to 

work in an environment 

that is compliant with 

current health and safety 

legislation. Your dedicated 

health and safety officer 

should ensure this 

legislation is adhered to. 

Risk-assessments 

should be carried out 

and recorded daily so 

that problems can be 

identified and resolved. 

This becomes especially 

important if you hire 

a community space. 

Assessments should 

include the temperature, 

toilet facilities, suitability 

of spaces, electrical and 

fire hazards, trip hazards 

and security to name but 

a few. 

Consider the structure and 

appropriateness of the 

building too. For example, 

can you fit glass panels 

to doors to protect staff 

by making spaces more 

visible, whilst also keeping 

the children secure? 

Protocols and 

procedures 

This is a key requirement 

and there should be 

robust recruitment 

procedures for staff and 

volunteers such as DBS 

and reference checks. 

Specific safeguarding and 

child protection training 

needs to be provided for 

all staff at induction. 

Good practice might also 

include volunteers if time 

and resources allow, 

but at the very least, 

volunteers should sign to 

confirm they have seen 

and understood your 

child protection policies. 

Ignorance is no adequate 

defence after all. 

Ensure too that your 

policies are regularly 

reviewed and adhered to 

by all staff and that they 

have adequate support 

from senior leaders during 

working hours. 

Staff need insurance 

which provides advice and 

legal cover in the case of 

a claim against them. This 

might be through a union 

or your organisation’s 

insurance, but the 

accessibility of swift legal 

advice may prevent a 

potential safeguarding 

situation escalating. 

Staff should also be 

made aware of the roles, 

responsibilities and 

contact details of your 

designated safeguarding 

leads, the deputy leads 

and the LADO (local 

authority designated 

officer) as well as their 

own responsibilities 

towards whistleblowing 

and how to report 

concerns against other 

staff or members of 

management. 

You should also have a 

written policy on how 

to deal with allegations 

against staff. 

Everyday routines 

These are things like: 

• Drop-off and pick-up 

• Nappy changing 

• Handling medicines 

• Food and allergies 

• Accidents 

• Touching and/or 

comforting children 

• Bullying 

Ensure you have written 

policies for each situation. 

For example, staff should 

understand when they 

can and cannot touch 

children, especially in 

relation to children who 

are crying, distressed or 

at risk of harming other 

children. There can be 

misunderstandings about 

this and about what level 

of physical intervention 

is acceptable, so regular 

training can help protect 

staff from allegations of 

inappropriate physical 

contact. 

You could also offer 

parents education so that 

they understand that if 

one child is threatening 

another, it’s the nursery’s 

duty to physically 

intervene to prevent injury 

to one or both parties. 

It’s also the management’s 

responsibility to ensure 

adequate cover for 

transport situations and at 

the beginning and end of 

the day, so that staff are 

not inadvertently left alone 

with a child. 

Activities 

Activities and events 

make learning fun, but 

staff should not be put in 

compromising situations 

because of them, so 

ensure that everything 

you do is properly riskassessed 

and authorised. 

Guidelines do not expect 

all risks to be eliminated, 

but risks should be 

recognised, understood, 

assessed and minimised. 

If parents are made aware 

of potential risks and 

give their consent, an 

accusation of negligence 

is much less likely. Try 

also, to link all activities 

to an appropriate, wellrecognised 

learning goal. 

Use of technology 

Technology is a wonderful, 

enriching learning tool 

but can also potentially 

introduce hazardous 

environments for both 

children and staff. An 

‘innocent’ photograph of 

children playing, taken 

on a personal mobile 

and uploaded to social 

media will most likely be 

construed negatively if not 

authorised or sanctioned 

properly. 

Develop protocols which 

cover all technology 

including mobiles. You 

might consider asking 

staff to hand in their 

mobiles at the start of the 

day or be very vigilant 

about their use (e.g. only 

in the staff areas). 

Staff should not be allowed 

to give out personal 

details unless agreed 

by management and 

ensure that all lines of 

communication are through 

official pre-school emails, 

which are more easily 

monitored and transparent 

than personal ones. 

Check there are 

appropriate internet filter 

and safeguarding settings 

on all ICT equipment to 

avoid inadvertent slips. 

Home visits 

If your nursery engages in 

home visits, write a homevisit 

protocol which is 

adhered to. This generally 

involves staff going in 

pairs and not entering 

houses if a parent or a 

second member of staff 

are not there. 

Keeping records 

It is imperative that 

adequate records are 

kept of all potential 

safeguarding incidents. 

Records should be based 

on fact and not opinions 

since they may be 

produced in court in the 

event of any allegations or 

legal action. Keep them 

factual, accurate and 

professional. 

