Parenta Magazine April 2020

Issue 65 

APRIL 2020 

FREE 

Industry 

Experts 

10 benefits of 

outdoor learning 

How to help children 

understand time 

Talking about difference: 

Profound disability 

+ lots more 

Write for us 

for a chance to win 

£50 

page 31 

The benefits of animals for 

children’s development 

Scientifically-researched benefits, anecdotal reports, and scientific 

studies confirming some measurable benefits in children. 

AVOID SPREADING DISEASE • STRESS AWARENESS MONTH • MOTHER EARTH DAY • CRAFTS

Difference 

Joanna Grace’s second 

article: Talking about 

difference. This time she 

talks about profound 

disability. 

hello 

welcome to our family 

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

April is the month where we would normally be starting to enjoy the lighter evenings that we’ve been waiting so long for, 

going for walks with friends and family; and generally beginning to feel more sociable … and even, looking forward to 

the summer! 

Of course, normality doesn’t really exist for us at the moment, and although we know that our lives have been turned 

upside down only temporarily, the effects on us personally and for our businesses, will almost certainly be longer term. 

Not losing sight of that fact that we are trying our utmost to deal with a global health crisis, we would still like to bring you 

a magazine full of articles that, although may not feel completely relevant right now, at least will help you look ahead to brighter 

times when we will all be able to do the things that, up until very recently, we took for granted. 

So, for this month, we bring you some ideas for when we are able to enjoy being outdoors with the children. Industry expert Tanith Carey 

shares her wealth of knowledge and helps us to help our children understand the concept of time. We explore the variety of ways we can 

involve parents with their children’s learning which, now more than ever, is proving incredibly important; and look at some wonderful, heartwarming 

ways that animals can help with children’s development. 

Whilst you’re scanning the internet for news and advice about how the current crisis is affecting the industry, check out the Facebook page of 

Champagne Nurseries on Lemonade Funding (CNLF) - a campaign group for the early years sector, which is packed with guidance and sector 

opinions. 

Joanna Grace is guest author of the month for February. Her article “Neurotypical narratives” draws on her own experience and asks if 

neurotypical paradigms are damaging people on the autistic spectrum. 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 a £50 voucher! 

All the news stories, advice, and craft activities in your free Parenta magazine have been written to help you with the efficient running of your 

setting and to promote the health, happiness and wellbeing of the children in your care. Please feel free to share with friends, parents and 

colleagues. 

We hope that April is a month that shines some sunshine on our cloudy days. 

Please stay safe everyone, 

Allan 

12 

APRIL 2020 ISSUE 65 

IN THIS EDITION 

Regulars 

26 International Mother Earth Day 

31 Guest author winner announced 

31 Write for us for a chance to win £50! 

32 The Big Pedal 

34 Apple doughnuts 

35 Mother Earth terrarium 

News 

4 Early years news & views 

5 Covid-19, the latest developments all in one 

place 

7 Standards are here 

Advice 

6 How to discuss the Coronavirus 

8 Electronic devices & online safety 

14 How our inner child affects us (as parents, 

practitioners & teachers) 

22 How to avoid spreading disease in your setting 

24 The importance of immunisation in fighting 

disease 

28 How to involve parents with children’s learning 

38 Take yourself from ‘distress’ to 

‘de-stress’ during stress awareness month 

Industry Experts 

10 Opening gateways - The role of the adult 

engaging in sustained shared thinking 

10 benefits of outdoor learning 16 

The importance of immunisation to fight disease 24 

The benefits of animals for childrens development 36 

Gateways 

Tamsin Grimmer 

discusses ‘Opening 

gateways. The role of 

the adult engaging 

in sustained shared 

thinking. 

10 

Understanding time 

Tanith Carey explains how to help 

children develop their concept of time 

up to the age of seven. 

20 

12 Talking about difference: Profound disability 

16 10 Benefits of outdoor Learning. 

18 The benefits of storytelling in music 

20 How to help young children understand time 

36 The benefits of animals for children’s 

development 

The benefits of storytelling in music 18

Early years news & views 

Early years 

news & views 

Education Secretary thanks our 

schools for their “incredible 

resilience and flexibility” 

Education secretary, Gavin Williamson, 

has written to schools to thank them 

for the “incredible resilience and 

flexibility they have shown in the face 

of unprecedented challenges” and asks 

them to go to exceptional lengths in the 

fight against coronavirus. 

The letter comes amid criticism from 

school leaders that the Government 

isn’t doing enough to keep them safe 

but states that schools are “central to 

this country’s fight against coronavirus”. 

Here is the transcript of the letter 

in full which he has also posted on 

Twitter: 

“Over recent days, the government 

has taken steps that are simply 

unprecedented in the history of this 

country. The decision to close all 

schools, except to a minority of pupils, 

is an essential part of our fight against 

the spread of Covid-19. 

“I have enormous appreciation for 

the work you do every single day and 

recognise that, with these extraordinary 

measures, I am asking you to go 

to exceptional lengths to rise to the 

challenge we face. 

“The weeks and months ahead will 

undoubtedly be testing for everyone. 

As we move further into uncharted 

waters, I wanted to express my deepest 

gratitude for the absolutely vital service 

that you are providing for our children, 

young people and communities. 

“By maintaining school provision for 

those who need it most, leaders of 

our schools and colleges – and your 

staff – rightly take their place next to 

our NHS staff and other critical workers 

as central to our country’s efforts in 

battling this virus. 

“Thank you for stepping up to this 

challenge with such dedication and 

determination. I know that you have 

moved quickly to implement last week’s 

announcement. Over the last few days, 

I have heard extraordinary examples 

of school leaders and teachers 

responding with flexibility, pragmatism 

and creativity – demonstrating true civic 

spirit in unparalleled circumstances. 

“Thanks to you, and particularly those 

of you working in our special schools, 

our most vulnerable children and young 

people will still have the support, care 

and constancy of school environments if 

they need it. 

“You are also the reason critical workers 

across the country can continue to 

deliver the crucial frontline services 

that are central to our national effort to 

tackle Covid-19. 

“I know this will be a difficult time. I’m 

aware that the challenge of delivering 

these measures sits alongside 

considerations about your own health 

and that of your families. 

“I recognise that you will also be 

anxious about the wellbeing of your 

staff and about the longer-term impact 

of this crisis on the children and young 

people you care for and educate every 

single day. 

“We have published initial guidance 

on how best to keep your staff and 

students safe, and will continue to work 

with the sector to answer you concerns. 

I will do everything in my power to 

support you. 

“On behalf of the Prime Minster and 

the entire Government, thank you once 

again for all your hard work.” 

Gavin Williamson 

• Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) 

cases and risk level in the UK. 

This information is updated daily. 

• Guidance for schools and other 

educational settings in providing 

advice about the novel coronavirus, 

COVID-19. 

• Implementing social distancing in 

education and childcare settings. 

Covid-19, the latest 

developments 

all in one 

all 

place 

in one place 

• Information for parents and carers 

about the closure of schools and other 

educational settings following the 

outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Covid-19 

the latest developments... 

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news from the Government’s 

general guidance, advice from the Department for Education 

and also from Ofsted. 

Here are all the handy links you need, all in one place. 

• Department for Education Coronavirus 

helpline. The Department for Education 

has launched a new helpline for early 

years providers, schools and colleges 

– as well as parents, carers and young 

people – who have questions about 

coronavirus. 

If you have specific questions about 

the virus, you can contact the helpline 

on: Call: 0800 046 8687 

Email: dfe.coronavirushelpline@ 

education.gov.uk 

• Information about routine Ofsted 

inspections suspended in response to 

coronavirus can be found here. 

FACEBOOK 

You can find a huge amount of really 

useful information and can request 

and offer help too on this official NHS 

Coronavirus Facebook page here: 

4 April 2020 | parenta.com 

parenta.com | April 2020 5

How to How discuss to discuss the Coronavirus 

coronavirus with children 

in your setting 

Possibly one of the most common new words in our daily vocabulary; the 

children in your setting cannot fail to have heard the word coronavirus, 

both at home and within your setting. 

We want to help you prepare because 

Standards are here 

Apprenticeship 

Standards are here 

We want to help you get ready to plan ahead – because Apprenticeship 

Standards are here. To secure funding to train your staff or even 

to recruit a new apprentice, you need what’s called a ‘Government 

Gateway Apprenticeship Account’ to be able to request funds to pay 

for your training requirements. 

Set up your Government Gateway Account without delay! Follow our simple 

steps here which will help you through the process. 

Why are Standards replacing 

Framework? 

• Standards are replacing 

Framework across all 

apprenticeships which is a 

requirement from both ESFA and 

Ofsted and affects all training 

providers. 

When deciding how to tackle the 

subject, one of the most important 

things is to talk about it naturally and 

try not to make a really big thing of 

it. Talk about why some people might 

need to stay away from others and why 

“nursery might need to have an extra 

holiday for a while”... If things escalate, 

be prepared to have conversations 

with children around death and 

bereavement; but at this stage, children 

need adults to be supportive, honest 

and explain things in a simple way that 

reassures and doesn’t panic them. 

Industry expert, Tamsin Grimmer 

shares her top tips for talking to the 

children about the virus: 

Have an ethos of permission within 

the setting so that if children want to 

talk about the virus they are welcome 

to, whilst remaining sensitive to any 

children who find it upsetting. 

• Use this virus as an opportunity to 

reinforce the importance of hygiene, 

e.g. handwashing. 

• Make handwashing into a fun game 

- there are now some online videos 

to help with this, new songs to sing 

etc. 

• Engage in socio-dramatic play in 

which children role-play events from 

their lives. 

• Read stories and books which 

include illness and hygiene 

practices... (e.g. “I don’t want to 

wash my hands” by Tony Ross, 

“Germs are Not for Sharing” (Board 

book) by Elizabeth Verdick and Why 

Must I Wash My Hands? by Jackie 

Gaff). 

• Storytelling – making up stories in 

which a character gets poorly, or 

sneezes etc... 

Provide opportunities for children 

to make up their own stories (e.g. 

helicopter stories). 

• Use puppets and role play to 

prompt discussion. 

• Answer any questions about the 

coronavirus as honestly as possible 

….remembering that it’s OK to say, 

“I don’t know!” 

• Use correct language with the 

children, e.g. virus. 

• Explain that most children do not 

get very poorly but some people 

who have other illnesses or people 

who are very old, might find it 

harder to get better. 

• Try not to hype up the issue - some 

children will be hearing very scary 

stories at home, so be a calm 

reassuring presence. 

• Don’t talk about it to other adults 

over the children’s heads - they will 

pick up on anxiety or worries. 

• Go to HMRC’s website here: 

bit.ly/37IuVYF 

• Click the GREEN sign-in 

button 

• Click “Create sign-in details” 

• Enter your email address 

where asked 

• You will now be emailed a 

confirmation code. Use this 

code to confirm your email 

address 

• You will now be issued with a 

User ID for your Government 

Gateway account 

• Please save this and keep 

it somewhere safe because 

losing it can create a lot of 

work in the future 

Once you receive your 

Government Gateway ID, please 

create an account to manage 

your apprenticeships 

You’ll use your account to: 

• Get apprenticeship funding 

• Find and save 

apprenticeships 

• Find, save and manage 

training providers 

• Recruit apprentices 

• Add and manage 

apprenticeships 

Set up your Government Gateway 

Apprenticeship Account here: bit. 

ly/32fYHmm 

Please don’t hesitate to contact our training team via email if 

you have any questions at all: trainingadmin@parenta.com 

• The main purpose is to place 

greater emphasis on the teaching 

and learning (T&L) time between 

apprentice and tutor and to involve 

the employer in a greater capacity. 

