Mark, Author at Little Cedars Day Nursery

About Mark

Mark helps companies market themselves online through the use of strategic, search-engine-friendly copywriting for websites, blogs and social media. High quality, original content of this type radically improves search engine rankings and increases traffic and qualified enquiries for any business. Mark and his team also create high quality, responsive websites for clients, as well as high performing pay-per-click advertising campaigns (e.g. Google Ads) where required. Learn more.

Entries by Mark

Activities, Bees, Butterflies, Childcare, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Insects, Learning & Development, Learning through play, Nature, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pollinators, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, Toddlers, Under-5s

Sowing & Growing Wildflowers – a Nature-Based Activity for Kids

Sowing & Growing Wildflowers - A Nature-Based Activity for Kids

This nature-based activity benefits the children taking part, the natural environment, pollinators like bees and butterflies and even humanity as a whole. In today’s guide, we outline a simple but powerful nature-based activity that will be both fun and educational for children and under-fives. This one is all about how to sow wildflower seeds. Once growing, these will bring beauty and wonder to any setting. The activity will also complement our recent Butterfly-Spotting Activity for Kids as it should result in exactly that kind of little visitor to the child’s world — along with bees, insects, hoverflies, damselflies, and possibly even dragonflies and birds. Sowing and growing wildflowers really is very simple and the results will be beneficial in a multitude of ways. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to approach this excellent children’s activity and learn why it’s so worthwhile.

18 July 2023/by Mark

Babies, Childcare, Early Years Education, Early Years Foundation Stage, Education, EYFS, Health & Wellbeing, Infants, Learning & Development, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Preschool, Streatham, Toddlers, Under-5s

Guide to the Progress Check at Two

The Progress Check at 2 – it's purpose, who & what are involved, etc.

At Little Cedars Nursery, we understand the importance of monitoring growth in children’s learning and development and ensuring they are reaching their full potential. With that in mind, today’s article is a detailed guide to the Progress Check at Two. An essential milestone in children’s early development, the assessment leads to profound benefits for young children. So, today, we will walk you through everything you need to know about the Progress Check at Two, its purpose, what to expect, and how parents* can actively participate.

30 June 2023/by Mark

Activities, Animals & Pets, Butterflies, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Free stuff, Infants, Learning & Development, Nature, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, Toddlers, Tooting, Under-5s

Free Butterfly-Spotting Activity & Poster for Children

Free Butterfly-Spotting Activity Poster for Children.

See high resolution detail when you zoom in on the butterfly images in the poster. Following on from our bird-spotting article and poster published in March, we now bring you a matching butterfly-spotting activity. Butterflies are both beautiful and adorable. As such, children will love them and will enjoy spending time around them during this activity. Like before, it comes with another free poster for children to print out, display, learn from and enjoy. Butterfly spotting is another wonderful way to get children outdoors to enjoy the fresh air and benefit from everything that nature has to offer.

This time around, we showcase 36 beautiful butterflies that can be seen in many parts of Britain. Indeed, that was one of the main criteria we used when deciding which butterflies to include. Having said that, some of the butterflies will be more common than others and we really don’t expect every child to spot all 36 butterflies that are featured — although it’s possible if they’re patient and adventurous! It’s a lovely challenge for children, though, and spotting such beautiful creatures may begin to instil in them an appreciation of nature and all the amazing creatures within it. That would be a good thing because nature is more under threat than ever and children of today will eventually become custodians of Britain’s phenomenal natural environment. Nature will also benefit children in many profound ways, including spiritually and even academically.

17 June 2023/by Mark

Activities, Animals & Pets, Early Years, Early Years Education, Learning & Development, Learning through play, Nature, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Toddlers, Under-5s

Bird Feeders: a Creative ‘Nature’ Activity for Kids

A wonderful way to encourage young children to enjoy and learn from nature is for parents to help them make bird feeders. There are many ways to approach this creative, fun activity and it’s sure to result in lots of our feathered friends visiting. Birds are delightful creatures that are simply a joy to see and hear. They will also greatly appreciate the extra food, particularly at times of the year when it’s more scarce or when they have little mouths to feed. So, this is an activity that’s a win for everyone! Some birds may even become regulars if the food is topped up. In fact, we’ve given some of our own visiting birds names as they now come every day and even stare through the window at us when food needs topping up! With all this in mind, today, we take a look at some of the simple ways children can make home-made bird feeders to encourage birds to visit. Take a look and see how easy and creative the activity can be.

31 May 2023/by Mark

Babies, Childcare, Early Years Education, Early Years Foundation Stage, EYFS, Infants, Learning & Development, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, The Blossom Parent App, Toddlers, Under-5s

The Blossom Parent App (Rough Guide)

Staying on top of children’s activities, nappy changes, meals, and developmental milestones can be a challenge for parents when they happen away from home at the child’s childcare nursery. At Little Cedars, however, we use the Blossom app to take care of all of this. The mobile phone app is designed to help make things easier for parents by providing real-time updates on children’s activities and progress, as well as providing a convenient platform for communication between parent and childcare provider. In today’s guide, we’ll take a closer look at the Blossom app, its benefits, and how it can be used to bolster the partnership between childcare providers and parents.

