 It's July and summer is finally with us so in this physical development bulletin we are thinking of lots of outdoor activities you can enjoy with your children. Although at the start, the summer holidays seem to stretch on for ever, they'll soon whiz by so make a start to get out and about as soon as possible to make the most of the opportunities for physical activity and memory making.
 Why not see how many different types of outdoor activities you can do over the summer, all of which are low or no cost and help to develop children's muscles through gross or fine motor movements? You could try paddling, running through a splash park, climbing up and rolling down a grassy hill, running on the shingle beach, skimming stones across the water, jumping over the shallow waves. Why not try a walk in the countryside? Spend time in the park, play on the swings, ride a bike, trike or scooter around the path, run around the field, dig in the sand, gather up pebbles on a beach, go on a scavenger hunt. Why not make an obstacle course, chase and catch bubbles, scarves or balloons, make large artworks from discarded sticks, branches, leaves and grass that you find on the ground. Paint large pebbles that you've found on the beach, do leaf or tree trunk bark rubbings, make a collage from wild flowers that have been pressed between two pieces of kitchen roll inside a heavy book.
 Look out for signs of summer to stimulate your senses with our special treasure hunt.
 The summer months are an ideal time to encourage those children that are showing signs that they are ready to potty train.
The children's bowel and bladder charity, ERIC website is particularly helpful as it goes through step by step about when and how to potty train and has some useful links to resources to help support both practitioners and parents when potty training, including advice for helping children with special educational needs and disabilities. Please check out the link below and feel free to share with parents.
 We have had a lot of hot sunny days recently, but remember, you can burn in the UK even when it's cloudy, so please take care of your own and children's skin every summer's day. Young skin is very delicate and easily damaged by the sun, therefore all children should be protected from the sun. Children experience about one quarter of their total lifetime exposure to sun before they are 18 and studies have shown that blistering sunburn in childhood can double the risk of developing melanoma in later life. Therefore, parents and carers must take responsibility for protecting children's skin and eyes, as they cannot be expected to undertake sun protection themselves. Children (like adults) with fair or red hair, pale eyes or freckles are most at risk but all need to be protected. All babies under six months should be kept out of direct sunlight, especially around midday. The Karen Clifford skin charity SKCIN website has lots of free information and resources that you can use to promote sun safety, including the five S's of sun safety:
- SLIP on a t-shirt
- SLOP on some SPF 30+ broad spectrum UVA sunscreen
- SLAP on a broad brimmed hat
- SLIDE on quality sunglasses
- SHADE from the sun whenever possible
You can also be accredited as a sun safe setting. For more information follow the link here.
 There are so many benefits for children and adults getting outside and if you're occupied and having fun you won’t have even noticed that you are out and about and doing physical exercise.
Cloud gazing
Encourage your child(ren) to see what shapes they can find in the clouds and create a story around what they see. Talk about how fast they are moving if it's windy/try to race them across a field (if it is safe to do so).
Pitta pockets
- ½ white or wholemeal pitta bread
- 25g cooked, chopped skinless chicken breast (replace with ham, egg, cheese, Quorn or other alternatives for dietary preferences)
- ¼ cucumber, cut into chunks
- 4 cherry tomatoes, halved
Open up the pitta (like a pocket). Fill the pitta half with the chicken breast, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Wrap it up in paper or foil and take it outside to eat and enjoy, adding a small amount of low fat dressing if needed.
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Pirate jelly boats
- 5 large oranges
- 135g (1 pack) sugar-free strawberry jelly
- 100 g mixed fresh fruit pieces – pomegranate seeds, blueberries and raspberries
- Paper and straws for decoration
Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice out of each one. Pour the juice into a jug and set aside. Scrape the white pith out of the skins and discard. Sit the orange halves on a tray (you may need to cut a little off some of the bases without cutting through the skin to help them sit evenly without wobbling). Break the jelly into pieces and place in a measuring jug. Pour over boiling water up to the 250ml mark. Stir in the reserved orange juice along with enough cold water to make it up to 500ml. Divide the fresh fruit among the orange halves and then pour over the jelly until it almost reaches the top. Place the tray in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or until the jelly is set. Whilst waiting for the jelly to set, make the masts and sails from paper triangles stuck onto drinking straws and push into the jelly once set to decorate the boats.
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