What are the key differences 

between Standards and Framework? 

• The employer is more involved 

in the learning plan of their 

apprentice. 

• The key focus is based around 

skills, knowledge and behaviours 

(SKB) of an apprentice, which 

they acquire throughout their 

apprenticeship. 

• The entire learning plan is set out 

to prepare apprentices for their 

End Point Assessment (EPA). 

• Course duration will increase 

to potentially 18 months, which 

includes a 3 month allocation for 

(EPA) End Point Assessment. 

• The EPA includes a knowledge 

test as well as a professional 

discussion underpinned by the 

learner’s portfolio. 



Electronic devices 

& online safety 

in the early years 

Electronic devices & online 

safety 

Back in 2010, when iPads and other comparable tablets first appeared, their 

potential to change the way children were educated was revolutionary. 

What made them so attractive 

was that they had three 

noticeable features which 

had the potential to make 

a positive difference to 

education: 

• They are portable and 

lightweight 

• They eliminate the need for 

separate input devices (such 

as having an extra mouse or 

keyboard) 

• They are designed to house 

large numbers of applications, 

many of which are designed 

specifically for children. 

Unlike previous technologies, 

electronic devices give the user the 

opportunity to create their own content, 

simultaneously using texts, pictures 

and sounds, to create dynamic and 

engaging learning environments. 

It’s common practice now that schools 

and colleges are using the latest 

technology, to improve teaching and 

make lessons more interactive and 

engaging. That extends to the early 

years sector, too. 

Victoria Short, managing 

director of Randstad Public 

Services, who have, over the 

years, conducted research 

into the use of technology in 

early years education, said: 

“Teaching tools have 

come a long way since 

the days teachers used to 

write on chalkboards and 

present using an overhead 

projector”. 

“The introduction of the 

use of electronic devices 

into early education has 

facilitated the social 

aspect of the classroom. 

An article found in The 

International Journal of 

Education in Mathematics, 

Science and Technology 

states 

‘…using electronic devices 

like the iPad frequently 

becomes a social activity 

for young children as 

they often talk and work 

together while using 

the tool. It is possible 

that the mobility of the 

iPad contributes to the 

socialisation that takes 

place, because children 

can see the screens of 

other children easily 

and can manipulate the 

touchscreen in groups’.” 

Clearly, electronic devices can be 

used as great learning tools in early 

years. But how can we ensure the 

safe use of such devices? 

• In this case, prevention really is 

better than cure. It is important to 

talk to children about potential online 

dangers and how they can stay safe 

online. 

• Educating children so they feel 

comfortable alerting an adult when 

something unusual happens. For 

example, do they know how to deal 

with an unexpected pop-up? In this 

instance, the child should tell an 

adult who can remove it and should 

never click on it. 

• It is imperative these rules are 

reminded regularly and are in place 

to keep them safe, as children are 

naturally inquisitive. 

• Displaying posters around your 

setting about online safety can act 

as a visual reminder, but early years 

providers should ensure they verbally 

remind children on a regular basis. 

• Parents should always be aware of 

what children are doing/accessing 

online. Social networking, chat rooms 

and unsuitable websites should be 

off limits and specialist software 

should be installed to ensure children 

are blocked access to inappropriate 

sites. Start by setting boundaries 

around online use. For example, time 

limits on how long they can use an 

internet-enabled device each day. 

Download a child-friendly browser 

like Kiddle and ensure children only 

have access to apps or online games 

you have authorised. 

• Boundaries should be consistent, so 

share these with anyone, such as 

friends and family who look after or 

spend time with your child. 

Learning through technology, although 

growing, is just one small part of a 

child’s early years education. When 

used alongside a varied curriculum, 

technology can complement a child’s 

development. Technology must be 

used safely; both early years providers 

and parents must protect children by 

educating them on potential online 

dangers. 



Opening gateways 

The role of the adult engaging 

in sustained shared thinking 

“Sustained Shared Thinking” (SST) is a 

term describing effective interactions 

that arose from two influential UK 

research projects back in the early 

noughties: The Effective Pre-school 

and Primary Education (EPPE) and 

the Researching Effective Pedagogy 

in the Early Years (REPEY) projects. 

Both projects define sustained shared 

thinking as “where two or more 

individuals ‘work together’ in an 

intellectual way to solve a problem, 

clarify a concept, evaluate activities, 

or extend a narrative.” 

So what does this look like in practice? It’s 

when adults and children think together or 

ask questions about why things happen 

the way they do, or how things work. 

For example, when Zenya asks you why 

• Reciprocating 

Opening gateways 

sensitively with children or interfering 

- The 

in 

role • Asking open of questions the 

their play. Clearly we want it to be the 

• Modelling thinking 

former. She also talks about how adults 

can continue the learning momentum for 

adult engaging sustained shared 

children, through the way we interact. 

(Siraj-Blatchford, 2005) 

thinking 

the rain is wet or when Harry begins 

investigating how the internet works. 

Sustained shared thinking happens when 

your key group decide to tell their own 

story at home time and make up the 

characters, setting and whole narrative, 

with only a few prompts from you. It’s also 

when you pose ‘I wonder...’ or ‘What if…’ 

questions and when one of your children 

decides to ‘teach’ another how to make a 

car out of blocks. 

Sustained Shared Thinking may be a fairly 

new term, having only been around for 

under twenty years, but sustained shared 

thinking is, in my view, not a new concept! 

Children have always questioned things 

and investigated the world, and educators 

have always enabled children to come to 

their own conclusions, or prompted them 

to think again about certain concepts 

to clarify or correct misconceptions. We 

could talk about scaffolding children or 

supporting them in the zone of proximal 

development, but perhaps it is easier to 

think about engaging with children and 

responding sensitively. 

So our role as the adult is to tune in to 

the child, listen to them and respond 

appropriately. We need to be interested 

in what the children are exploring or 

engaging with and notice how they are 

interacting. The best way to do this is to 

literally get down onto our hands and 

knees and become engrossed ourselves! 

To not just play alongside, but instead be 

a co-player, someone who can offer ideas 

in leading the play, but also someone who 

can be led by the children. 

We must remain sensitive however, of not 

hijacking the children’s play, or always 

trying to extend and challenge children’s 

thinking. Yes, this is part of our role, but 

not all of the time and certainly not in a 

forced way. Julie Fisher challenges us to 

think about whether we are interacting 

A metaphor that I have found useful, is 

the idea that our role as educator is “to 

open gateways to new understandings for 

children as they participate in the world 

around them” (Anning and Edwards, 

2006). I love the imagery of this: opening 

gateways is a gentle way of showing 

children possibilities. A gateway can act as 

a doorway into new and exciting learning 

opportunities or even as a way of seeing 

the bigger picture, but an open gateway 

is an invitation. Children can choose to go 

through or not. 

So let’s engage in sustained shared 

thinking with our children and open 

gateways to possibilities that they have 

never even dreamed of. 

How adults can engage in 

sustained shared thinking 

interactions: 

• Tuning in 

• Showing interest 

• Elaborating 

• Recapping 

• Offering own experience 

• Clarifying ideas 

• Suggesting 

• Reminding 

• Encouraging 

• Offering an alternative viewpoint 

• Speculating 

Continuing the learning 

momentum: 

• Commenting 

• Pondering 

• Imagining 

• Connecting 

• Thinking aloud 

• Talking about feelings 

• Reflecting back to children 

• Supporting the child to make 

choices and decisions 

• Explaining and informing 

• Posing problems 

• Staying quiet 

(Fisher, 2016) 

Tamsin Grimmer 

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.com 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyears. 

consultancy.5 

Twitter: 

@tamsingrimmer 

Email: 

info@tamsingrimmer.co.uk 

References 

Siraj-Blatchford, I. and Taggart, B. (Eds) (2010). Early childhood matters evidence from 

the Effective Pre-school and Primary Education project. Abingdon, United Kingdom: 

Routledge. P. 157 

Anning, A. & Edwards, A. (2006) Promoting Children’s Learning from Birth to Five 

Maidenhead: Open University Press 

Fisher, J. (2016) Interacting or Interfering? Improving interactions in the early years. 

Maidenhead: Open University Press 




profound disability 

In our settings, we explore many differences with the children we support: we talk 

about the changing seasons, we explore different cultures and ethnicities, we celebrate 

festivals and we talk about growing up and growing old. 


Profound disability 

This is my second article in a series 

of four, talking about difference 

through the lenses of disability, 

neurodivergence and social and 

emotional wellbeing. Difference 

is always immediately relevant to 

children, because all children are 

different. When we learn to recognise 

and understand difference in others, 

we are better equipped to recognise 

and understand our own differences. 

Teach children to embrace difference, 

and you teach them to embrace 

themselves. 

My first article talked about children 

with Down’s syndrome. It is very 

likely that the children in your setting 

have, or will, encounter someone with 

Down’s syndrome. In this article, I am 

going to be talking about children 

who have profound and multiple 

learning disabilities. It is much less 

likely that the children in your setting 

have encountered someone with a 

profound physical disability, but it is 

no less important to talk about them. 

Difference is a part of life; a very wonderful part. 

The reason the children in your setting 

are unlikely to have met someone 

with a profound and multiple learning 

disability is because they lead hidden 

lives. A long time ago these people 

would have been locked away from 

society in institutions on the outskirts 

of town. Today, the institutions have 

closed but we do little better than 

before. Take toilets for example: 

Imagine if I suggested to you that you 

take the children in your setting out to 

a place that had no toilets? You would 

be unlikely to go. Very unlikely! 

Children with profound and multiple 

learning disabilities cannot use 

disabled toilets, they need a 

Changing Places toilet – this has a 

large changing bed and a hoist to 

lift the person onto the bed. Over a 

quarter of a million people in the UK 

need a Changing Places toilet, but 

they remain few and far between, 

even hospitals do not have them! 

Consequently, the families of people 

with profound disabilities are less 

able to get out and about. We may 

think of these lives as being very far 

removed from our own, but a twist of 

fate, and they could become ours. We 

are not so far away from their reality. 

Imagine being the parent of a child 

with profound and multiple learning 

disabilities and taking them to the 

supermarket. Imagine all the logistics 

this would entail, how much harder 

it would be than your regular trip to 

the supermarket. Now imagine that 

when you get there, people stare at 

you, parents pull their children away 

from your child, children make faces 

of disgust at your child. 

This rejection of your child is by no 

means the biggest burden that you 

have faced, but you are braced for 

the big attacks and are ill prepared 

for the small ones. It is the straw that 

breaks the camel’s back, not the load 

it was already carrying. 

Preventing that hurt is simple, 

because it comes about through a 

lack of understanding. People stare 

because they want to learn more. 

