Cardboard boxes are ultimate open-ended “loose parts” in early years settings.
It boosts imagination, problem-solving, and motor skills as children turn simple packaging into dens, vehicles, and sorting games.📦
Learning Benefits
Open-ended play: Boxes have no fixed rules, letting children decide how to use them.
Physical development: Lifting, crawling inside, and stacking large boxes build gross motor skills.
Communication: Children talk, negotiate, and build stories together during roleplay.
STEM skills: Cutting holes for sorting or joining boxes helps kids explore size, shape, and balance.
Activity Ideas
Den building: Stack large appliance boxes or use pegs and fabric to make cozy reading spaces.
Posting boxes: Cut slots in small boxes for children to post lolly sticks, counters, or shapes.
Small world play: Paint plain boxes to create stables, fire stations, or castle backdrops.
Mark making: Let children draw, paint, or stick tape directly onto the cardboard surfaces.
#losepartsplay #cardboardbox #freeplay
Inductions are not just good practice – it is a legal requirement under the EYFS Statutory Framework (Section 3.26) and essential for safe, consistent, high‑quality care.
Over the next few weeks, you may come across some new faces, please keep a look out and say “Hello”.
Here at both Nursery Lodge and London Lodge, we have been taking part in our annual inductions and team meetings, making sure all staff have the relevant up to date training and knowledge.
Who’s looking forward to a new academic year?
#newstafftraining #newtermnewgoals #safguarding #staffinductions
Preparation for our new starters-
Visual schedules use pictures, icons, or words to map out a child’s daily routine, providing key benefits such as reducing anxiety, encouraging independence, and easing transitions between activities. These tools transform abstract concepts of time into clear, predictable steps that those with communication needs—can easily understand. 🏡🍴🚽
#visualroutines #communication #nowandnext
Attending or participating in a Gingerbread Man theatre production offers rich developmental, educational, and social benefits. It promotes early literacy, strengthens storytelling comprehension, and boosts creative confidence. The engaging, interactive formats—frequently featuring puppets and sing-alongs—cultivate teamwork and help younger children engage with narrative arts.
*This morning we had a lovely outdoor performance of one of our favourites the ‘Gingerbread Man’*
🌿 We’re Hiring! Join Our Forest School Nursery Team 🌿
Do you love working with children and enjoy spending time outdoors? We’re looking for passionate, caring, and enthusiastic people to join our Forest School Nursery team!
🍃 Work in a beautiful outdoor learning environment
🌱 Inspire children through nature-based play and exploration
💚 Be part of a supportive and welcoming team
📍 Nonsuch Park(Cheam/Ewell)
📍Walton on the Hill.
🕒 Full-time and Part-time positions are available across our three nursery settings.
👩🏽💼Management positions available
If you’re qualified in Early Years (or have relevant experience) and share our passion for outdoor learning, we’d love to hear from you!
📩 Send your CV to suzannewalsh@nonsuchparkforestschool.com
or DM us for more information.
*Please share this post with anyone who might be interested!
#WereHiring #ForestSchool #NurseryJobs #EarlyYears #ChildcareJobs OutdoorLearning ForestSchoolNursery NatureBasedLearning JoinOurTeam EarlyYearsEducator
Name-threading activities are interactive, hands-on learning games where children lace beads, buttons, or pipe cleaners onto strings or cardboard to spell names. They are fantastic for building fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and name recognition in early childhood.
🔤👧🏽🧒🏾
#threadingactivity #letterrecognitionactivity #finemotorskills
Mud kitchens provide essential early years development by stimulating sensory exploration, building fine motor skills, and fostering imaginative role-play. This open-ended outdoor activity supports social interaction through cooperative play while naturally introducing early math and science concepts such as volume, measuring, and cause-and-effect.
This year we have had an upgrade into our Nursery Lodge’s ‘Mud Kitchen’, this is such a hot spot in our garden where all the children learn and explore whilst being within the outdoor world.
#mudkitchenplay #forestschool #nurserydevelopment
Pizza Express experience-
Making pizza with young children boosts their confidence, improves fine motor skills through kneading and spreading, and encourages them to try new foods. The hands-on experience demystifies ingredients and gives them a sense of ownership, making them much more likely to happily eat their creations.
Our children who will be starting Reception class come September, enjoyed a lovely treat at our local Pizza Express. Such a lovely memory shared by all. 🍕
#pizzaexpress #teamactivity #endoftermfun