Monthly Archives: February 2024

Lets be safe on-line

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The World Wide Web
The internet can be a wonderful place to learn, play games and talk to your friends if it is used safely.  Many children are confident that they know how to be safe online and that they know all about the sites that they visit. However, there are a few reasons children are often more at risk. They may not always think about the consequences of their actions, which can cause them to share too much information about themselves on sites that they shouldn’t. They may think they are talking to someone they know when they are not.
In our Out of School Club we are continuously talking to our children about being safe online and encouraging them to share their worries and concerns if they have any. We encourage them to share information not just about themselves but any worries they have about their friends as well. We constantly reassure the children that we are there to help and listen.

To ensure internet safety for your children, below are some guidelines from Online Safety (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth.

  • Follow the family rules.
  • Never post or trade personal pictures.
  • Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location.
  • Use only a screen name and don’t share passwords (other than with parents).
  • Never agree to get together in person with anyone you met online without parent’s permission.
  • Keep children’s computer in a common area of the house so it can be seen.
  • Install parental locks on child’s devices.
  • Parents can frequently check children’s browser history.
For further information on safety on-line please visit:

Healthy Eating

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Healthy Eating for Young Children
A child’s learning and development is impacted by their lifestyle and in particular their diet and activity levels. The importance of a healthy balanced diet is crucial during their early years. We all know how difficult it can be to get children to eat their fruits and vegetables because they are good for them but by doing this through play we help our little ones to understand what foods help their bodies to grow big and strong and which don’t.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar story is a brilliant way to do this as the caterpillar grows big and strong when he eats all the fruits throughout the week but develops a tummy ache when he eats foods that don’t help his body on Saturday. Our children love getting involved with a story sack with physical objects they can hold and move around. We talk about the different foods and whether or not they will help the caterpillar to grow or possibly give him a tummy ache. We also allow the children to explore different foods through messy play, this can be through printing with them in paint to create art work or by using them to develop cutting skills with safety knives. These activities spark some wonderful conversations and get the children asking lots of questions about the foods they eat or foods they have never seen before.
We have provided a link to the NHS’s Healthier Families website which is full of advice and tips to help with leading a healthy balanced lifestyle for the whole family as well as a link to the BBC Food website with some lovely recipes ideas to try with your little ones at home.