Parents pull their children away 

because they understand staring is 

rude (but in that pull is the message 

that the other child is something bad). 

Children make faces because they do 

not know what they are looking at. 

Once people understand (adults and 

children) they will respond to people 

with profound disabilities in much the 

same way as they respond to anyone 

else. 

As we did with children with Down’s 

Syndrome show the children in your 

setting some pictures of children with 

profound disabilities and ask them 

to describe what they see. Accept 

answers about clothes and hair 

colour, etc. in the same way that you 

accept answers about twisted limbs 

and mobility equipment. Help them to 

shape their answers so that they are 

factual not judgemental, e.g. if a child 

says “Her legs are wrong,” shape this 

to “Her legs look small, or twisted, or 

have a support on the outside.” They 

are not wrong, they are different. 

My own son is five. He has been 

helping me with my work with 

children with profound disabilities 

since he was 18 months old. He talks 

about them as “my friends whose 

bodies do not work properly.” He is 

fascinated by their differences, not 

afraid of them. I am always clear with 

him about what his friend’s bodies 

can and cannot do, and what they are 

interested in. Together we find ways 

they can play together and everyone 

has a lot of fun. 

Engaging children’s curiosity and 

wonder is a great way to approach 

differences that are too complex 

for them to fully understand yet. I 

write sensory stories for children 

with profound and multiple learning 

disabilities: these are concise 

narratives in which each sentence 

is partnered by a rich and relevant 

sensory experience. Sharing a 

sensory story can be a fun way to 

explore how someone with a complex 

disability might learn and have fun. 

Explain to the children that the 

children with profound disabilities 

they have seen pictures of, often 

have sensory impairments as well as 

mobility impairments. Ask them, “If 

you couldn’t see a picture, how could 

I show you what was happening in a 

story?” See if someone says “make a 

noise” or “touch something”. Share a 

sensory story to gain an insight into 

how much fun it can be to learn in a 

different way. 

End by asking the children if they 

would be interested in getting to 

know someone who had a profound 

disability. What might they do if 

they met someone with a complex 

disability when they were out and 

about? Teach them to smile and say 

hello. When you do this, you turn 

the straws that break the camel’s 

back into lifelines of hope for a more 

inclusive, friendly world. 

For more information about Changing 

Places see www.changing-places.org 

For more information about Sensory 

Stories see www.thesensoryprojects. 

co.uk For more information about 

people with profound and multiple 

learning disabilities go to 

www.PMLDlink.org.uk 

“ 

Sharing a sensory story can be a fun 

way to explore how someone with a complex 

disability might learn and have fun. 

” 

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 

neurodivergent conditions and 

time spent as a registered 

foster carer for children with 

profound disabilities. 

Joanna has published four 

practitioner books: “Multiple 

Multisensory Rooms: Myth 

Busting the Magic”, “Sensory 

Stories for Children and Teens”, 

“Sensory-Being for Sensory 

Beings” and “Sharing Sensory 

Stories and Conversations with 

People with Dementia” and 

two inclusive sensory story 

children’s books: “Voyage to 

Arghan” and “Ernest and I”. 

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 



How our inner child 

affects us 

(as parents, practitioners & teachers) 

I talk a lot about early childhood programming and how a child’s consistent 

experiences form subconscious belief systems that then silently guide them 

throughout life. There’s always a big focus on how our actions as parents, 

practitioners and teachers impact children, but what about our own childhood 

programming and how that is now impacting us? 

We are all walking around, looking at the 

world through a lens that is influenced 

by the internal programming we received 

in our formative years and in order to be 

the best that we can be, both personally 

and professionally, it is important to 

understand this programming and how it completely subconscious. This means that 

How our inner child affects us (as 

affects us on a daily basis. 

most of the time we are on autopilot with 

our subconscious mind in the driving seat. 

How we consistently felt as children, the 

parents, messages that were given to us practitioners by the & teachers) 

One of its main jobs is also to keep us 

‘safe’. Now, safe to you and me would be 

actions and words of those around us 

and any major incidents that we went 

through will have likely created beliefs 

within us that now subconsciously impact 

our actions, reactions and decisions. If we 

grew up feeling valued and empowered, 

there’s a good chance that we will look 

at the world through a lens influenced 

by this belief and feel (more often than 

not) this way. However, if we grew up 

feeling like we weren’t good enough or 

unimportant, we will most likely view the 

world and ourselves in the same light or 

find ourselves in situations that reaffirm 

this belief. 

Example 

I always give the example of two people 

seeing a larger than life character who 

is dominating the room. One person 

might think they are inspirational and 

admire how they are commanding their 

audience. However, the other person 

might think they are ‘too big for their 

boots’ and be convinced that they were 

looking down their nose at them. 

Both people entered the same 

room but viewed it through a 

completely different lens. This is 

because each and every one of us has 

our own set of beliefs that almost put a 

filter over how we see the world. 

Neuroscientists have done studies 

showing that up to 95% of what we do is 

to make good decisions, to react well and 

to surround ourselves with good people. 

However, ‘safe’ to our subconscious mind 

means keeping us in alignment with 

our beliefs no matter if they are good or 

bad. If we have a belief that we are ‘not 

good enough’, it is more than likely that 

the world around us will reflect this. We 

might be surrounded by critical people or 

feel that others look down their nose at 

us. Either way, what we experience will 

probably link to this belief in some way, 

shape or form because that is what we 

are programmed to see or feel. 

Although what we experience is our 

truth, it is also important to realise that 

it is not necessarily the actual truth or 

the truth of others because we are all 

seeing the world through our own unique 

lens. It’s like one person saying that 5 + 

5 = 10 and being adamant that they are 

right. However, another person argues 

that they are wrong because 6 + 4 = 

10. Both are correct, each of them is just 

seeing it from a different perspective. Just 

because we are right does not mean that 

someone else is wrong, which is why it is 

important to try to view the world through 

other people’s lenses as well as our own. 

Beliefs are created over time. However, 

two people who experience the same 

circumstances might react differently to 

the same belief. People who were put 

down a lot as children might get the 

belief that they are not good enough. 

However, one person might learn that 

they have to do as they are told and to 

acquiesce in order to get by, yet another 

person might learn that they have to 

be a bully in order to be heard. In my 

experience, in adulthood, we either mirror 

the main influencers that were in our life 

as children, or we rebel against them. 

If we grew up feeling less than we might 

make a vow to never make anyone else 

feel that way and therefore conduct 

ourselves with kindness at all times. 

However, someone else might mirror 

what they experienced and become 

forceful and brash in a subconscious 

attempt to be someone powerful and 

significant. Either way, it’s important to try 

to understand our inner programming 

and to gain an understanding of how this 

can impact us as a parent, practitioner or 

teacher. 

“ ” 

If we have a belief that we are ‘not good enough’, it is more 

than likely that the world around us will reflect this. 

If we felt inadequate growing up and 

rebelled against what we experienced 

making a subconscious vow to never 

make anyone else feel this way, we 

might: 

- Struggle to assert ourselves and set 

boundaries because we subconsciously 

don’t want to see children feeling sad 

- Struggle to allow children to fail because 

we subconsciously don’t want them to 

feel like they aren’t good enough 

- Struggle to follow through with 

consequences because we don’t want 

to make children feel bad 

With or without this vow, we can still 

also be personally impacted by a ‘not 

good enough’ belief. We might: 

- Struggle to accept criticism of any kind 

because it hooks into this inner feeling 

of not being good enough 

- Have a default setting that makes us 

feel that people don’t like us or judge us 

in some way 

- Doubt ourselves a lot 

- Put ourselves down 

Either way, our childhood can impact us a lot. If we are struggling with anything 

personally or professionally, it can help to look at what belief might be linked to the 

scenario and where this came from in our own childhood. Self-awareness is crucial in 

life and by looking inwardly at our own programming, we can not only gain a better 

understanding of who we are and what drives us, but also avoid any of our own 

negative beliefs from being passed down to the little ones that look up to us so much. 

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 fulfilment, 

which is why she launched 

the #ThankYouOaky Gratitude 

Movement. 

Sign up to Stacey’s premium 

membership and use the 

code PARENTA20 to get 20% 

off or contact Stacey for an 

online demo. 

Website: 

www.earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Email: 

stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

Twitter: 

twitter.com/eystorybox 

Instagram: 

instagram.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

LinkedIn: 

linkedin.com/in/stacey-kellya84534b2/ 



10 benefits 

of outdoor learning 

We know that children love to be outside and most will play happily for hours in the 

fresh air. As the weather begins to change for the better, you will find more and more 

opportunities to get the children outside. At this time you are liking to see some of the 

best learning that a child can experience – both physically, mentally and emotionally. 

10 Benefits of outdoor Learning. 

Show them how to look after our environment 

by letting them practise it in real life 

“ ” 

We know outdoor play is great for children, but why? 

Here is a list of 10 great benefits of outdoor play: 

Outdoor learning 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

Gives new and exciting learning opportunities. Picking up a rock 

and finding lots of mini-beasts underneath, for example, is such 

an amazing opportunity to develop language, understanding of 

the world and to learn about caring for living things. 

Improves physical health. Children are able to exercise on a 

much greater level than they can inside, plus they breathe in 

fresh air whilst doing so. Win/win. 

Boosts social and communication skills – when outside, children 

are likely to be moving around a lot more, navigating one 

another and negotiating the toys they are playing with. What 

better opportunity to get them interacting with their peers and 

solving any problems. This also boosts self-esteem. 

Allows you to make the most of wet/windy weather. Teach 

children that it can be fun to splash in puddles, play under an 

umbrella and fly ribbons and scarves in the wind. Don’t forget 

that many parents will just stay indoors in such weather so if you 

don’t let children experience this, then they may not ever get the 

chance. This is also yet another opportunity to develop language 

and understanding of the world. 

Encourages good mental health. As adults we are told that fresh 

air and exercise is good for our mental health. It’s the same for 

children. 

Gives the opportunity to develop gross motor skills as well as fine 

motor skills. When you are indoors, it is a lot easier to provide 

activities that develop fine motor skills than gross motor skills, 

but they are both extremely important. Many outside play areas 

give children the opportunity to climb/swing/throw – all of which 

are developing gross motor skills. Children are also able to markmake 

on a large scale, for example using chalk on the ground or 

painting water on the walls. 

Teaches children how to look after our environment. We can tell 

children about this from outdoors but we know the best way for 

them to learn something is to experience it. Show them how to 

look after our environment by letting them practise it in real life. 

You get to take learning to a child’s favourite activity. If you have 

a child that is reluctant to engage in a particular activity, then try 

taking it outside and mixing it in with something that they love. 

Teaches about the local area - Going for a walk teaches children 

about their community, plus they will also begin to learn the 

basics of road safety. 

Offers different sensory experiences – this can be both things 

specific to outside, such as digging in the mud, or it could be 

bringing an indoors activity outside, but experiencing it in the 

wind or sunshine. 

Gina Smith 

Gina Smith is an 

experienced teacher with 

experience of teaching 

in both mainstream and 

special education. She 

is the creator of ‘Create 

Visual Aids’ - a business 

that provides both homes 

and education settings with 

bespoke visual resources. 

