If you are of a certain age and cast your mind back to those long summer holidays when you were a child you may well have spent time building a den or fort. Dens are an amazing way of firing up your child's imagination and creative side. Don't just take our word for it, here are the thoughts of design engineer Dejan Mitrovic on how to build the world’s best den: 1. Start with a plan Every good design project starts with a plan. Does that sound too much like hard work? It’s no

With better weather on the horizon, it is a tell-tale sign that we are on our way to that exciting time of year when some of our oldest friends move on to school. This exciting new chapter can bring with it some anxieties, but we are here to make the transition as smooth as possible and to support your child in every way we can. At Orchidale, we ensure our children are as independent as possible. This involves much practising of zipping up coats, putting on shoes and lots of

It can be so disheartening when your child seems genuinely distraught when you leave them at nursery. Your journey there may have gone so well, your little one as happy as Larry (who is Larry by the way?) as you breeze through the door hand in hand. Then, as soon as you try to pass them over to a staff member, your toddler wraps themselves around your legs and starts to howl. No matter how many times you are reassured that your child is fine once you’ve left or are advised to

It’s the wonder of genes and nature that every toddler is different. There is no magic age when a whistle blows and a child is ready for potty training. There’s also no particular rush and certainly no prize for the child who attempts it first. Indeed, it’s worth taking on board – just to get anatomical for a moment – that the muscles controlling a toddler’s rectum and bladder are not sufficiently developed until they’re at least 18 months, so trying any earlier could be stre

Well, the news is good: after all the trials of the past year, Christmas is definitely on and oh my, we’re so ready for it! As if a switch has suddenly been flicked, sleigh bells are a-jingling, reindeer are nursing red noses and nights promise to be silent and holy. And that’s the way we all know it’s Christmas. Except, is it fair to say that it’s all got a bit much in recent years — less a case of goodwill to all men, more shopping lists and stress, giant piles of presents

Woohoo, from this week we can exercise outside a bit more! But with many of us in these tricky times working from home and home-schooling our children, we are still spending more time in our houses than ever before, and that lovely, comforting space we call home can seem smaller than usual and unable to handle the multi-functions we’re asking of it. So, let’s help it out a little… 1. Bring the outside in! Throw open the windows and sit beside them as much as you can. If you’r

Here’s some very good news… The diet that is best for health is the same as the one that supports planet sustainability. Cheering crowds! Waving flags! Hurraaay! The balloon-popper is that an eco-friendly diet is not one most of us are eating and this is having a dramatic impact on our poorly planet. How come? Well for one, it takes a lot of water, energy and farmland to produce food and in many countries around the world, big percentages of that food are being wasted — 20% o

Here comes the sun! And don’t we love it? It’s the chance to shed our wintery togs, feel the grass between our toes and make ourselves some vitamin D. Sea, sunblock and salads – it’s all good news, but while you’re all out and about, loving the heat, just remember to keep one sun-glassed eye on whether your toddler is taking enough water on board. In relation to their size, small children have greater fluid needs than adults and are less heat tolerant, so in the summer, when

The Forest School concept was initiated in the 1980s in Denmark where the open-air culture ('frulitsliv') is a way of life. It first came to Britain in the early 1990s when a group of nursery nurses and lecturers from Bridgewater College in Somerset visited Scandinavia and saw how children became more creative and increased their self-esteem in an outdoor, wooded environment. So now if you go down to the woods today, you're really are in for a big surprise – not just the pros

What’s not to love about sport? With it comes the chance to get outdoors, have a fun time with friends, do your best, feel the adrenaline rush and experience the boost to your body and mind. That’s the case for all of us, from toddler to senior league! Guidelines recommend that preschool children who can walk on their own are physically active for three hours a day, and enrolling them in a sports club – football, tennis, swimming, judo, hockey, etc – is a great way of achievi

Though it’s a well-known fact that rates of teenage mental health problems are increasing alarmingly, it is less recognised that very young children can feel stressed too. NHS Digital has suggested that self-harm in preschool children is on the rise, even among those as young as three who may bite, scratch, punch or slap themselves, maybe pull out their hair, or show changes in behaviour, emotions or health. Changes in a family’s circumstance – a house move, the birth of a ne