Lucy and Tom's Christmas offers useful ideas for exploring Christmas traditions and encouraging learning at the same time, says Marianne Sergeant.
The name change from Creative Development to Expressive Arts and Design gives practitioners the chance to rethink how they support creativity within early learning, says Di Chilvers, advisory consultant in early childhood.
Exploration of the world in the early years can be supported with an interactive map of your local area. Marianne Sargent offers some guidance on making one.
Children can learn far more from stroking a cow than looking at one in a book. Vesela Gladicheva describes what's on offer at urban farms.
On their latest trip to the forest, the children took charge of their snacks, says Caroline Watts, forest school leader, Reflections Nursery & Forest School, Worthing, West Sussex.
Viv Hampshire recreates the setting of picture book Dear Zoo in a local park so a group of children can learn about animals and their habitats.