Little Explorer's Hemel

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Been saying this for years! We are held to the same high standards for training, safeguarding, curriculum and policies a...
09/04/2026

Been saying this for years! We are held to the same high standards for training, safeguarding, curriculum and policies as a nursery (rightly so!). Gone are the days we're we just mind kids in our house while we getting on with chores etc.

04/04/2026

Out and about! The weather has been kind this week 🌞

Some new garden equipment ready for the summer term. Bring on the sunshine
04/04/2026

Some new garden equipment ready for the summer term. Bring on the sunshine

20/03/2026

This week's we learned about st Patrick's day, we continued to explore mini beasts, through play, stories, songs and shows and we got out and about in the sunshine, spotting signs of spring at the farm and on walks.

12/03/2026

Spring Vibes

This week the children enjoyed open-ended citrus water play, exploring oranges through smell, colour and texture 🍊🌊We ch...
26/02/2026

This week the children enjoyed open-ended citrus water play, exploring oranges through smell, colour and texture 🍊🌊

We chose oranges as they have featured in Chinese New Year books we have been reading.
🧧🌑

As they squeezed, peeled and investigated, they developed their vocabulary, scientific thinking and fine motor strength. The colour changes in the water sparked curiosity about floating, sinking and cause and effect, while the calming sensory experience supported focus and wellbeing.

Rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage, this simple invitation to play nurtures communication, creativity, physical development and a love of exploration — all through hands-on, child-led discovery.

23/02/2026

Through February we learned about people that help us - emergency services, cleaning our teeth and healthy foods, how we show and feel love (valentines day), this week we are learning about the Luna new year, and eating Chinese food, before we move onto Spring 🌱 in March, my favorite season to watch the children discover.
As always we allow the direction of the learning to be led by the children and cover all 7 areas of the EYFS framework within the themes!
I can't wait to get outside more, persistent daily rain has really hindered longer outside play sessions this winter, as much as we wrap up, cold AND wet just isn't fun for the children (and us!)

Can you guess the theme of next week's sensory tray? 👀㊗️🐎
21/02/2026

Can you guess the theme of next week's sensory tray? 👀㊗️🐎

I noticed we had started to rush our day a little to get onto "the next activity". This sometimes happens to me because ...
10/02/2026

I noticed we had started to rush our day a little to get onto "the next activity". This sometimes happens to me because the ever changing guidelines from above make me feel like I need to be covering so many things with so little time. But now I've noticed it I will start to slow down and remember that every single experience in early years is a learning opportunity.
Rather than, "quick, let's clean up after lunch so we can get on with our day" we went back including the children in the tidy up and last week we decided to make "water play" more meaningful by offering the children the opportunity to wash and dry the dishes.
They have all embraced this responsibility and also had lots of fun!

The children really enjoyed learning about oral health. Even the younger ones seemed to grasp what foods are good for yo...
10/02/2026

The children really enjoyed learning about oral health. Even the younger ones seemed to grasp what foods are good for your teeth and what aren't. We played dentists, read books, and sang teeth cleaning songs!

The Benefits of Loose Parts PlayLoose parts play provides children with long-term benefits which improve their developme...
30/01/2026

The Benefits of Loose Parts Play

Loose parts play provides children with long-term benefits which improve their development. This is a child-led approach to learning for children to think critically, solve problems, and be creative.
Why loose parts play is important
Loose parts play is a form of play that involves using open-ended materials such as twigs, stones, buttons, seashells, or boxes to create wonderful crafts, and even curtain accessories that are pictured here, enhance children's imagination. They also provide children with long-term benefits which are important for children's development because it allows little ones to exercise their imagination, theoretical reasoning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

You might be wondering why loose parts play is important if children could just use toys to play. As children are given a variety of loose parts to play with, they are encouraged to think of unique ideas, scenarios and solutions to the challenges they encounter. This is a great way to exercise their brain muscles for healthy brain function with an increase in focus and cognitive development.

In all learning environments, children should be provided with learning opportunities that work to improve the 7 areas of learning. These core learning areas help practitioners, parents and carers support children by using activities that could help promote wonderful results in development. So, loose parts are important because they provide little ones with plenty of ideas which touch on all 7 areas of learning.

16/12/2025

Run, run as fast as you can...

Address

Hemel Hempstead
HP12QW

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 6pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6pm
Friday 7:30am - 6pm

Telephone

+447999032756

Website

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