|
Preschool, Teachers, Parents and Childcarers
|
|
On Silkysteps you will find play activities, planning & craft resources for the Under Fives, Foundation Stage, Early Years & many adaptable play ideas for older Children.
|
|
Please see each of our Characters for their own free resource areas..
|
|
Colouring Preschool Crafts Craft Templates Clipart
|
|
Activity packs Activity Sheets & Playdough activities
|
|
Early years articles Early Years outdoor play + outdoor in play and more Free !!
|
|

Visit our Download Store for some great resources.
Developed in-house they are designed for Preschool craft activities, Early Learning projects and to help promote your interactive display & parent's notice areas.
Mini Topics Craft Books Craft kits

Chinese New Year craft eBook
a craft, colouring and activity sheet for each of the 15 festival days of Chinese New Year

Other Craft eBook titles available from the store
|
|
Jungle Crafts eBook and Ocean craft eBook ...
Butterfly & Plant Chicken & Frog Lifecycles Craft eBooks
Chinese New Year downloadable craft eBook
Winter Craft activities  Christmas Around The World
 Christmas crafts  Harvest Time  Ourselves - all about me crafts
Crafts Bk Crafts Bk 2 Clothes Road Safety crafts for safety awareness activities with younger Children
|
|
and a few of our Best Selling mini topics Elephant's stew Mini topic
Bouncy Squirrels Worms numberline mini topic and Lily Pad frogs Mini Topic


  
Silkysteps Image Map - Navigate through our craft resources with a little more ease ..
|
|
Plug Boad advertising for Preschool Crafts and Business websites.
Independant unaffiliated screenshots for visitors to browse excellent resources for home and Preschool
|
|

FRONT PAGE INDEX
Early Years Forums and Newsletter Sign up Latest Resource Competitions and Preschool Book Review
Take Part: regulation & policy Special Features Additional craft Activities Text Links
|
|

The newest Early learning resource available from our Early Years Download store
*New Christmas templates

See our Winter department page for lots of ideas to build your activity planning ..
|
|
  
|
|
Preschool early years community ~ Completely free, they give all Early Years Professionals ~ Parents, Childminders, Teachers, PreSchool, Nursery and Toddler groups the chance to question & answer - discover & plan !!
Click for the past ... 3 Days | 4 Days | 5 Days or the Past Weeks posts !
Silkysteps Free Monthly eNewsletter ~ Keep ahead of everything happening on Silkysteps - new activities, forum updates and Early years news all delivered straight to your inbox !
Newsletter focus will be on activities suitable for Library craft and reading sessions, Hospital and outdoor Playwork, Charity and voluntary campaign work and fundraising - all ideas and news come straight from Early Years !!
For a Sample of our previous Newsletters ~ Please take a look HERE
NB: Registration for our newsletter is separate to your forum membership and store account
|
|
Back to the top

New printable coming soon ..
|
|
Back to the top
|
|
Please see all our current Early Years Competitions on this page
  
|
|
Preschool and Early Years Book lists - themed for focus play, Reviews, links & more information
Early Years 'Dates for your Diary' planning campaigns

|
|
|
Back to the top

These links are to help Silkysteps readers visit and put forward thoughts, views and opinions:
See how policy influences working practice and how you can contribute
|
Better Regulation: from BERR - see how you can help improve regulation that unneccessarily resticts or has yet to encompass ..
DCSF Consultations - how does the Department for Children, Schools and Families want your help ...
Ofsted Consultations - Get involved, find out what's new and pass on your thoughts .. |
|

Click for current news articles
Basic tips for approaching your own Preschool Operational Plan 
Early Learning Goals and UN Convention for the rights of Children 
|
| |
|
Back to the top

