Resources
Keeping children Safe Online
With more and more children using tablets, etc. we adults have a duty to keep them safe.
11th Feb is Safer Internet Day and there is lots of useful information, tops tips, advice and resources to help.
Visit www.saferinternetday.org.uk
Follow #SaferInternetDay and #freetobe

The transition to Primary School
At Red Hen we devote alot of effort in helping parents with the transition to school, and of course we give our children lots of support too. At Red Hen we feed into approximately 12 local schools.
https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-admissions/primary-infant-and-junior-school-places/132835.article
The following websites offers evidence backed research about summer born children who may benefit from delayed school entry:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission
https://www.mumsnet.com/education/primary/summer-born-children-starting-school

free childcare, tax-free childcare - how to apply...
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-TMvTHUCdM

SEND
we aim to help each andevery child achieve their full potential.This is our policy and practice regarding SEND. If you have any further quereis please do not hesitate to talk to us.

The importance of risk....
the HSE rcognises the importance that children learn about risk from experiencing it. At Red Hen children gain many important skills learning and managing risk whilst in the supervision of qualified adults - we support their learning but do not interfere with the thought processes of the children.

Jane Harrison, BBC food and farming awards finalist
We are proud that Jane gained public accolade in the 2012 BBC Food and Farming Awards.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p0vfj
Jane prides herself on keeping well informed about the dietary needs of young children and works hard at helping children to gain a positive attitude to good food. She is a judge for the prestigious Nursery World's Food Award, which Red Hen Day Nursery won in 2009 and she has also contributed her expertise to FirstStepsNutrition who publish lots of research based information about feeding babies and young children.

Information regarding the use of Dummies
Attached is a leaflet about the use of dummmies which was researched and presented by Jenna (one of our practitioners) as part of her Early Years Teacher studies.

Keeping children safe online
How often does your child go online? As a practitioner, carer or parent you have a duty to help keep your child safe online. This website:-
www.nspcc.org.uk
has lots of useful information about how to keep children safe online

Advice about paying for Childcare
The government is introducing new ways to help parents with childcare costs.
Whether you have toddlers or teens, you could get support.
The Government has recently developed this website to give advice for parents:-

Action for Children
'By doing what's right. By doing what's needed. By doing what works. From before they are born until they are into their twenties, we help disadvantaged children'
Please visit this website for useful information:

Tax Free Childcare
Red Hen is registered for tax-free childcare. For more advice about taxfree childcare and for a childcare calculator visit:-

Revised EYFS 2017
The latest EYFS is available at
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2017/03/EYFS_STATUTORY_FRAMEWORK_2017.pdf

START ACTIVE, STAY ACTIVE
"Active children are healthy, happy, school ready and sleep better"
We are proud that our active liefestyle at Red Hen ensures RH children achieve well above the physical activity recommendations a advised by the Chief Medical Officers.

Teaching young children how to cook
A useful webpage regarding cooking with young children:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zymgq6f

EYFS in Steiner Waldorf Settings
Although Red Hen is not a 'Steiner' establishment, alot of Steiner philosophy resonates with what we do so we are including this document on our resources page.
'Steiner education strives to bridge the divide by allowing children to grow into freedom and works with a methodology that stresses the importance of age-appropriateness, at the same time creating a secure environment of warmth and care within which the individuality of the child can find its own potential.'

The Early Years Foundation Stage: a guide for parents
http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/04/4Children_ParentsGuide_2015_FINAL_WEBv2.pdf

SLEEP: information for parents
'Sleep is as important to our bodies as food'; parents need sleep for their sanity and children need sleep for their development and well-being. However, problems with sleep are common. This booklet is published by the Department of Health and offers useful information to help.
We also recommend reading this book: Magda Gerber: your self-confident baby.
Other useful sources of information:
Janet Lansbury who is easy to find on Facebook.
www.thechildrenssleepcharity.org.uk


Favourite Red Hen RECIPES
We have a great portfolio of healthy recipes which are very popular with our Red Hen children. Recipes are available on the parents section of the website. Alos please ask Sonya or Jane for recipes of meals served in the nursery this month.

Helping Children with their Behaviour
This is a useful article about children's behaviour published by Early Education and written by Jennie Lindon:-
There is more information about promotoing positive behaviour on the parents section of this website, including Red Hen's behaviour policy.

Information to help you if your child is a fussy eater..........
http://www.firststepsnutrition.org/pdfs/Sources_of_information_on_fussy_eating_2.pdf


Standing firm to ensure a good childhood for all our young children
Sue Palmer met with David and Jane at Red Hen again. She enjoyed catching up with all our developments since her last visit in 2009 and was so enthusiastic about what we are doing here. She told me about this series of videos which are easy to watch and very informative.............
https://global.oup.com/education/content/primary/experts/sue-palmer/?view=ProductList®ion=international#
We also recommend you visit http://www.savechildhood.net/

Save Childhood - excellent website with lots of information & links

Another good read...........
WELCOME TO YOUR CHILD'S BRAIN by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang
This is really informative yet easy to read, and gives a good insight into why children do things at certain times in their development.