Gina recognises the fact 

that no two children are 

the same and therefore 

individuals are likely to 

need different resources. 

Create Visual Aids is 

dedicated to making visual 

symbols exactly how the 

individual needs them. 

Website: 

www.createvisualaids.com 

Email: 

gina@createvisualsaids.com 

The important thing to remember 

is that some children won’t get 

these opportunities at home, so 

make sure you provide them in 

your setting. It might be that they 

live somewhere that doesn’t have 

a garden, or that their parents just 

don’t take them out. If you don’t 

have a large outdoor area (or even 

if you do!) get out and about for 

walks or visits to the local library. 

In these vital early years, you can 

give children a love of the outdoors 

that they can carry with them into 

adulthood. 



The benefits of 

storytelling in music: 

using royalty & magic 

Stories are a natural way of communication. They have been used as far 

back as human records have been found, in all cultures and communities. A 

little like music. To start this series, I am going to share how the pre-school 

story-theme of magic and royalty can be used to develop musical skills. You 

may be inspired to create your own musical story! 

The story 

Royalty and magic are guaranteed 

winners for children because they 

suggest escape, power and freedom. 

There are few things in life that 

children can control, so this idea is 

very appealing. 

The story is in 10 parts, with 10 characters and 10 musical skills. This allows for 

the story to be told over 10 weeks, introducing a new character along with a 

new musical skill. This mirrors the benefit of gradually building skills through 

regular practice. 

Rhythm planning 

The benefits of storytelling in 

music 

A good and noble King lives in a 

castle with his Queen. They live 

with a Knight who is married to 

a Lady. The King’s daughter, a 

Princess, meets and marries a 

Prince. A naughty music-hating 

Goblin steals the King’s jewels (in 

the storybook for older children, 

Elfen steals the Princess). The 

Knight went in search of the 

jewels (Princess) and found Goblin 

hiding them in a dragon’s lair. In 

the meantime, a passing Fairy 

heard about this, looked for 

Goblin, found his gold, and hung it 

out of reach, on a moonbeam. As 

the Knight was about to get back 

the jewels (Princess), the Dragon 

trapped both him and Goblin in a 

tower. A beautiful unicorn heard 

about this, came to the rescue 

and brought them all back to the 

castle where they had a big party 

(Goblin went back to his cave, 

and Dragon went back to his lair). 

“And at night, when the moon is 

right, you can still catch a glimpse 

of Goblin’s gold in the moonlight.” 

Rhythms are the building blocks of music. Like Lego, they can be long or 

short, with different shapes added on that make them more interesting. 

Being familiar with the core rhythms makes learning music much easier, 

and these can be easily introduced through movement. Dalcroze Eurhythmic 

movements are perfect because they use specific actions for different rhythms. 

A crotchet (quarter) note is walking; a quaver (eighth) note is jogging; a dotted 

rhythm is skipping. The focus skill can be easily introduced as a warm-up at 

the beginning, clarified during the character song, and reinforced at the end. 

Week Music Note Character 

1 Pulse / crotchet / quarter note King Crotchet 

Casual walk to the beat 

Melody planning 

In order to make these rhythms clear, I either made up my own songs, or used 

traditional songs (with changes in the lyrics to fit the story). Songs in the minor 

third (nee-naw ambulance sound) and songs in the pentatonic anhemitonic 

scale (black notes on a piano) help children to successfully match notes and 

sing in tune. (All songs are available free on YouTube on the Musicaliti channel; 

the CD is available on Amazon.com.) 

Age planning 

For infants 0–2 years, all songs focus on the pulse using a variety of instruments 

to shake and tap, and the storyline is introduced through toys or puppets. 

Children 2–4 years alternate between walking and jogging, using instruments 

to beat including drums and triangles, and transition from toys or puppets to 

dressing up and playing/acting. 

Children 4–6 years use walking and jogging, introducing skipping to their 

movements. They use cymbals and glockenspiels and dressing up to play 

games and dances. 

Craft: 

Week 1: King Crotchet 

Physical Warm-up 

As we begin, shoes off, we calmly 

listen to instrumental music as we walk 

around the room, any direction, either 

holding baby, or holding hands with our 

new walker or pre-schooler. 

Vocal Warm-up: 

We then warm up our voices: Do 

you have your whispering voice? 

Yes, I have my whispering voice. Do 

you have your speaking voice? Yes, 

I have my speaking voice. Do you 

have your singing voice (singing like 

an ambulance tune)? Yes, I have my 

singing voice. Ready to sing! 

Song 1: Old King Glory (game) 

“Build” a mountain of scarves, blankets 

or pillows in the middle of the room, 

and take turns leading each other 

around the mountain while singing the 

song. When you get to the last line, the 

person at the back goes to the front as 

the new leader. 

Song 2: I am King (instrumental) 

This original song uses one word per 

note. This makes it great for tapping an 

instrument, like a drum or a pot! 

Make and decorate a paper crown. Walk around the room, singing the song! 

Story: 

A long time ago in a magical musical 

kingdom far, far away, there lived 

King Crochet. King Crotchet was big 

and strong and when he walked 

past, everyone stopped to watch him 

because he was so loud and took such 

big steps. King Crotchet ruled wisely 

and justly and had a great crown full 

of every precious stone in the world. 

People loved King Crotchet so much 

that they travelled far and wide to find 

the most precious stone, and every 

week, he would choose the best new 

precious stones to add to his crown. 

The rest of the precious stones were 

added to the walls of his magnificent 

castle that shone each morning on the 

magical hill. Every day, King Crotchet 

loved to play croquet, a game where he 

would hit four balls though four hoops 

in the ground. 

Activity: 

Play a modified version of croquet by 

taking turns standing up, legs wide, 

and rolling a ball between them. 

Music extension: 

Find instrumental music with a royal 

sound and a clear beat. Children can 

walk to the beat wearing their crowns, 

acting out the story. 

The next article includes the 

development of the next sessions, 

showing how different rhythms can 

be introduced at these early stages by 

musicians and non-musicians alike! 

Frances Turnbull 

Musician, researcher and 

author, Frances Turnbull, is 

a self-taught guitarist who 

has played contemporary 

and community music from 

the age of 12. She delivers 

music sessions to the early 

years and KS1. Trained in the 

music education techniques 

of Kodály (specialist 

singing), Dalcroze (specialist 

movement) and Orff (specialist 

percussion instruments), she 

has a Bachelor’s degree in 

Psychology (Open University) 

and a Master’s degree in 

Education (University of 

Cambridge). She runs a local 

community choir, the Bolton 

Warblers, and delivers the 

Sound Sense initiative aiming 

for “A choir in every care 

home” within local care and 

residential homes, supporting 

health and wellbeing through 

her community interest 

company. 

She has represented the 

early years music community 

at the House of Commons, 

advocating for recognition for 

early years music educators, 

and her table of progressive 

music skills for under 7s 

features in her curriculum 

books. 

Frances is the author of 

“Learning with Music: 

Games and Activities for the 

Early Years“, published by 

Routledge, August 2017. 

www.musicaliti.co.uk 



How to help young children 


As grown-ups, we spend much of our time thinking about time, whether it’s 

seconds, minutes and hours - or yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

But as Dr Angharad Rudkin and I reveal in our recent book, 

“What’s My Child Thinking?”, time is an abstract concept for 

young children – and it will take a few years of their own 

personal life experience, along with thoughtful guidance from 

adults, for them to start to understand it. 

Although it can feel challenging, helping children 

understand time is always worth it. 

Explaining the sequences of events and 

the passage of time from the past to the 

present - and the future - will not only help 

them make sense of their world, but will 

also make it feel like a safer, and more 

predictable place. 

How 

Here’s the “What’s my Child thinking?” 

guide to helping children develop their 

concept of time up to the age of seven. 

Ages 2 to 3 

At this age, children only really 

understand what they can 

touch or feel. They have 

not yet developed the 

higher brain functions 

to understand how 

to count minutes 

and hours. They 

also live mainly 

in the moment. 

Their concept of 

the passage of time is 

based on knowing that things 

happen at roughly the same 

times in their day, like getting 

up when it’s light, eating 

breakfast, lunch and dinner, 

and going to bed when it 

gets dark. 

By hearing you link these 

events to words, like ‘before’ 

and ‘after’, a child will start to 

understand that things happen 

in a predictable sequence. 

However at this stage, when you say ‘tomorrow’, that’s a 

concept which is still too far away and abstract for most 

children this age to imagine. As children are still developing 

self-control and so find it hard delaying gratification, this 

can also make them seem very impatient to adults. This 

is because in a child’s mind, they want an event they are 

looking forward to, like a visit to the zoo, to happen right 

now - so that’s when they think it should happen. 

How to help: 

Avoid telling children about events too far 

in advance: At this stage, save the news of 

exciting upcoming events until a few days 

or hours before, so they do not get too 

to overexcited help too soon. young children 


Use lots of time words: Nursery-age children 

are ready to understand concepts like ‘before’ 

and ‘after’, so work these words into 

your descriptions of their day. 

Show how time passes: As 

they get a little older, you 

can use visual tools to 

help children understand 

time. For example, you 

could stick a timetable 

of the week on the 

wall. If you are 

planning a zoo visit 

for example, you could 

move a picture of an animal 

along as it gets closer to the 

day you are going. 

Age 4 to 5 

By this age, a young child’s 

understanding of time is 

starting to evolve. 

They have experienced 

enough of the routine 

of life to start to 

understand that days 

add up into weeks 

and months. This 

means they can now 

refer to events that happen as ‘last 

week’ or ‘next week’, though they may 

not get these descriptions quite right. 

So a child who says “yesterday” may be 

talking about an event that happened 

two of three days ago. By now, children 

are also gradually developing a concept 

of the years passing. So a four-year-old 

may now hold up four fingers to show 

you what age he is. The same child 

may also have enough experience of 

the world to relate activities to different 

times of year. 

So he may understand that Christmas 

happens when it’s cold in winter, while 

Halloween takes place when the leaves 

fall off the trees in autumn. This means 

children can start to look forward to 

events, like birthdays, several months in 

advance. 

How to help: 

Listen to memories: Pay attention when 

children talk about the past and ask 

for more details. Ask a child what they 

were feeling or thinking at the time. This 

sort of interaction makes a child feel 

important and validates the way they 

experience the world. 

Introduce concepts of smaller units to 

time: Help them learn to divide up time 

into minutes and seconds. Try an egg 

timer, which takes one minute to empty, 

to show how long it lasts. 

Help them notice the weather: 

Watching the weather can help children 

understand the passage of the days. 

Making a weather chart in which 

youngsters can mark their observations 

will enable them to better understand 

the ideas of ‘yesterday’, ‘today’ and 

‘tomorrow’ better. 

Age 6 to 7 

By now, children, understand that 

clocks represent the symbolic passing 

of time. They also understand that time 

passes in a predictable way - in the 

same units of seconds, minutes and 

hours - for everyone. This is partly due 

to the fact that children’s frontal lobes 

are now more efficiently wired up to the 

rest of their brains, so they are able to 

start viewing the world in a more logical 

way. This allows them a better grasp 

of what numbers can symbolise, while 

their working memory allows them to 

hold numerical ideas in their heads. 