“A window into your child’s time at nursery. Accessible from anywhere. Anytime.”

16 May 2023/by Mark

Bilingualism, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Infants, Language, Learning & Development, Multilingualism, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Speaking, Speech, Streatham, Toddlers, Under-5s

Bilingualism in Early Childhood – Why it Matters & How to Support it

Young children are naturally wired to learn languages and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t learn more than one, particularly if they receive appropriate support. Bilingualism refers to the ability to speak two or more languages fluently. In today’s globalised world, being bilingual – or multilingual – has become an increasingly valuable asset. For children, bilingualism can offer numerous benefits, including enhanced cognitive development, improved language skills, and greater cultural awareness. However, raising a bilingual child can also present a few challenges, such as language confusion and potentially a slower rate of vocabulary acquisition in each separate language. In today’s article, we explore the benefits and challenges of bilingualism in children, as well as strategies for supporting their bilingual language development. This may better enable parents and caregivers to support the language development of children under their care. Let’s take a look.

28 April 2023/by Mark

Childcare, Childcare Funding, Childcare Funding for Students, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Free Childcare, Free Childcare through Universal Credit, Funding, Learning & Development, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, Toddlers, Under-5s

Rough Guide to Free Childcare in England (2023 Edition)

Rough Guide to Free Childcare for Children in England (2023 Edition)

Today we provide a rough guide to free childcare schemes available in England. There are many different ways eligible families can obtain at the very least some free childcare, so today we look at the various Government schemes and options available. The good news is that there is even one that’s available to pretty much everyone — and it’s quite generous. We’ll take a look at that childcare funding scheme first.

19 April 2023/by Mark

Activities, Animals & Pets, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Free stuff, Infants, Learning & Development, Learning through play, Nature, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, Toddlers, Under-5s

Free Bird-Spotting Activity Poster for Children

The high resolution bird images show great detail if you zoom in. Spring arrives in the UK on 20th March, according to the meteorological calendar. As well as plants beginning to shoot, daffodils flowering and trees starting to bud, an increased number of wild birds can now be seen too. While a few overwintered here in England, many will have spent winter abroad, where it’s warmer, and only begin to return to the UK once spring begins. So, come springtime, more and more varieties of birds can be spotted — and that’s what today’s post is all about. To encourage children to appreciate, enjoy and learn from nature, we have put together a bird identifier poster that children and parents can download for free, print out to A3 or A4, or view on screen in beautiful high resolution. It highlights 37 species of bird that are popular in England, which children can try to spot as the days and weeks go by. Children can perhaps tick off each type of bird that they spot. With a little help from parents for the youngest children, this activity is a great way to teach them the different bird names and help them to recognise the different types as time goes by. It’s also a great children’s pastime that will encourage them to really appreciate nature. Children will love this activity and feel a real sense of achievement as they learn more about these wonderful, feathered visitors.

31 March 2023/by Mark

Babies, Childcare, Childcare Funding, Early Years, Early Years Education, Education, Free Childcare, Free Childcare through Universal Credit, Funding, Nurseries, Nursery, Pre-schools, Preschool, Spring Budget 2023, Streatham, Under-5s

Childcare Funding Reforms — Spring Budget 2023

Childcare Funding Reforms from the Chancellor's Spring Budget 2023

Childcare funding is set to be positively revolutionised following the Chancellor's Spring Budget, 2023. March 15th 2023 saw the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Budget announcement, which included news of extra funding to cover costs for childcare. Crucially, the new funding will support childcare for infants as young as 9 months old for the first time, as well as including other positive changes. Although it’ll be introduced in stages, the free funding should be welcome news for those parents who will be eligible. Let’s take a look today at the proposed childcare changes, including which age groups will benefit, what extra funding is promised to support families and when the new help will become available.

18 March 2023/by Mark

Activities, Early Years, Early Years Education, Early Years Foundation Stage, Education, Language, Learning & Development, Learning through play, Mathematics, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-schools, Preschool, Preschoolers, Streatham, SW16, Toddlers, Under-5s

Introducing Maths Language to Toddlers

Introducing Maths Words, Language & Concepts to Toddlers

Mathematics is an essential part of everyday life and an understanding of basic maths concepts is crucial for success in virtually all walks of life. However, many children struggle with maths and have negative attitudes towards the topic. To prevent this, it is important to introduce maths concepts and vocabulary to children at a young age. Fortunately toddlers are at a period of development where they can learn and understand a range of maths words and concepts when given the opportunity. And, by introducing mathematical concepts and vocabulary to toddlers in a fun and engaging way, adults can help children develop a strong foundation in maths and foster a positive attitude towards the subject.

In today’s article, we will explore why it is important to introduce maths language and concepts to toddlers, how parents/caregivers can help those toddlers learn and understand them, and which specific maths-related words can be successfully introduced at this young age. We will also suggest some activities that parents can use to help their toddlers develop a good maths vocabulary.

28 February 2023/by Mark