Indoor activities
Here at Little Acorns there are plenty of toys to play with. For example we have a garage and lots of cars, as well as dolls and accessories. There’s a wide selection of books and pretend play items as well as bricks to name just a few. Loose parts are a big feature and we have lots of fun whilst learning at the same time. We also do lots of activities such as gathering spring flowers and autumn leaves and using them creatively.
Outdoor activities
We’ve got a total of three garden areas here at Little Acorns! One part features a slide and a seasaw and lots of garden games – access only from the back door. We also have the wild garden – here we have picnics, read books and spot birds and wildlife and beyond this is a huge paddock with trees and wildflowers and perfect for little legs to take a stroll around. We’ve also got a patio area right outside the back door where we have a mud kitchen, water table and lots more! The emphasis here is on outdoor play and nature and why not when we have all this lovely space.
Out and about
Children under five have bags of energy and usually don’t care what the weather is doing! For this reason I think it important to get out and do interesting things whatever the weather. Luckily in my area we have lots of options.
Here are some of them.
Rainy day trips
Library
Toddler groups
Soft play
Drop in centres
Museums
Jumping in puddles (wellies/umbrellas at the ready!)
Sunny or dry day trips
Swing parks
Woodland
Sheringham Bower – Den building, pond dipping etc
Amazona Zoo
National Trust Parks
Feeding the ducks
Nature trails
Local Area
The village (Gresham) where I live is rural. (About 3 miles from Cromer, Sheringham and Holt) This means it is quiet and safe. There are lots of nice safe walks from my doorstep (all along a path or pavement) and a well stocked children’s park with a huge field, picnic tables. I also live next door to a well kept meadow which offers a lovely walk through along a cut path with long grasses and wild flowers which attract an interesting selection of bugs and butterflies. Perfect for a bug hunt or even a bear hunt! We have bug collectors with magnified tops so we can look into detail at any bugs we find. The walk there is adequate for little legs, (although suitable for pushchairs if needed) so it makes a great picnic destination on a nice day.
I think it is important for the children to socialise and I will endeavor to take them to local toddler groups where they can play alongside other children, enjoy a change of scenery and join in with group activities such as singing and dancing. We also walk through town and talk about the shops and what they sell. There are parks we can visit too and this makes a nice day out. Safe care seats are provided for the correct age of each child and pushchairs and rain covers/blankets too.