This higher-order thinking also allows 

them to plan more for the future and 

have a better memory, so they are now 

better able to understand the broader 

concepts of the past, present and 

future. 

How to help: 

Teach kids the value of time: Set start 

and end times on a timer to show 

children how to estimate how much 

time an activity, like putting away toys, 

will take. Make it fun by turning it into a 

race. This is not to pressure them, but 

to help them estimate time and develop 

planning skills. 

Read clocks with them. Start with the 

short hand. Tell them look at where it’s 

pointing first to find out what ‘o clock’ it 

is. Explain that when the big hand goes 

all the way round and back up to the 

top again, an hour has gone by. Show 

them how to make a basic clock out of 

a paper plate and write the numbers 

round the edge in the same order so 

they start to understand the concept of 

‘clock-wise.’ 

Show them how time relates to their 

day: Talk about what a clock face will 

look like – and where the little hand 

and big hand will be - when their 

favourite things in the day happen, so 

they start to notice how time passes. 

Taken from “What’s My Child Thinking? 

Practical Child Psychology for Modern 

Parents”, by Tanith Carey and clinical 

psychologist Dr Angharad Rudkin, 

which uses child development to look 

at more than 100 different scenarios 

for two-to-seven-year-olds. Available in 

book shops and on Amazon.co.uk. 

Tanith Carey 

Tanith Carey writes books 

which offer a lucid analysis of 

the most pressing challenges 

facing today’s parents and 

childcarers – by looking at the 

latest research and presenting 

achievable strategies for how 

to tackle them. Her books 

have been translated into 15 

languages, including German, 

French, Arabic, Chinese and 

Turkish. Her 2019 publications 

are “What’s My Child Thinking? 

Practical Child Psychology for 

Modern Parents” and “The 

Friendship Maze: How to 

help your child navigate their 

way to positive and happier 

friendships”. 

An award-winning journalist, 

Tanith also writes on parenting 

for the Daily Telegraph, The 

Times, the Guardian and the 

Daily Mail, in which she also 

serialises and promotes her 

books. She is also a regular 

presence on TV and radio 

programmes, including the NBC 

Today Show in the US and Radio 

Four’s Woman’s Hour and You 

and Yours. 

Her full bio can be found on her 

website at www.cliomedia.co.uk 

and you can follow her on social 

media channels @tanithcarey. 



How to 

Tip: 

avoid spreading disease 

in your setting 

Why not have 

posters above sinks 

as a reminder of your 

handwashing routine to 

encourage consistency 

in handwashing 

practice? 

It’s a foregone conclusion that wherever young children are together in a group, there is a high 

chance that infections will spread. It’s an occupational hazard if you work in a childcare setting 

where they are touching each other and the toys - at the same time as wiping their noses and 

rubbing How their eyes to with avoid their little hands! spreading disease in 

your setting 

Illness spreads so quickly and easily We give our top tips on how to avoid 

in these conditions as children can spreading disease in your setting. 

be contagious for a day or more (or Viral and bacterial infections are spread 

longer in some cases) before they have in the same ways. A child with a cold 

symptoms. For the first few years of can spread the infection by coughing 

their lives, their bodies are building up and/or sneezing. Similarly, touching 

immunity to infections and they will food with dirty hands will also allow 

neither have completed their 

viruses or bacteria from the intestine to 

vaccination programme, nor have spread. 

developed good hygiene habits! 

Tip: 

Your health and safety 

policy should include the 

exclusion of staff as well as 

children while they are infectious. 

They may return to work when 

they are no longer infectious, 

provided they feel well 

enough to do so. 

The three main ways to prevent and 

manage infectious disease in your 

setting are to: 

Promote good hygiene at all times 

It may sound obvious, but by constantly 

encouraging good hygiene in your 

setting, you really could prevent 

infection spreading. It’s never too early 

to start teaching personal hygiene to 

children and it’s a good idea to remind 

staff of your health and safety policy at 

each team meeting. 

Top of the list is handwashing. Effective 

handwashing should be carried out 

routinely by staff and children: on 

arrival at the setting, after handling 

food, using the toilet or changing 

a nappy. Helping a child wipe his 

nose or mouth or tending to a cut or 

sore, playing in the garden and after 

touching an animal. In fact, in almost 

every situation that you find yourself 

as you are carrying out your day-today 

duties! Always use warm running 

water, together with a mild liquid soap, 

not a bar of soap, and always use 

disposable paper towels which can be 

thrown away in a foot-operated waste 

paper bin. 

Promote immunisation 

Some parents have strong feelings 

regarding immunisation, particularly 

surrounding the controversy in recent 

years around the MMR vaccination. 

Although it is important to support and 

respect parents’ wishes wherever 

possible, it is also the setting’s 

responsibility to safeguard the health 

of the children in your care by ensuring 

the vast majority are immunised. This 

also applies to staff! 

Remove the sick child from the 

immediate environment 

Even if you follow all the best health 

and safety procedures, and with 

every best will in the world, you will 

experience sick children in your care, 

at some point. Symptoms develop 

swiftly, and even the most 

conscientious parent may drop off a 

child who is ill. If, during the day, you 

notice runny noses, coughing, fever, 

or other signs of illness, you must act 

quickly as the virus or infection will 

easily spread to other children. 

In most settings, staff are not able to 

individually care for a sick child due to 

lack of space, or staff-to-child ratios 

(or both). In some, the child can be 

kept comfortable and allowed to rest 

in a separate area of the room where 

the other children have already been 

exposed. 

In certain cases, it is even better for the 

child not to be moved to another area – 

this is to prevent their illness from 

spreading around the setting and 

also to allow good supervision of the 

child. When the child is waiting to be 

picked up, they should be kept in an 

area where there is no contact with the 

children who have not already been 

exposed to their infection. 

Most settings have a 24-hour waiting 

period before children who are getting 

over fevers can return. This policy not 

only prevents the spread of illness but 

ensures that children feel well enough 

to participate in fun activities. 

Get parents on board 

As well as the health and safety 

aspects, another really important 

factor in preventing illness 

spreading in your setting is to 

build a trusting relationship with 

parents – encourage them to share 

important and relevant health 

or illness information with you. If 

you are informed in plenty of time 

about illnesses in the children or 

their families, you will be in a good 

position to reduce anxiety which 

other parents may have about their 

own children’s health and wellbeing, 

as well as being equipped to be able to 

prevent the spread of disease. 

Keep healthy! 

There are also lots of ways in which you 

can help yourself and your staff stay as 

healthy as possible to try and reduce 

the risk of staff illness. Go outdoors as 

often as possible, boost your vitamin C 

and D intake, drink plenty of water and 

try and get enough sleep! 

More information about staff health 

and wellbeing can be found on the 

Parenta blog. 

As well as these three main 

areas, there are many other 

things that you can do to help 

reduce the spread of infection. 

We’ve listed a few here – some 

of which you could incorporate 

into posters around your 

setting. 

• Sanitise toys and furniture 

daily. 

• Wipe changing mats with 

soapy water or a baby wipe 

after each use and disinfect 

nappy changing areas at the 

end of every day. 

• Encourage children and adults 

to cover their mouth and nose 

with a tissue and wash hands 

after using or disposing of 

tissues. 

• Clean spillages using a product 

which combines detergent and 

disinfectant – this is essential 

for working against both 

bacteria and viruses. 

• Clean children’s skin with a 

disposable wipe. Flannels 

should not be used to clean 

bottoms. Label nappy creams 

and lotions with the child’s 

name and do not share with 

others. 

With the Coronavirus in the news daily, 

there’s no better time than to remind 

ourselves about the importance of 

avoiding spreading germs. Download 

this handy poster, created just for our 

settings and learners. 



The importance of 

immunisation in 

fighting disease 

Media coverage of the current global health crisis has, understandably, been 

unprecedented. The Covid-19 pandemic is a new strain of virus, although other forms 

of the coronavirus itself have been known to cause common colds and flu for years. 

The importance of immunisation 

in fighting disease 

Interestingly, whilst the world has been engaged in 

containment, delay, quarantine and lock-down measures, 

many other illness and diseases, which are potentially as 

serious, have failed to gain headlines, yet some of these 

diseases pose as great a threat to certain sections of the 

population, especially young children, and the fight to eradicate 

these diseases needs to be highlighted again to tackle rising 

incidence rates. 

There are many pathogens that cause infections in humans: 

bacterial infections such as Staphylococcus aureus or 

Streptococcus pneumoniae (commonly treated with antibiotics 

e.g. penicillin); fungal infections such as athlete’s foot or thrush 

(treated with anti-fungals); and viruses which can cause things 

such as colds and flu, herpes and encephalitis and which 

cannot be treated with antibiotics. Protozoa, parasites and 

prions are other pathogens that can cause disease. 

The golden rule is that “prevention is better than cure”. 

It’s more cost-effective to vaccinate people than to treat a 

developed illness, because once people are ill, they can 

develop debilitating or even life-threatening symptoms 

that need to be treated with more expensive medicines. 

There’s also a economic/social cost that needs to 

be counted in terms of loss of productivity and 

potentially loss of life. 

Vaccines have been developed for many illnesses, 

all but eliminating certain infections in some 

countries, such as smallpox, polio and diphtheria 

in recent years, which caused great suffering and 

death in the past. But there’s a worrying trend 

emerging elsewhere as there are still nearly 20 

million children in the world today who are not 

getting the vaccines they need 2 – and we are 

not just talking about children in third-world or 

“ 

No parent should be in any doubt of the devastating 

impact of these diseases. It’s vital that everyone recognises 

the value of vaccines and takes up this life-saving offer. 

” 

developing countries. 

In 2019, the World Health Organisation 

(WHO) withdrew the UK’s measles-free 

status because of a fall in the rates of 

MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) 

immunisations. MMR1 coverage at 5 

years of age was only 94.5% in 2018–19 

which is below the 95% target for the 

second year running. MMR2 coverage 

at 5 years, was also down at 86.4%, 

putting lives at risk. 

Measles is a “highly contagious, serious 

disease caused by a virus. Before the 

introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 

and widespread vaccination, major 

epidemics occurred approximately 

every 2–3 years and measles caused 

an estimated 2.6 million deaths each 

year.” 3 

More alarmingly, in 2018, there were 

close to 10 million cases of measles 

worldwide, and more than 140,000 

people died – mostly children under the 

age of 5 years, despite the availability 

of a safe and effective vaccine. 3 

Mumps and rubella (German 

measles) are other diseases that can 

be immunised against in the MMR 

vaccine, and although most children 

recover from mumps after a couple 

of weeks without any serious side 

effects, it causes painful swellings in 

the face, headaches, joint pain and 

a fever. In a few, rare cases, it has 

led to viral meningitis 4 . Rubella is the 

leading vaccine-preventable cause of 

birth defects and in pregnant women, 

and can cause foetal death or other 

congenital defects. 5 

But it’s not just MMR. Worryingly, 

experts have expressed alarm at 

the drop in take-up of ALL routine 

childhood vaccination rates in the 

UK, with a marked decline in rates 

against 13 different diseases including 

whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria 

and meningitis, which leaves many 

thousands of children under-protected. 6 

Health officials have previously 

warned that children are being put 

at risk by the decision to shun these 

routine vaccinations. Public Health 

England’s head of immunisations, 

Dr Mary Ramsay, said last year that 

while the percentage changes might 

seem small, the impact should not be 

underestimated. 