Our areas of Interest - Preschool: involvement, home and community
|
Children In The Picture
This Inclusion poster is a great resource to help promote diversity in all types of settings.
You can order it for £5.00 inc P&P by emailing inthepicture@scope.org.uk
Inclusion & Wellbeing information from Sure Start
More about Richard Johnson and his wonderful Illustrations
For activity ideas please see our range of Themes and Topics forums. |
|

|
Hospital Radio Activity Ideas
Have you thought of ways your Early Years setting can help support and network with the local volunteers working in your hospital radio stations?
You can find contact details of your local station on the HBA ~ Hospital Broadcasting Association's website.
To introcduce concepts and plan activities for any links you hope to build please feel free to use and adapt these suggestions:
Early Learning Play Planning
Activity Sheets ~ Radio Listener ~ Request Sheets Print, write, tear off & enjoy !! |
|

|
|
Seeds in Preschool !
If you plan growing topics and focus activities in Preschool or organise fundraising events / craft experiences Unwins have an incredible range to exlplore.
Familiarise the Children and staff with names, varieties and growing tips ..
These links are through Webgains and are in association with our Unwins affiliate account
|
|
Sweet Peas Garden Peas Beans Nasturtiums

|
Birds in Preschool, Nursery and Foundation ...
These activities and play ideas help explore how to protect, care and enjoy for the range of birds we see regularly and not so ..
Watching our native and international migratory friends is great fun and important for noticing changes to their habitats and routines !
Wherever possible involve the Children and interested adults in the lives of birds and help secure a corner of your outdoor and inddor play for them.
Playdough Bird Nests ~ great activity from Magical Mammoth's page!
Sakalava Rail ~ a collage craft from Mischief Mouse.
Our Birds forum - activities for tactile play .. |
|

Videoing or watching birds nesting digitally
Can be organised in your Preschool or Foundation unit with the CCTV Bird Box kits from Handykam.
Full instruction on how to build and assemble your own observatory are part of the Nest box Video kit - please see HandyCam CCTV Website for more information.
This link is in association with our Handykam cctv birdbox Affiliate account.

|
TheSnailTrail.co.uk
Giant African Land Snails - GALS
Join the snail trail and discover what GALS can do for your Childrens' learning horizons.
Giant African Land Snails are a great addition to any learniing environment ~ home or classroom ..
Lesson and activity plans for introducing GALS to your Preschool and Early Years children.
Download and print their free Breeding Awareness Poster, display it on your notice boards and help spread the word of responsible ownership with them! |
|

|
SillyBooks.net
Where Pen is put to Paper and wonderful Illustrations come to life.
Sillybooks is a stunning website run by some pretty amazing people - Full of original interactive stories, games, music, puzzles and many more - and it's updated frequently so be sure to pop back and see what's been newly published! |
|

Count Balloons - Courtesy of Sillybooks

|
Head Lice in your setting ?
For information, Colouring pictures and activity play ideas that can be printed out and enjoyed please feel free to download our activity pack.
Distribute the booklets or individual pages to your parents and display on notice boards for everyones information...
Our Bug busting day forum has lots of ideas on how to break the cycle of infestation and play ideas to openly discuss any problems ..
Heads craft activity from our 'All about us' Forum. |
|

|
The NCB's - National Children's Bureau recycling campaign.
If you have a new Mobile and would like to help NCB raise funds with your unused one please click through the link and see how to apply for freepost recycling bags to send it over !
Funds raised help support their work with Children.
For Career information see the link on their front page
www.NCB.org.uk |
|
|
Back to the top

|
Penguin Painting original craft activity published on Under5s.co.uk
Frozen paint sticks
Penguin painting - colouring and collage sheet |
|

|
|
    
|
|

|
 Dinosaur hand puppet - outdoor and indoor stomping role play !!
Dinosaur colouring pictures and Paint activity bases
Our Dinosaurs activity ideas Forum
We're Going on a bear hunt - adapt this well loved rhyme to a Dinosaur theme ..
Mixed with a Minibeast Theme and you have a great outdoor play adventure .. |
|

    

|
|

|
|
Back to the top

|
|
These links help us to increase visitor numbers.
Click through to register your vote of support for Silkysteps & to discover
many more websites !!
TeAchnology Topsites Sites for Teachers Sites for Parents Mumszone
|
|
Resource and activity links
Outdoor lunar landings
Cath Smith's Deaf Sign article Hospital Playwork The Nature of Children's Play
National Bed month play and Early Years planning activities 
Whipped snow recipe Rhyming Sheets Cow Hitch Knot 
|
|

Health and Saftey tips from the HSE ...

|
|
Myth of the month from the HSE - Health and Safety Executive
|
|

|
|