Corby Childminder Michelle

16/06/2026

The highlight of today was watching a squirrel enjoying a milkshake in the woods. Every time someone approached it ran to hide in the long grass waiting for a safe time to return. The children thought this was hilarious, R said, “I’m jealous, I like strawberry milkshake”. We stood for ages, quietly watching it.

The children commented how naughty it is to drop litter, they are always keen to put theirs in the correct bin. Sometimes too keen, not letting me finish my coffee because they want to throw away the cup. 🤣 We also chatted about what squirrels would usually eat.

10/06/2026

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has an article with some tips about ensuring children’s toys are safe. I regularly see toys being promoted online that aren’t safe. There are many toys sold online that don’t meet the UK’s rigorous safety tests, it’s always best to buy from reputable manufacturers or small businesses that have their toys CE tested to meet European standards.
The full article is here: https://capt.org.uk/buy-safe-toys/

10/06/2026

08/06/2026

We booked to attend the story time and craft session at the library this morning. The children listened to Claire tell a story about a DJing dog and a cat in disguise who attended the dog disco and slipped on dog wee! 🤣 Afterwards they had the opportunity to make their own dancing dog.

I promised that when we got home they would have the opportunity to use our scissor to practise their snipping skills.

01/06/2026

Possibly a controversial question, should children be allowed to climb up slide? This was something the children enjoyed doing today. Pulling themselves up by their arms develops strength needed but aside from that, it encourages negotiation and turn taking. Whilst scrolling through Facebook this evening I came across an image explaining more about the benefits, I’m not sure whose image it was to give credit for sharing.

17/05/2026

Why So Many Girls Grow Up Feeling “Different” Without Knowing Why
A lot of autistic girls don’t get noticed because they learn very early how to blend in.
They study conversations before speaking. They rehearse reactions. They force eye contact even when it feels uncomfortable. They become the “quiet,” “mature,” “sensitive,” or “overthinking” girl while carrying constant exhaustion underneath.
Many grow up believing they are just too emotional, too awkward, too intense, or “hard to understand.” What people often miss is how much energy it takes to mask confusion, sensory overwhelm, social anxiety, and the fear of getting something wrong.
Because autism in girls and women can look different than stereotypes, many spend years feeling out of place before finally realizing their brain was never broken.
It was simply trying to survive in a world that expected them to hide who they really were.

12/05/2026

We spend the morning at Irchester Country Park at a network event organised by the Early Years Team at Northamptonshire County Council. The team had provided a range of activities linked to the Stickman book. The children gathered on rugs to listen to the story before heading off on a woodland walk with their tick-list ready to follow the trail. Once we’d found all the pictures we returned to the field where the children tried to free Stickman from ice, make Stickman designs on playdough with natural materials, make potions, read books and play with puppets and do some weaving.

When we first arrived the children were unsure of joining in, they’d seen the play park and wanted to be there instead! By the end, I couldn’t get them to leave the activity area, “this is great” one of them said.

Thank you very much to every one at NNC who was involved with the organisation and took on board feedback that we’d love to have events like this!

07/05/2026

Week 11 of the Think Equal project, “The Tale of Baby Beetroot. The learning outcomes are to recognise kind behaviour and continue to celebrate diversity. Baby Beetroot is moved from the nursery to the garden. He was initially excited but then scared when he saw that everyone different.

01/05/2026

Week 10 of taking part in the Think Equal programme, the book was ‘The Wall’. This programme hasn’t been easy in a small childminding setting, the activities are geared at groups of 4/5 year olds. However, with some adaptations this one was popular with the group, ages 19 months to nearly 4 years. They worked together to create a piece of art work, we need to source some red/purple paper to finish it next week.