World immunisation week runs 

from 24–30 April with the aim of 

raising awareness and take-up of 

immunisations across the world. The 

theme this year is #VaccinesWork 

for All and the campaign will focus on 

how vaccines – and the people who 

develop, deliver and receive them – are 

heroes by working to protect the health 

References 

1. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

country/uk/. 

2. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/ 

detail/2020/04/24/default-calendar/worldimmunization-week-2020 

3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/ 

detail/measles 

4. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mumps/ 

5. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/ 

detail/rubella 

6. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/ 

publications/statistical/nhs-immunisationstatistics/england-2018-19 

of everyone, everywhere. 

What you can do 

One of the things that has caused a 

drop in the take-up of vaccines in recent 

years, is misinformation about the 

perceived risks associated with some 

vaccines, and a misconception that the 

diseases being vaccinated against, 

are only mild childhood illnesses. 

Tackling these problems, by raising 

awareness of the suffering and deaths 

caused by illnesses such as measles 

and rubella, as well as disseminating 

correct information about the vaccines 

themselves, is key. Remember that once 

vaccinated, most people develop a lifelong 

immunity. 

The vaccination pages on the NHS 

website offer lots of information and 

advice about the need for vaccinations, 

what they do, and how they protect 

people, especially young children. 

With World Health Day (April 7th), also 

falling this month, and current concerns 

about the spread of illnesses globally, it 

is more important than ever that every 

precaution possible is used to stop the 

spread of potentially life-threatening 

diseases. 

Things to do: 

1. Research vaccinations via 

the NHS website 

2. Talk to parents, staff 

and children about 

the importance of 

immunisation 

3. Encourage everyone 

to have the free NHS 

vaccinations at the 

appropriate time 

4. Implement health advice 

on the prevention of 

disease i.e. “Catch it, Bin 

it, Kill it” 

5. Teach the children in your 

setting the correct way 

to wash their hands and 

include pictures to help 

them follow the steps 

6. Seek medical attention at 

an early stage if serious 

illnesses are suspected 

such as meningitis or 

measles 



International 

Mother Earth Day 

April 22nd 

There’s a famous quote that has been attributed to US 

Native Americans, which has been modernised and 

translated as: 

“When the last tree has been 

20 million Americans (10% of the U.S. 

population at the time) took to the 

streets, protested on college campuses 

and across hundreds of cities to rail 

against the environmental ignorance 

of the time, and demand a new way 

forward for the planet. As support for 

the movement grew year on year, the 

environment became an important 

agenda item across the globe at 

cut down, the last fish caught, 

International Mother Earth Day 

the last river poisoned, only 

then will we realise that one 

cannot eat money.” 

summits and inter-governmental 

meetings, until the UN adopted the day 

as International Mother Earth Day in 

2009, throwing the weight of the UN 

behind the movement. 

What you can do in your setting 

There are so many things that you can 

do to help return our planet back into 

balance, and to protect it for future 

generations. We can all do something, 

and little things add up to create 

big changes. After all, what use will 

nurseries be in 20–50 years’ time if our 

planet becomes uninhabitable? 

The United Nations also have a global 

call to individual action, known as “Act 

Now”. They say that “even a small 

gesture can help fight climate change 

and accelerate the implementation of the 

Paris Agreement on climate change. 

You can register on the Earth Day 

website for ideas of things you can do 

under 5 different headings. There are 

free toolkits, posters and resources to 

download, so no one will run out of 

ideas. You can register your own events 

or join in with others, and with over 

half a million events worldwide, there’s 

something for everyone. 

The main categories of action are: 

• Climate action 

• Science and education 

• People and communities 

• Conservation and restoration 

• Plastic and pollution 

Things you could do include: 

• Run an education session 

• Organise a litter-pick 

• Shop more locally 

• Plant a tree or wildflower garden 

• Reduce the amount of single-use 

plastic in your setting 

• Tidy your garden space or that of an 

elderly neighbour 

• Commit to using less energy 

• Invest in solar power 

• Host a climate discussion 

• Create a recycling station in your 

setting 

• Reduce your water waste/install a 

water butt 

• Raise awareness by sharing the free 

posters and logos on social media 

Facts from the United 

Nations 

• More than 33% of the 

earth’s soils are already 

degraded and 90% could 

become degraded by 2050 

• Insects, vital for pollination of 

crops and plants, are likely 

to lose half their habitat at 

a rise of temperatures by 

1.5°C, but this becomes 

almost twice as likely at a 

rise of 2°C 

• By 2050, there will be more 

than 9 billion humans on 

earth, and we will need to 

produce 60% more food 

Some people call it a prophesy, others 

say it is ancient wisdom, but whatever 

you call it, the sentiment has an eerie 

resonance as the human race tries 

to come to terms with some global 

problems facing it in the 21st century. 

Climate change, global warming, 

increased pollution, deforestation, soil 

erosion, pandemics, globalisation, 

energy crises, the availability of 

resources, ageing populations, 

monoculture, decreasing biodiversity and 

sustainable living are just some of major 

issues currently facing the world! 

At some point, humans will have to come 

to terms with our place in the world and 

the responsibility we have to our home 

planet, which many countries lovingly 

refer to as, ‘Mother Earth’. 

The term ‘Mother Earth’ or ‘Mother 

Nature’ was known to the ancient 

Greeks, who revered the planet as 

a goddess named Gaia, meaning 

Mother Earth. Gaia, it’s said, created 

herself out of primordial chaos and 

is the source of all life, and the place 

where all living things must return 

after death. She personified the entire 

ecosystem of planet earth - a nurturing, 

healing, female energy promoting 

harmony, wholeness and balance 

within the environment. If the balance is 

maintained, then life can be maintained 

and is sustainable forever. 

Nowadays, Mother Earth is a common 

expression in a number of countries 

and regions, and is recognised by the 

United Nations (UN), as reflecting the 

“interdependence that exists among 

human beings, other living species and 

the planet we all inhabit”. 

The problem is that humans have 

recently caused an imbalance in Mother 

Earth due to an accumulation of actions 

we have taken, which have at best, 

been short-sighted or misinformed, and 

at worst, have been downright selfdestructive. 

The earth and its ecosystems 

are our home and we need to achieve 

a balance in the economic, social, and 

environmental systems for present and 

future generations to promote harmony 

with nature and the earth and ensure 

sustainability. 

Fifty years ago, on 22nd April 1970, in 

response to the increasing pollution they 

faced, a group of American activists set 

up the very first Mother Earth Day with 

the aim of creating a unified response to 

the environmental crisis they faced – oil 

spills, smog and rivers so polluted they 

literally caught fire! 

As the Earth Day 

website says: 

“The time is long overdue for 

a global outpouring of energy, 

enthusiasm, and commitment 

to create a new plan of action 

for our planet. Earth Day 2020 

can be the catalyst that 

galvanizes an unparalleled 

global collaboration”. 

The Earth Day Mission today strives “to 

build the world’s largest environmental 

movement to drive transformative 

change for people and planet”. It aims 

to diversify, educate and activate the 

environmental movement worldwide and 

works with over 75,000 partners in over 

190 countries to drive positive action for 

the planet. The 2020 event will mark 50 

years since the first Earth Day with the 

theme being climate action. To coin an 

old phrase, “The world needs you” but it 

especially needs action at an individual, 

local, national and global level to tackle 

the climate change crisis. 



How to 

involve parents with 

children’s learning 

In today’s modern society, when parents are often working full-time (and 

subsequently short on time!) it’s not uncommon for their children to be placed 

in childcare for up to 50 hours a week. More often than not, your setting is the 

prime provider of early years education for these children. This, of course, 

is in contrast to years gone by when children would mainly learn the about 

the world - and their place in it - through conversations, play activities and 

routines with parents and families in a home environment. 

By working in collaboration with 

parents, you can enhance children’s 

learning and development in ways 

How that would not to be possible involve without understanding parents of the children in with their children’s Top Tip learning 

them. 

A ‘partnership approach’ of sharing 

information to improve the children’s 

learning outcomes can prove really 

valuable in the long term. 

What are the benefits of parents 

and childcare practitioners working 

together? 

• It gives parents a better 

understanding of how you are 

helping to prepare their children for 

success in school. 

• Parents learn how well their children 

are progressing in developing the 

building blocks of learning. 

• Parents learn ways to help their 

children at home. 

• You will have a better understanding 

of children’s backgrounds and 

experiences. 

• Children will see that the adults in 

their life care about them, and their 

learning and development. 

When parents see you make the 

effort and involve them in the dayto-day 

education of their children, 

they can feel valued and respected, 

they become aware of their children’s 

experiences outside the family home 

and can then use this information to 

support their learning and development 

more effectively by reinforcing these 

experiences at home. 

It works both ways too: practitioners 

can benefit from parents’ skills and 

expertise, they can gain a better 

setting and use this information to 

make learning more enjoyable and 

rewarding for all children. After all, 

the parents are the experts on their 

own children and so their feedback is 

invaluable! 

With increasing emphasis on, and 

changes to EYFS, parents care more 

than ever about the education path of 

their child and we know they want to 

engage. 

But how? 

Collaboration 

When you engage with parents, 

you automatically build a stronger 

“practitioner-family” partnership. This, 

in turn, leads to a better understanding 

of the child, increased feedback from 

parents on how things are going 

and ultimately, a happier and more 

successful learning experience for the 

child. 

You could suggest new ways that 

parents can get involved and support 

their child’s learning at home, for 

example: when they are reading a 

bedtime story, they can ask their child 

to make predictions about what will 

happen next. This will help strengthen 

the child’s reading comprehension and 

reinforce their reading ability. 

A good way to engage parents 

and make them part of your 

extended learning team is 

to make your passion shine 

through – enthusiasm is 

contagious and parents will 

want to continue their child’s 

learning at home if they see 

how engaged you are! 

Communication is key! 

Keep parents up-to-date as much 

as possible with what’s going on in 

your setting and what events or other 

activities are coming up. If you produce 

a newsletter, you could suggest 

conversation topics so parents can 

ask their children about what they’re 

learning and then this learning can 

continue at home, after the event. Even 

if you only produce a short newsletter, 

it’s really important to thank parents for 

all the ways they’re currently helping 

your setting and how this is impacting 

on the lives of the children. 

Cutting through the barriers 

Busy lives, financial worries, language 

barriers and time pressures are just 

some of the obstacles practitioners 

can be faced with which hinder the 

development of an open, honest and 

trusting relationship with parents. 

However, parents really do want to hear 

from you… they do want to get involved 

with their children’s learning outside 

your setting. 

Say “cheese”! 

A great way to communicate a child’s 

learning journey with their parents 

and carers is by sending updates that 

bring the learning to life. What parent 

wouldn’t love an update from you that 

includes a picture that catches their 

child in the act of learning something? 

If parents understand and are excited 

by the value of an activity, they are 

more likely to continue the learning at 

home and also provide feedback that 

you can use for future staff training. 