Safeguarding is not just 

about keeping children 

safe, but also about 

the responsibilities that 

employers have to their 

staff to ensure that they 

are well-informed, welltrained 

and properly 

supported. 

Click here for more 

information. 


Empowering children 

through stories 

In a world that is becoming more and more digital, it is more 

important than ever to emphasise how important stories are in 

a child’s development. Computers and tablets are great in many 

ways. However, they can never and should never replace that 

special moment when you snuggle up with a good old-fashioned 

book. 

Children have so much to learn about themselves and the world 

around them. Stories are powerful tools that communicate 

different messages and concepts and also provide children 

with opportunities to process thoughts and feelings that can 

sometimes become overwhelming. 

Here are some benefits of storytime: 

Managing feelings 

Children have so many big emotions to process and navigate. Relating to 

characters in stories can really help little ones to make sense of different 

feelings and situations. It also helps them to realise that they are not alone. 

Languages & communication 

We all speak to our children every day but the language we use can be 

repetitive and limited. Stories ensure that children hear different vocabulary 

from a range of themes that they wouldn’t necessarily hear in day-to-day life. 

Listening & concentration 

At first, when reading to children they may want to fidget, turn pages before you have finished reading them or even swap 

books every 5 seconds! However, by consistently having storytime, they will develop their ability to concentrate and to sit still 

for longer periods of time. 

Self-awareness 

Self-awareness is one of the most important traits a person can have. The ability to understand yourself, your place in the 

world and how you impact and react to others can shape your path, your relationships and your general happiness. Stories 

allow children to gain an understanding of different concepts and relate them to their own life and behaviour. As well as 

reading to children, it is important to spend time talking about different characters and scenes in the book. This allows them 

to process information and gain an understanding of their own thoughts, feelings and actions. 

Imagination & empathy 

Storybooks are an amazing way to develop imagination and empathy because they allow children to transport themselves 

into another world or situation and to identify with concepts that are not necessarily a part of their own reality. Asking 

children to guess what happens next, what a character is doing or how they think they might be feeling can help to develop 

these two important qualities. A child will only ever achieve what their mind allows them to visualise first, which is why 

developing imagination is crucial. The ability to empathise with others will also impact their relationships and will help them 

to be kinder to others, which will also take them far in life. 

Reading for success 

Reading to children from early infancy contributes to how well they perform in 

school. Studies show that when children are read to, certain parts of the brain 

are affected and this has a lasting impact on language, literacy and early 

reading skills. 

Attachment and bonding 

One of the most important things you can give to children is your time. Reading 

stories together gives you a great opportunity to spend one-on-one time on a 

regular basis. Not only reading the story but also talking about the characters 

and truly listening to what children have to say will have a big impact. Not only 

will it make children feel valued, which will build self-esteem, but it will also 

strengthen your bond, which will give them a sense of safety and security. 

As you can see there are so many reasons that storytime is important in a child’s 

development. We all want to give children the best start in life and by simply reading 

to them every day we can help to create a strong foundation for their future. Who 

wouldn’t want to give children the gift of knowledge, empathy, self-awareness and 

self-esteem? A simple story a day can do just that! 

Stacey Kelly 

Stacey Kelly is a former 

teacher, a parent to 2 

beautiful babies and the 

founder of Early Years Story 

Box, which is a subscription 

website providing children’s 

storybooks and early years 

resources. She is passionate 

about building children’s 

imagination, creativity and 

self-belief and about creating 

awareness of the impact 

that the early years have 

on a child’s future. Stacey 

loves her role as a writer, 

illustrator and public speaker 

and believes in the power of 

personal development. She is 

also on a mission to empower 

children to live a life full of 

happiness and fulfillment, 

which is why she launched 

the #ThankYouOaky Gratitude 

Movement. 

Sign up to Stacey’s Premium 

Membership here and use the 

code PARENTA20 to get 20% 

off or contact Stacey for an 

online demo. 

Email: 

stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/ 

earlyyearsstorybox 

Twitter: 

twitter.com/eystorybox 

Instagram: 

instagram.com/ 

earlyyearsstorybox 

LinkedIn: 

linkedin.com/in/stacey-kellya84534b2/ 


What our customers say 

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY 

NURSERY 

SOFTWARE & TRAINING OCTOBER 2018 

We have used the Parenta software for a few years now and love using it. Yes like any system it will not do everything that you want, 

however, email the team your suggestions and they will put it forward to the tech guys and programmers to see if it possible to 

add. I love working with the team, making suggestions, learning what the system does. The team really do listen to what you want 

and are willing to help. Goodness knows how many times I have rung them for advice, and they always happy to assist (even when 

I’m the problem!) The services that Parenta offer are amazing from, producing an amazing magazine (of which I have only recently discovered) 

and it is full of valuable information, ideas, awards, news, and involving practitioners to have their say too. My staff find the system easy to use, 

reducing paperwork and freeing up time to really be involved with the children. Parents say they look forward to their daily emails, as they are 

clearly set up, easy to read and fun. 

