Month: February 2017


Feb
2017

Lunchtime Funtime

categories: Meals and Food

As an OFSTED registered childminder it is my duty to positively promote the health and well-being of the children in my care. By encouraging healthy eating habits in childhood we can help influence health and well-being in later life. The food I provide is fresh, healthy, wholesome and nutritious.

I am committed to providing the children in my care with a healthy diet. To grow and stay healthy children need to eat a nutritionally well balanced diet.

So I wanted to start to share some of the meals we enjoy here at Aston Childcare.

For lunch today my son and 18 month old mindee enjoyed Cream of Tomato Soup and fresh baked wholemeal bread.

I started making this recipe when my son hit an incredibly fussy stage with eating, and, at my wits end, I turned to Annabel Karmel’s  Baby and Toddler recipe book and “The Fussy Eater” chapter!  It claims “This tasty tomato soup made with fresh tomatoes, carrots and onion is popular with children. Blending vegetables into a soup is a good way to encourage your child to eat more vegetables”. And sure enough, he loved it. It provides beta-carotene, potassium, and Vitamins A, C and E.

I am glad to say that  it is now a firm favourite here.


Feb
2017

From a Mother to Another…

categories: Uncategorized

Such a wonderful and worthwhile way to donate your children’s outgrown clothes that I had to share…

http://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/famta?utm_campaign=272928_UK_FAMTAsolus_1702&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Dotmailer&dm_i=3WZ9,5ULC,1GBZIU,JZI5,1

 

 


Feb
2017

In today’s news: A third of children ‘not reaching expectations’

categories: Uncategorized

This is a worrying story in today’s news that says a third of children are ‘not reaching expectations’ in the early years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/d/education-39002023

As childminder’s we have a great responsibility to ensure children are developing well and are school ready. I firmly believe that the formative years shape a child’s future. They are the foundation that shapes children’s future. It is well known that Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life.

Here at Aston Childcare these are just some of the ways that I ensure children are making progress and developing the skills they need for the future –

  • I collect childrens starting points when they start with me to enable me to track their progress during their time with me.
  • I observe the children in all 7 areas of learning – Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Communication and Language, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design
  • I plan activities to ensure learning and progress in all 7 areas of learning
  • I look for signs that children are displaying characteristics of effective learning – playing and exploring, active learning and Creating and thinking critically
  • When children turn two I perform a 2 year check along with their health visitor to flag any concerns or issues
  • Continuous communication with parents ensure that we can identify any issues with their child early
  • An online learning journey shared with parents and, where applicable, other settings, logs all my observations and termly reports
  • In the year before they start school I discuss what is meant by a child being “school ready” with the parents and share information with parents on this.
  • I aim to promote childrens independence by providing them with lots of opportunities to do things for themselves be that drinking from open topped cups, putting on their own coats, socks and shoes or washing their hands
  • I encourage children to share and be considerate of others
  • I do a mixture of child and adult led activities throughout the week taking chances to teach children throughout by modelling language, questioning, facilitating, setting challenges, demonstrating and explaining.