Professional Development
We are pleased to announce we can now accomodate visits for those who wish to know more about us and our Outstanding practice. Please phone the office for more information: 01507 603535

we love this.. (& the whole book)
This is from Sally Jenkinson's lovely book "The genius of Play" - a recommended read for parents and practitioners.

Another popular recipe!
This is the recipe for the mysterious cake that everyone enjoyed at our picnic on 3rd May.
It's easy to make and a crafty way to get them to eat veg!

10 steps to first-class nursery food
For those of you wanting tips to feeding children in a nursery setting:-
written by Jane Harrison and Annie Seeley for Nursery World; Oct 2012

Learning from the land at Redhen - Article
Nursery World Article food and free flow are at the heart of one nursey says Karen Faux

Excellent information for parents.......
Our practice at Red Hen resonates with Sue Palmer's beliefs. We recommend reading 'Toxic Childhood' as well as browsing her website:-
Sue has visited us at Red Hen and declared us 'A place where children thrive' and 'a totally untoxic place for children'

Excellent information about bringing up babies and young children...

Behaviour - biting
Has your child bitten someone, or has your child been bitten by another child. If so please see the attached information to help understand what's going on and how to deal with it.

Feeding Young Children
We specialise in feeding young children, helping children to develop good eating habits and an appreciation of good food. This is integral to our daily practice, however children's eating habits are greatly influenced by what happens outside nursery too! If you want good things from your child, don't put bad things in! We recommend you refer to https://www.infantandtoddlerforum.org/little-peoples-plates and www.theyarewhatyoufeedthem.com
Here are Red Hen's Top Tips to help your children to eat healthily:-
1. Eat together as a family, making it an enjoyable experience
2. Turn off the TV so you can talk - mealtimes are a great time to promote conversation
3. You decide what to feed your family, but give your children a chance to decide how much
4. Try to include foods from all 5 food groups each day, respect your child's preferences but do not offer an alternative. A good gauge of a spread of nutrients is to have a variety of colours (natural!) on the plate
5. Involve your child with the shopping at the supermarket or to farmer's markets - it's a great learning experience
6. Avoid processed food, additives and trans-fats
7. You are a role model to your children - if you don't eat it, don't expect them to!
8. Offer 3 meals a day and 2-3 small healthy snacks, but do not allow grazing. It does no harm for your child to experience feelings of hunger before mealtimes and also to know when he is full
9. Offer water regularly during the day and milk or water for snacks. Use beakers or cups. Bottles should not be used after the age of about 9 months. Encourage weaning off bottles when on 3 meals a day.
10. Involve your children in the meal preparation as much as possible.
AND.... Remember, fresh air and exercise = healthy appetites. You should not expect your child to eat if he is not hungry! (beware too much milk in-between meals will mean your child will be too full to enjoy eating at main mealtimes.)

Books for Christmas?
Books make a great present for Christmas. It is well researched that reading to your baby, toddler or child is one of the best ways to help your child to learn to read and write and 'The National Literacy Trust' has lists of recommended books for different ages.:-
http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/searchbooks?keys=&field_booksuitable_value_many_to_one=0-4
http://www.wordsforlife.org.uk/

Here's how to make Brussel Sprouts delicious!
Children at Red Hen enjoy Brussel Sprouts. They are a nutiritous seasonal vegetable and this recipe will help you to enjoy them with your family.
Involve the children. Young children can help buy them from the market, greengrocer or supermarket. They can pick sprouts off the stalk, and peel off the outer leaves of some. Children of 4 years upward are able to help you to chop them - It is wise for you to chop them in half first then show your child how to slice them carefully and let them have a go under your supervision.

Ideas for supporting physical development in babies....

Do you support our local farmers, producers and shops?
We put alot of effort into making sure the food at Red Hen is of the best quality. We are members of 'Select Lincolnshire' which shows our commitment to local produce.
Please support our farmers and local shops who work very hard to keep us all well fed. Here are some we particularly recommend:-
www.meridianmeatsshop.co.uk
www.trevorfairburn.co.uk/
http://www.redhillfarm.com/ Red Hill Farm also has excellent information of Farmers Markets:-

5 steps to discovering nature
David and Jane recently visited Tate Liverpool where the benefits of children experiencing nature were once again reiterated. Children are very capable artists given the freedom, ie. not constrained by adults perceptions.
For inspiration for your children, take a look at:-
http://kids1.tate.org.uk/blog/?p=1405
Please share your child's artistic works with us!

Links to countryside, nature, farming
Here are some interesting links for starters!:-
www.countrysidefoundation.org.uk
www.naturedetectives.org.uk

Sharing songs and Rhymes
Songs and Rhymes are more than fun!
Have you purchased the Red Hen Top 10 Nursery Rhyne CD? Ask in the office!



Dummies
Useful information on the use of dummies. Please note that children should not use dummies after age 1.


The Good food culture article
Click the button to download 'The Good food culture' article

Expert advice on toddler feeding.
Please click the link to go to the website that provides expert advice on toddler feeding.