We also use Parenta for our training and again I cannot fault the high-quality service and support they 

provide. We have been luckily enough to have the same assessor (Emma) which is important to my team 

as she really understands the different learning styles everyone has and she seamlessly adapts her 

training to support individuals. 

This is a team that really care from the cleaners to the CEO's of the company, they work together 

to provide a professional and well delivered services of which I cannot fault. I love working 

with them, they embrace change and challenges and really do make the time to build on 

relationships with their clients. I know it sounds like I am on a commission 

to say nice things, but this is genuine, I really do not have anything 

negative to say. Enough grovelling, try the system for yourselves. 

Linda Innes - St John’s Nursery Group 

PROFESSIONAL 

SUPPORT 

WEBSITE DESIGN 

Think of it like this – a nursery website is like having your very own 

marketing team working on promoting your setting 24 hours a day, 

7 days a week, 365 days a year…need we say any more?! 

We are childcare specialists 

We know the requirements of Ofsted 

We understand what will get parents to engage with you 

SOFTWARE & TRAINING SEPTEMBER 2018 

Our nursery has been supported by Parenta’s software and now 

Parenta’s apprenticeship training since we began, 3 years ago. Your 

services have been invaluable in helping us build our wonderful nursery. 

We are now fully occupied (and have been for some time) with a waiting list for every 

age group! Our nursery has a distinctive ethos, putting children’s individual 

needs at our heart. We believe in natural resources, following children’s own 

interests to help them reach their own learning potential 

as well as giving them plenty of outdoor time in our all 

weather, astro-turf garden. 

Chris Ford - Little Adventurers Nursery 

TRAINING OCTOBER 2018 

Our Assessor, Heather Gamble, was really supportive 

& encouraging. Always at the end of 

the phone when needed for a query 

or assistance. Really lovely lady. 

Jane Tuffrey - Zoe Evans Childcare Ltd 

TRAINING SEPTEMBER 2018 

Thank you Holly you really are a 

lovely person and I’m glad you 

are my tutor! 

Amanda Smith - St Peter’s Nursery 

FILL PLACES 

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34 Parenta.com November 2018 35 

parenta.com/websites

Creating 

environments that 

develop potential 

and the ideas of 

Reuven Feuerstein 

I was first introduced to the theoretical work of 

Reuven Feuerstein by my friend and mentor the 

late Professor Bob Burden when I trained as an 

educational psychologist at the University of Exeter. At 

the time, I thought Feuerstein’s ideas were wonderful 

and they changed the way I came to think about 

children’s development, especially how they learn. 

In the following article, which explores Feuerstein’s 

emphasis on developing children’s potential, I would 

like to acknowledge the help of Martine Burke, Lead 

Practitioner of an outstanding nursery in Bristol. I 

invited Martine to offer an example of an aspect of the 

nursery’s work with children that could illustrate how 

a creative use of the children’s environment could be 

used to develop their potential, which is a central idea, 

at the heart of Feuerstein’s theory. Martine came up 

with a wonderful example where the children at her 

nursery were engaging in activities out of doors (see 

example below). 

Who is Reuven Feuerstein? 

Reuven Feuerstein was born 

in Botosani, Romania in 1921 

and following the end of 

World War II, he worked with 

children who had survived the 

Holocaust. This experience 

was to shape his own thinking 

about how children think and 

learn. Feuerstein observed 

how these children, when 

initially assessed using 

standardised intelligence 

(IQ) did not perform well 

but when he worked with 

them on an individual basis, 

they performed far better 

than their test scores had 

suggested; more importantly, 

he found that their intellectual 

performance greatly improved. 

This led Reuven to look more 

closely at how these children 

learned and to question if, in 

fact, their intellectual abilities 

were fixed from birth. He 

then began to explore how 

children’s thinking skills could 

be developed and improved 

so that they could be helped to 

reach their potential. 

Feuerstein’s ideas 

Feuerstein suggested that 

practitioners should believe 

that a child’s potential for 

learning ought to have almost 

no limits. He also suggested 

that artificial barriers prevent 

change in how children learn 

and realise their potential. 