Engage and educate with family 

learning 

Here are a few examples of family 

learning which can easily be started in 

the childcare setting and then continued 

and extended at home: 

• Family history and culture sharing 

Demonstrating what a ‘family tree’ 

is can encourage the children to talk 

about where they come from – they 

can work at home to make their 

own family tree and share it with the 

others at their childcare setting. 

• Extended storytime 

During storytime, they can learn 

about different cultures and 

then discuss at home and bring 

something in which relates to their 

particular surroundings – e.g. a 

pebble from the beach where they 

live, or a leaf from a walk in the 

woods, or something that symbolises 

their particular culture. 

• Counting the pennies 

Playing ‘shop keepers’ at nursery 

can easily be put into practice while 

out shopping with family. Counting 

coins and pointing out groceries is 

an excellent example of fun, family 

learning. 

If you would like to find out 

how the team at Parenta 

works in partnership with 

thousands of settings, 

helping them to engage with 

parents, involving them with 

their children’s day-to-day 

learning, talk to us about 

‘Dayshare’ – an online daily 

diary software. Dayshare 

captures all of the day’s 

activities and allows you 

to upload photos and give 

parents a detailed insight into 

their child’s day of learning 

through play. 

Call us on 0800 002 9242 

or email 

hello@parenta.com 



PARENT 

PORTAL 

Parent Portal is a FREE APP that works 

hand-in-hand with Parenta’s other software 

solutions and it gives parents: 

A newsfeed of their child’s day 

including photos and videos 

Their account balance and invoice 

breakdown 

The ability to download invoice and 

payment receipts 

FREE 

Training with Linden 

Early Years 

Keeping children at the heart of 

early childhood education and care 

Tamsin Grimmer is the early years director for Linden 

Learning. If you have enjoyed reading Tamsin’s 

articles every month, why not invite Linden Early 

Years to deliver bespoke training at your setting? 

Linden Early Years associates regularly share their 

expertise at conferences, INSET meetings, CPD 

sessions, workshops and seminars. 

Twitter: @LindenEY 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lindenearlyyears/ 

Website: https://www.lindenearlyyears.org/ 

Email: tamsin.grimmer@lindenlearning.org 

Linden Learning’s early years team has built up a reputation in 

the sector for a deep knowledge of how young children learn 

and develop. Many of our associates are published authors and 

have written regularly for popular early childhood magazines. 

We also work regularly in settings and have a real appreciation 

of current issues facing staff working in settings across the 

country. We look forward to hearing from you! 

A calendar view of past, present and 

future sessions booked 

View and request changes for 

information about their child including 

allergies, illnesses and medication 

+ lots more! 

We’ve worked with thousands of settings, so we 

know exactly what tools you need to make your 

business successful. We believe that delivering 

great childcare means working closely alongside 

parents; and with Parent Portal, they can stay 

involved in their child’s day. 

Interested? Speak to our team to find 

out more on 0800 002 9242 or email us 

at hello@parenta.com. 

Write for us for a chance to win £50! 

Write for us! 

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

insightful articles for our monthly magazine. 

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 a £50 voucher to our “Guest Author of the Month”. You can find 

all the details here: https://www.parenta.com/sponsored-content/ 

Guest author winner announced 

Congratulations 

to our guest author competition winner, 

Joanna Grace! 

Joanna’s article in the February edition of the Parenta magazine 

“Neurotypical Narratives” was very popular with our readers. 

Well done, Joanna! 

A massive thank you to all of our guest authors for writing for us. 

You can find all of the past articles from our guest authors on our 

website: www.parenta.com/parentablog/guest-authors 



The Big Pedal 

It’s that time of year again: when the clouds part (hopefully) and the spring 

bulbs are in full bloom, so it must be time for the annual push to encourage 

people to be fitter, get out and tell them to get on their bike! 

“Our society faces some profound challenges. From climate change 

and air pollution to physical and mental health crises, the pressures 

on communities across our four nations are growing. There is no silver 

bullet but the work of Sustrans and our partners provides an essential 

contribution to tackling the challenges of our time.” 

Lynne Berry – Sustrans Chair of Trustees. 

Each year, Sustrans, a charity with the 

aim of making it easier for people to 

walk and cycle around the country, 

organise a week called The Big Pedal 

which has become the UK’s largest interschool 

cycling, walking and scooting 

challenge. It supports staff, pupils and 

parents and encourages them to use 

human power to get themselves to and 

from school. The charity connects people 

and places with the aim of creating 

“liveable neighbourhoods, transforming 

the school run and delivering a happier 

and healthier commute”. 

The Big Pedal 

And since this is a challenge, there are 

some great prizes to be won for eligible 

schools too. 

2020 is the tenth year of the challenge 

which runs for 10 days from the 22nd 

April to the 5th May. It is open to all 

primary and secondary schools in the 

UK, including SEN schools. Schools in 

England and Wales need to have a DfE 

number to apply. Schools in Scotland 

should use their SEED number and in 

Northern Ireland, they should use their 

Inst Ref number. You can still participate 

in your own version of the challenge as 

a nursery or other setting if you don’t 

have one of these numbers, but you will 

not be eligible to win prizes. However, 

there is nothing to stop you from 

creating your own in-house competition 

and you can compare how you are 

doing to the schools registered on the 

website. 

So what’s involved? 

On each day of the challenge, schools 

compete to see who can accumulate 

the highest percentage of pupils, 

staff and parents who cycle, walk or 

scoot to school. By 9am, schools must 

log journeys that their staff, parents 

and pupils take to school on the days 

they wish to enter. There is a daily 

competition, as well as a five-day 

challenge in which the best five day’s 

results from a school are totalled and 

compared to others. If over 15% of the 

school community registers an eligible 

journey, then the school is entered into 

a prize draw to win some cool prizes 

such as bikes, including equipment and 

accessories, but you can always give out 

some free fruit or a book token as well! 

There are currently over 1500 schools 

registered, representing over half a 

million pupils. 

Another aim of the week is to get 

authorities and planners to sit up and 

take notice and to raise awareness of 

the changes that pupils, parents and 

staff would like to see in their local 

areas, so Sustrans also asks people 

to think about the changes they’d 

like to see and how these could be 

implemented. 

The charity provide a host of free 

resources on their website at https:// 

bigpedal.org.uk/ which are available 

to download, even if you have not 

registered your school, including: 

• An introductory PowerPoint 

• Information and top tips posters 

• A general poster advertising the week 

• A parent letter template 

• A family guide to the week 

Calling all superheroes! 

One fun and exciting way to participate 

in the week is to join in on Superhero 

Day. The final challenge day is a day 

which is also used to raise money for 

the charity as well as awareness, and 

participants are encouraged to dress up 

as their favourite superhero for the day. 

But you can use any of the 10 days as 

your Superhero Day if you want to. There 

are 4 main steps to joining in: 

1. Download the parents’ letter and 

send it out to advise parents about 

the day 

2. Encourage everyone to dress up for 

the day – the theme is superheroes 

but if you have your own ideas, 

then that’s fine too. You can print a 

superhero mask template from the 

website here 

3. Decorate your setting and get on your 

bikes! 

4. Collect the money – the suggested 

donation is £1 for dressing up but 

you could hold other fundraising 

opportunities too, such as a cake sale 

or ask people to be sponsored for 

their journeys. 

Additional ways to celebrate the 

week include: 

• Hold a ‘best decorated scooter’ or 

‘best decorated bike’ competition 

• Get the children to draw their journey 

to school and create a Big Pedal 

collage 

• Ask children to draw their own 

superhero avatar and then describe 

their superpower to the group. You 

could enhance this activity by having 

the children act out their power or 

make up a story about their character 

too 

• Post your stories and photos on your 

social media channels – use the 

hashtag #BigPedal 

• Practice safe road travel in line with 

last month’s road safety campaign 

Where does the money go? 

Sustrans uses the money raised to 

help them with their charitable aims 

including: 

• Creating places that are walkable and 

cycle-friendly 

• Supporting people, in their 

communities, to have the opportunity 

and ability to walk, cycle, scoot or 

wheel 

• Working with decision-makers to 

create policies that make walking and 

cycling a more attractive choice 

One of the main things that Sustrans 

coordinate and promote is the National 

Cycle Network, a UK-wide network of 

signed paths and routes for walking, 

cycling, wheeling and exploring 

outdoors. The routes are free to use 

and offer cycle lanes and paths that 

are traffic-free making them safer for all 

users, especially children. 

The Big Pedal is a great opportunity for 

you to help make a real difference to the 

community and environment that you 

work in. Due to current restrictions, you 

may not be able to do this immediately, 

but you could set up a Big Pedal day 

later in the year. So go on, 

GET ON YOUR BIKE!! 

For more information, see 

https://bigpedal.org.uk/ 

which is also available in Welsh. 



Apple doughnuts 

Apple doughnuts 

You will need: 

170g of cream cheese, softened, 

cut into thirds 

1 tsp honey, divided 

20g melted chocolate 

1 drop pink food colouring 

2 apples 

Sprinkles 

Extras: cutting board, knife, 

cookie cutter (or round cutter 

to remove the core) 

Mother Earth 

terrarium 

This craft was created to celebrate Mother Earth Day on the 

22nd of April. We always encourage the children to spend as 

much time outside as possible, and this craft is perfect for 

that! Children can spend hours trying to find the best looking 

moss and wild plants. And they might even get lucky and 

find some amazing earth creatures! Just remember to teach 

children to be respectful and only take what they need 

Mother Earth terrarium 

Instructions: 

1. Divide cream cheese in 3 little bowls. 

2. In the first bowl, add 1 teaspoon honey 

to the cream cheese and mix together. 

3. In second bowl, mix cream cheese 

with melted chocolate. 

4. In the third bowl, add pink food 

colouring and mix in the remaining 

honey. 

5. Slice apples into rings and using the 

cookie cutter, remove the core so they 

take on the shape of a ring doughnut. 

6. Carefully spread the mixture on 

the apples and decorate them with 

sprinkles. 

7. You are done! 

These ‘doughnuts’ don’t taste like the real thing, 

but they are super fun to make and help children to 

eat their portion of ‘5-a-day’. 

You will need: 

• Plants – we used a shop bought plant, but 

you can use any plants you’d like. If you 

have enough time, you could get a cutting 

of an English Ivy and keep it in water until it 

sprouts roots. Another fantastic activity to do 

with the children! 

• Moss 

• Gravel 

• Stones 

• Compost 

• Plastic fishbowl 

– you could also use glass jars 

Instructions: 

1. Start with filling the bowl with gravel, 

followed by compost. 

2. Pick a spot in your bowl where you would 

like your plants to grow, then carefully insert 

the plant in that spot. 

3. Use some more compost to secure the 

plant in place, then add moss on top of the 

compost. 

4. Add stones, or any decorative pieces you 

like. If children want, they can put one of 

their tiny toys in there. Imagine a T-Rex 

standing under the plants! 

5. You have now finished! Don’t forget to water 

it from time to time! 



