🌿 A Week of Growing, Learning and Independence at Fun Box

This week at Fun Box has been full of exploration, discovery and little moments that help to bring the Characteristics of Effective Learning to life—helping our children grow into confident, curious learners — ready for their next big steps.

From making fruit and herb teas to harvesting our very own beans, the children have been busy using their hands, their senses and their imaginations in ways that build important life skills — all while having a lot of fun!

☕ Stirring Curiosity with Tea-Making

One of the highlights of our week was preparing our own fruit and herb teas. The children explored fresh mint, rosemary, rose petals, oranges and water, carefully using pipettes, spoons and containers to mix and pour.

Not only was this a wonderful sensory experience — the scents alone were amazing! — but it also gave children the chance to experiment, make choices, and practice those all-important fine motor skills. Watching them concentrate, adjust their mixtures, and proudly taste their creations showed just how capable and independent they’re becoming.

🌱 From Seed to Snack: Harvesting Our Beans

Earlier in the year, we planted beans together, and this week, the children discovered they were finally ready to harvest! They gently picked the beans, compared their sizes, and even got to taste them during snack time.

This was a brilliant moment of learning: seeing where food comes from, talking about growth and change, and celebrating the result of their patience and care. It also gave them a chance to practice early maths skills as they noticed which beans were “bigger”, “longer” or “curvier”.

🧦 Helping Ourselves — One Zip at a Time

Learning and independence is something we gently encourage every day. This week, we focused on practical skills like doing up zips, taking off and putting on shoes, drinking from open cups, and helping ourselves at snack time using serving spoons.

These daily routines might seem small, but they make a big difference. They help children feel confident, capable, and ready to manage the little things they'll be expected to do at school.

✍️ Little Hands, Big Skills

We also set out lots of fine motor activities to strengthen those tiny muscles. There was threading, hammering pegs, matching shapes to pictures, and following patterns with pens. These are all fantastic ways to build the control and coordination needed for early writing — and the children loved the challenge!

📚 A Love of Stories

Our cozy book corner was a quiet retreat where children could enjoy stories being read aloud or explore books independently. We saw them turning pages, pointing to pictures, and even telling their own versions of the story. This not only supports early literacy but also builds imagination, focus and a love for reading.

🌈 Taking Safe Risks

Of course, there was plenty of movement and outdoor fun too! The high slide, climbing frame and balancing beams gave children the chance to take safe, supported risks. These physical challenges help build strength, balance and courage — and there were lots of proud smiles after each climb or careful step.

🌟 What It All Means

The Characteristics of Effective Learning equip 2- to 4-year-olds with the behavioural tools they need to become independent explorers, focused learners, and confident problem-solvers. These traits directly build the self-reliance, adaptability and emotional maturity needed to thrive from EYFS into formal schooling.

Everything we do at Fun Box is designed to help children become confident, capable and curious — skills that prepare them beautifully for school and beyond. Whether they’re mixing teas, putting on their own shoes, or exploring a book, they’re learning to think for themselves, to try new things, and to feel proud of what they can do.

We’re so proud of all the little steps they’ve taken this week — and we can’t wait to see where they’ll go next! 💛