Reuven also proposed that 

all children, no matter what 

their degree of difficulty can, 

with the appropriate level of 

support, become effective 

learners. By adopting such a 

belief system, practitioners, 

he argued, can then be freed 

from the type of restricted 

thinking that might limit 

their vision of what could be 

possible for them to achieve 

with every child. 

Reuven argued that a central 

feature in children’s intellectual 

learning is, learning how 

to learn and he called this 

process the ‘Mediated 

Learning Experience’ where 

adults working with children 

ensure that the children 

understand what is being 

asked of them when they 

engage in a new activity. 

Practitioners, therefore, 

should take great care when 

explaining to children why they 

are being asked to engage 

in a particular activity and 

that they understand that 

the activity has real value as 

opposed to being something 

that will occupy them for a 

time. A particular strength 

of Feuerstein’s theory is that 

it places children’s potential 

for learning at the very 

heart of their activities with 

adults. By emphasising the 

distinction between ‘ability’ 

and ‘potential’, Feuerstein 

recognised the importance 

of adults creating learning 

environments where children 

can realise their potential. 

The following example 

shows how practitioners at 

an outstanding early years 

setting have been using the 

outdoors environment to 

support children in realising 

their potential: 

Example 

When thinking about the 

outdoor environment at 

our setting we value the 

importance of creating 

opportunities for the children 

to explore using a wide range 

of resources; the children like 

to use their imagination with 

chosen resources. We are 

very fortunate to have access 

to a small courtyard garden 

area which the youngest of 

children can freely access 

and which I feel is very 

important as they then have 

opportunities to make choices 

themselves safely, and to 

venture off and explore under 

supervision. Practitioners 

set up activities that include 

mark-making, sand and water, 

and construction, as well 

as allowing the children to 

transport resources of choice 

from their room to the outside 

to extend and support their 

play further. We also have 

a bigger garden area which 

has plenty of spaces for riding 

bikes and scooters, climbing 

trees, and playing hide and 

seek games, as well as having 

a range of natural resources 

with which to explore. The 

children respond very well to 

this type of environment and 

like to use their imagination 

and importantly, their thinking 

skills, as well as physical skills, 

all of which works to develop 

their individual potential. 

Recently, I observed one group 

of children for a short time 

when they were using tyres to 

roll, push and move around 

the garden. The children were 

working well together, showing 

good levels of involvement 

as well as problem-solving 

skills. Practitioners were 

carefully supporting their play 

by providing more resources 

and allowing the children to 

take a lead with their play. As 

a setting, we have reflected 

upon our resources and I 

have discussed with my team 

the importance of ensuring 

that the small garden area 

has more problem-solving 

opportunities even for the 

youngest of the children. We 

have decided to make regular 

visits to the local ‘Scrapstore’ 

and create a space where 

loose parts can be kept 

outside for the children to have 

access to. 

This example illustrates the 

importance of those ideas 

that underpin Feuerstein’s 

theory, which emphasises the 

importance of adults creating 

meaningful environments 

for young children that give 

them opportunities, under 

supervision, to develop their 

individual potential. 

Prof Sean MacBlain 

Professor Sean MacBlain 

PhD, C. Psychol., C. Sci., 

FRSM, FHEA, AMBDA is 

a distinguished author 

whose most recent 

publication is: MacBlain 

(Sage, 2018) Learning 

Theories for Early Years 

Practice. Other publications 

include: MacBlain (Sage, 

2014) How Children Learn; 

Gray and MacBlain (Sage, 

2015) Learning Theories in 

Childhood, now going into 

its 3rd edition; MacBlain, 

Long and Dunn, (Sage, 

2015) Dyslexia, Literacy and 

Inclusion: Child-centred 

Perspectives; MacBlain, 

Dunn and Luke (Sage, 2017) 

Contemporary Childhood; 

Sean’s publications are used 

by students, academics and 

practitioners worldwide. 

He is currently a senior 

academic at Plymouth 

Marjon University where 

he teaches on a range of 

undergraduate programmes 

and supervises students at 

masters and doctoral level. 

Sean worked previously as a 

Senior Lecturer in Education 

and Developmental 

Psychology at Stranmillis 

University College, Queens 

University Belfast and for 

over twenty years as an 

educational psychologist 

in private practice. Sean 

lives with his wife Angela in 

Somerset, England. 

For further information on creating environments that develop 

potential in the early years, see the following link to Sean’s latest 

book: MacBlain, S.F. (2018) Learning Theories for Early Years 

Practice. London: Sage: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/ 

learning-theories-for-early-years-practice/book259408 


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Goldcrest Day Nursery Billericay Essex CM11 2HQ 

Little Faces Childcare Chelmsford Essex CM2 8HR 

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