Vanessa Thornton

About Me

I have an Ofsted certificate for childminding. I have been DBS checked by Ofsted, Food & Hygiene, Safeguarding, A Paediatric Military first aid certificate, Liability certificate, I.C.O certificate. I now accept 9 month old, 2,3,4yr old Government funding. To date I also have 47 certificates covering all areas of childcare through the childcare website. I will be involving the children in creative work we also dabble with a lot of Montessori wooden toys, and fully concentrate in the 7 areas of learning too, which really help the children fully understand about all the 7 areas of learning. We like drawing, painting, play dough and salt dough cooking, messy play, also making cakes, dressing up, making biscuits, learning about Easter, Christmas St. David's and Georges day etc to help them understand our British values as we celebrate them and other cultural religions, and how they celebrate them. We have French, Mauritian, Slovakian, and Jamacian children where we are learning some of their basic languages. Also taking the children to the park and I will ensure that if it rains that will not spoil our day going out we can splash in the puddles . We are so lucky to have rides in the tractor and combine understanding about the process of harvesting, how plants grow from seed and their life cycle, learning about animals and the farm, from wheat to how it gets to the shops, and turning it into flour to making cakes. I have a collection of rain gear for the children to wear , in autumn collect the leaves and run through them, I have a very large mixture of children's toys from 1yr to 5yrs +.
We have lots of story books which we will have a set time for story time which will be an adventure for the children. helping the children to learn to count, communicate, their colours, shapes and decision making too, which hopefully will involve the children pairing up socks to help them to learn colours and count in numbers or groups, and how to be helpful, We will also go on days out e.g to the farm, zoo's the beach, local parks, childminding groups, Sensory groups, Army camps, bird sanctury, walking and incorporating the wildlife hopefully !. We have a ' choose a picture tea cup ' which we turn into a story. I will also be offering breakfast for the early starters, home cooked meals either for lunch time or tea time.

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** I HAVE 3 DAY TIME VACANCIES *****
I accomodate ages from 2yrs-4.5yrs AVAILABLE ** Monday - Friday 07.45am-17.00hrs,
. Hours are negotiable.

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We have such a fun packed day as we are on the Farm which range from lovely countryside walks and drives, to in the garden where all the children participate in planting their runner beans, tomatoe plants, pumpkins in the garden and indoor pots to observe how they grow, and Sunflowers as we have a race to see whose has the tallest and incorporating measurements so maths is incorporated in their learning and understanding the value of money. e.g the height of the plants. The children plant squashes cucumbers tomatoes strawberry the list in endless they water them etc., we have caterpillars and we watch their life cycle, tadpoles in april, the beach and crabbing sandcastles then autumn time putting on our wellies and plastic rain coats and trousers and go splashing in every puddle we can find, indoors and the garden I have a trampoline and playhouse and outdoor toys,
We also dabble in Montessori areas too, drawing, painting mixing colours creating new colours, experimenting with water from learning about big and small quantities to weighing, finger painting, messy play, sticky corner creating their little master pieces of art etc.,to cooking. I try to encourage children at a young age if possible to pairing up coloured socks and learning to say their colours and counting in a fun way, we also have a nap time in the afternoon after lunch and story time.

Also children to which I have in half term... this is what we do on our adventures !!!

We go to Bournemouth beach ( Mudeford, Southbourne,) beautiful sandy beaches and clear bluey-green sea investigate the rock pooles and collect shells sea weed ( and half the beach ). or go to Snow trax in Ringwood and go down the artificial snow on Ringo's with helmets on catering for all ages they absolutely love it. We are also lucky to visit a friends farm to see calves and lambs being born, also go into Burley in the New Forest for ice creams and see the New Forest ponies. And as we live on the farm the children have special treats when Farmer Mark lets us experience riding in his tractor when ploughing, and the combine when harvesting too.
Then in the summer we go to pick our own strawberries locally, and October time we are off up the garden choosing our own pumpkins ready to carve.
I get all the children from any age to experience growing their own veg and fruit and flowers plants holding and planting the seeds, watering and caring for them, also learning to measure them too incorporating our maths, and understanding the outside world too.

So by the end of the day your little one will be exhausted in a fun packed way. And me toooooo !!

So please feel free to view my profile and reviews, and if you would like to contact me on the childcare website.