The benefits of 

animals for children’s 

development 

There’s no doubt that the UK is a nation of animal lovers! You only have to look around 

at the number of us who co-habit with pets of every shape and size, the predominance 

of pet shops, and the amount we spend on our pets each year, which currently runs into 

the tens of billions of pounds. Pets are big business, but we rarely count their worth in 

money. In fact, most of us have admitted we would rather reduce spending on ourselves 

than our pets, because our pets can melt the heart of even the toughest cynic, remind us 

of our humanity, our unity and our underlying need for unconditional love. 

Perceived benefits 

Animals have anecdotally been 

reported as being of benefit to children 

by parents, teachers and childcare 

professionals for a number of years. 

The Some of the benefits reported include: of it is an animals essential one, especially if dealt for children’s 

Improving confidence and learning 

development 

about unconditional love – pets 

do not judge children with any moral 

compass; they simply give love and 

affection regardless of the child’s 

mood or recent behaviour (provided no 

negative behaviour has been directed 

towards the animal). Children often find 

animals comforting if they are feeling 

sad or low as the pet is always there to 

‘listen to’ and ‘accept’ problems, when 

adults may not be. 

Teaching empathy and respect – 

animals need to be treated with love, 

empathy and respect, just like humans. 

And whilst they may enjoy a cuddle 

sometimes, at others, they may need 

space, feeding, grooming or walking. 

Children can learn to be empathetic 

to the needs of the animal and to 

recognise these needs without using 

words. This is an excellent skill to have 

in dealing with humans who may not 

be able to express emotions too well 

themselves. 

Understanding the circle of life 

– watching a pet be born, grow up, 

reproduce and eventually die, helps 

children learn about life and death. It 

may be a difficult lesson for most, but 

with in a sensitive manner by the adults 

around them. It may be a cat or dog, 

hamster, fish or worm; the process of 

grieving and learning that ‘life goes on’ 

and memories will remain, is one that 

we all need to learn at some point. 

Learning to appreciate nature 

and the natural world – by 

observing animals, children can get 

an understanding and develop an 

appreciation for the natural world 

around them. They can observe 

different animal lifecycles and learn 

about reproduction by watching a 

caterpillar turn into a butterfly or seeing 

the lambs being born at a local farm. 

With the right encouragement, it can 

also lead to an interest in the natural 

world and an appreciation for all forms 

of life on earth. 

Teaching responsibility – although 

most animal species have been 

around on the planet a lot longer than 

humans, and as such, are very selfsufficient, 

the ones we have spent time 

domesticating, or those we keep in 

captivity, need our help to survive. This 

means they need feeding, cleaning out 

and exercising regularly, depending on 

the animal. This is a great way to teach 

children about looking after others and 

although no pet should be the sole 

responsibility of a child, they can learn 

to take on certain responsibilities (such 

as feeding or refilling water bottles) 

with the aid of a supervising adult. 

Helping with communication – 

we might not all be Dr Doolittle, but 

animals can still be useful in helping 

children communicate. Dogs are 

currently used in schools to help boost 

the confidence of children learning to 

read. The children read aloud to a dog, 

who listens without judgement and 

the children learn to feel calmer whilst 

reading. The very presence of animals 

can help children to start to speak as 

they learn to communicate with another 

living being. 

Scientifically-researched benefits 

As well as anecdotal reports, there 

have also been a number of scientific 

studies confirming some measurable 

benefits in children. Pets have been 

shown to 1,2 : 

• help lower blood pressure 

• reduce stress and anxiety 

• make recovery times shorter 

• improve social interactions 

• improve self-worth 

• reduce loneliness and depression 

In children with autism spectrum 

disorder (ASD), researchers found the 

children demonstrated more social 

behaviours and received more social 

approaches from their peers when 

animals were present, compared to 

when toys were present. 3 

What you need to consider 

Bringing animals into your setting either 

as pets or with occasional visitors can 

have many benefits, but also requires 

careful planning and the safety of all 

children and adults is paramount. 

Therefore, before you consider bringing 

animals in, ensure that you have 

thought everything through, have 

the approval of parents, staff and 

governors and have suitable policies, 

risk-assessments and insurances in 

place. Remember to consider any 

allergies that children and staff may 

have, costs such as food costs or vet 

bills, and if bringing in a class pet 

such as a fish or hamster, determine 

who is going to look after it during the 

weekends and holidays. 

Ways to introduce more animals 

into setting 

Here are some ways you can 

introduce more animals, without 

breaking the bank. 

• Visit a local farm or petting zoo 

– this can be an easy way to get 

children to pet animals and 

discover more about the natural 

world 

• Incubate some fertilised chicken 

eggs and raise some chicks 

• Order a butterfly nursery and teach 

the children about their lifecycle 

• Set up a fish tank – this can offer 

sensory and visual stimulation too 

• Introduce some rabbits and/or 

guinea pigs but ensure they can be 

properly looked after 

• Start a worm farm – another great 

way to introduce children to natural 

science 

• Feed the birds/local wildlife – set 

up some feeding/watering stations 

to welcome some British wildlife to 

your garden 

• Go on a bug or mini-beast hunt – 

you can do this in your outside 

space or at a local park 

However you choose to introduce more 

animal interactions in your setting, we’d 

love to hear from you and see your 

pictures. Please email us at marketing@ 

parenta.com. 

References 

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 

pubmed/3236382 

2. https://habri.org/research/child-healthdevelopment/ 

3. https://www.relias.com/blog/animalassisted-therapy-for-autism 



Take yourself from ‘distress’ 

to ‘de-stress’ during 

stress awareness month 

Stress. n. “A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from 

adverse or demanding circumstances”. 

A definition that almost certainly resonates with many – particularly during 

this unprecedented period of dealing with the outbreak of the new coronavirus. 

Even without a global health crisis to contend with, most of us at some point 

are likely to have found ourselves in a situation where we feel stressed. 

Take Stress can be debilitating, yourself and can cause Practice from meditation ‘distress’ to 

and/or aggravate health problems. One of the most effective ways to deal 

And since is a normal part of 

‘de-stress’ human life - nobody is immune to it during stress awareness 

with stress is to learn how to silence 

the mind. Meditation is one of the most 

- it’s important to arm ourselves with 

knowledge so that we recognise the 

month 

signs ahead of the times when stress is 

going to rear its ugly head. The problem 

can be that sometimes we don’t even 

see it in ourselves if we are inwardly (or 

‘blindly’) stressed. 

Stress Awareness Month has been held 

every April, since 1992 and aims to 

increase public awareness about both 

the causes and cures for this modern 

mental epidemic. According to the 

Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK 

adults have felt so stressed at some 

point over the last year that “they felt 

overwhelmed or unable to cope.” That 

is a worrying statistic, particularly as we 

are in an industry where the wellbeing 

of the children in our care is paramount. 

The Stress Management Society, which 

founded Stress Awareness Month, has 

many resources and ideas to help you 

during times of stress, including how 

to understand stress itself and different 

coping mechanisms you can use. 

You can even take a stress test here! 

https://www.stress.org.uk/individualstress-test/ 

Here are our top tips for alleviating 

stress – you could try discussing these 

in your next team meeting. You may be 

surprised how many people actually do 

some of these things already! 

popular methods of achieving this quiet. 

Mindworks is a blog for meditation 

novices and has some great tips which 

you can share with your colleagues. 

Exercise 

A proven way to battle the debilitating 

effects of stress is to exercise. Whether 

you’re a jogger, cyclist, or just like to 

take long walks, be sure to get some 

fresh air and exercise into your daily 

routine. You may spend a lot of time 

cooped up indoors, either at work during 

the day or at home during the evening. 

But, going outside to get some fresh air 

can work wonders for relaxing you. Try 

taking a short walk around the block on 

your lunch break, or spending time in 

green spaces when you come back from 

work. 

Focus on your breathing 

Taking just a few minutes out of your 

day to focus on deep breathing can help 

you feel calmer and more relaxed. Find 

somewhere you can sit quietly without 

being disturbed, then focus on breathing 

in deeply through your nose and out 

through your mouth. See if you can 

make each inhale and exhale last for a 

count of 4 seconds, and adjust the count 

until you feel at your most comfortable. 

Listen to music 

Music feeds our mood and can affect 

our emotions, so listening to a few of our 

favourite tracks can make us instantly 

feel much better. If you feel like getting 

up and dancing around the room whilst 

listening to music, indulge yourself. If 

you’d prefer to sit and close your eyes 

whilst you listen on your headphones, 

that’s okay too! Do whatever works best 

for you. 

Discover your creative side 

Taking part in an activity which requires 

you to be creative can help you instantly 

de-stress. Try writing in a journal, 

doing an adult colouring book, learning 

an instrument, drawing or baking. 

Experiment with whatever feeds your 

creativity, and enjoy the process rather 

than focusing too much on what the 

outcome will be. 

Have a technology detox 

Although designed to destress, just 

the mention of those words can have 

the ability to make some people even 

more stressed than they already were! 

Checking social media is often the first 

thing we do when we wake, and the 

last thing we do before we go to bed. 

However, finding out what’s happening 

in everyone else’s life often conflicts with 

our own wellbeing; leaving us under 

constant pressure to check newsfeeds 

and scroll through new photos. Take 

a step back from your phone and 

make sure the last hour before bed 

is technology-free – this will help you 

unwind and get to sleep much quicker. 

“ 

One of the most effective ways to deal with 

stress is to learn how to silence the mind. 

” 

Top tips for 

learners! 

Get plenty of sleep 

Sleep is essential – make 

sure you’re getting at least 

8 hours a night and if you’re 

feeling tired, you could even 

think about squeezing in a 

short nap if you’re at home! 

Making sure that you get 

enough sleep will set you 

up for the day and give you 

more energy to put into your 

studies; feeling energised 

will only make you feel 

happier and healthier. 

Take a bath 

Bathing is one of the most 

relaxing things you can do: 

chuck in a bath bomb, put 

on some music and let the 

hot water take away your 

stresses. You’ll feel 100 times 

better when you get out. 

Listening to music at the 

same time as having a bath 

releases endorphins in your 

body (hormones that make 

you happy), so what could 

be more de-stressing! 

Drink water 

Staying hydrated is essential. 

If you haven’t been drinking 

enough, you’ll feel groggy 

and tired; leaving you unable 

to study when you need to. 

It’s recommended that you 

drink at least 8 glasses of 

liquid day. Water, tea, coffee 

and fruit juice all count 

towards your fluid intake. 

Make a study schedule 

If you can plan your time 

down on paper you’ll be 

able to see exactly when 

you do and don’t have time 

to study, and where you 

can get some extra revision 

in. Planning how much you 

have to do and knowing how 

long you have to do it will 

make you feel a lot better. 



Continuing 

Professional 

Development 

eLearning 

courses 

During these 

uncertain times, 

and with many staff 

at home, you can 

continue to develop 

skills and knowledge 

with one of our many 

online courses. By 

ensuring your team 

undergoes relevant 

refresher training, 

they can keep up-todate 

with the latest 

policies, procedures 

and practices – 

and it certainly 

doesn’t need to be 

expensive. 

Our full list of 

eLearning and eBook 

courses can be found 

on our website: 

parenta.com 

START YOUR TRAINING 

parenta.com/parenta-online-courses 

CPD 

accredited 

Study at 

your pace 

Affordable 

No classes 

to attend

Parenta Magazine April 2020

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?