A recent report from the Guardian highlighted the growing severity of tooth decay in young children. Statistics show that in 2012-13, more than 36,000 surgical procedures were carried out to remove teeth from children and teenagers in England.
Read moreChild led play
For two weeks now on forest school we have been exploring the mud kitchen in the lower paddock. When we arrived the children got stuck in straight away with no holding back. In the kitchen we have the usual pots, pans and utensils for the children to play with.
Read moreThe adventures of under the arch!
So a new term normally means new toys, and that means new imagination, new adventures and more fun. Burrow and Den parents, I expect you've noticed we've had a little move around and there's some new bits and bobs about.
Read moreLift the Bar
Working in childcare is an emotionally and physically draining, we decided as a team that we also needed to invest time in looking after ourselves and do our best to buck the trend of the two hour toilet research!
Read moreCooking with Jayne
At Free Rangers we aim to provide children with a healthy, nutritious and varied diet of foods. We also aim to support children to gain and develop important life skills in a fun and interactive way.
Read moreHealthy Habits lead to Healthy Outcomes
Some of you may recall a few months ago when we asked families to get involved in our ‘Greenway Challenge’. Back then we were working towards achieving our Department of Public Health: Healthy Outcomes Certificate, which we received in March.
Read moreFrom The Hive to The Burrow and from the Burrow to the Den
It’s that time of year again when we say hello to our new children and goodbye to our older children as we move into new rooms. Don’t panic yet, the official moving date won’t be until September
Read moreSunflowers
Back at the beginning of April a group of Den children planted some sunflower seeds. Over the last few months we have been watering them and observing their progress.
Read moreOUR NEW CLIMBING FRAME - NOURISHING THAT SENSE OF ADVENTURE!
In the words of Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, authors of Nature’s Playground: Life is full of risk, so the best way to prepare children for life is to ensure they know how to judge risk for themselves. The children in the Den became curious looking at the box which had been delivered to their room.
Read moreThe Free Rangers Mini 3 Peaks Challenge
You may have noticed recently some of your Free Rangers staff tackled the 3 Peaks Challenge, attempting to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in under 24hrs. Whilst this challenge fell at the feet of an intrepid few nursery staff, we wanted to extend the challenge to our Free Range kids as well, and set about challenging them to their own sponsored mini 3 Peaks.
Read moreSleeping bunnies
In the Burrow, the sleep routine begins with the early morning conversations between parents and staff about any changes in home sleep patterns - has the child slept well or woken early or is the child may be growing out of an afternoon nap?
Read moreUnder the Arch!
As many of you know, there is an arch way at Free Rangers that is just through the main gates, before you get to the Burrow. Most parents would walk under the arch every day to get to the Burrow and Den rooms.
Read moreStrawberries!
Since moving our strawberries to their new position in the ‘strawberry bed’ in the Farmhouse Garden, we have been eagerly awaiting the appearance of the delicious, juicy fruits that we have come to expect from our crop.
Read moreDigging Deep for Free Rangers
You might be aware that we recently completed The Department of Health's "Healthy Outcomes Certificate in Early Years". As part of this, we organised a Big Dig day in a bid to add an extra dimension to our little patch of Somerset.
Read morePlots and Pots
Parents en route to the Hive may have noticed a few changes to the old baby garden plot over the last few weeks. We are in the process of moving our plant and veg growing area from the bottom of the main garden to the old baby garden plot.
Read moreHENRY – Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young
I recently attended a BANES Early Years training course titled HENRY, which stands for Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young. I was interested in finding out about the right kinds of foods and amounts of foods that we should be feeding our children at Free Rangers.
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