Monday 14th April

This week the children were excited as always to see their friends and were thrilled to see them waiting in the lounge. There was a vast selection of craft resources available, and the children began making different types of hats and crowns. Craft materials is a favourite activity for all, and we see the children and older friends working together to create things. It allows for wonderful discussions where they share their experiences together.

It did not take long for the grown-ups to join in and together they created some amazing designs! The older grown-ups enjoyed colouring, and the foam egg shapes were really popular. One of our friends said to one of the children “you have taught us how to colour in again, I forgot how much fun it is!”

The highlight of the day was making our easter crispy cakes! This was a special moment as several of our older friends talked about their memories of making chocolate crispy cakes with their children and how exciting it was. We saved the cakes until after lunch and all enjoyed them together. We had some very messy faces!

Age Friendly Award 2025

Over the last two years we have been working alongside Honey and Apple Nightingales and Generations for all on a ‘Creating Intergenerational Communities’ toolkit which they hope will develop potential indicators of good practice. This week we have learned that the lead co-ordinator of the toolkit has put us forward for a prestigious award of Intergenerational Dream Team.

We are very excited to have been nominated so please wish us luck!

Wednesday 9th April

This week the children continued to develop their friendships with their older friends. As the children spend more and more time at the care village, we are observing the close bonds forming. The children will plan their day around their interest and their special friend. When the children see their friend heading into the community space, the often run to them to say good morning or wait patiently for them to reach their seat before explain what they will do that do.

Some children have remained with their special friend since the beginning of our project whilst others are finding someone special to work with now. The residents are happy to share their skills and support the children in learning new ones.

Wednesday 31st March

As usual, the children were excited to visit their older friends. They skipped into the care village ready to start their day. The children helped to set out their resources before choosing an adult to work with. The children are very creative and before we knew it there were lollipop creations, ribbon pictures and lots of drawings. As the day progressed, the children began to create their own games. One of the children enjoyed playing a game of peek-a-boo with a resident which made them both giggle with delight (see picture above).

Wednesday 26th March

This week the children were feeling very creative and enjoyed using some new resources with their older friends. We opened our new makedo sets and chatted about tool safety. The children and residents then had a demonstration as to how to use the tools to cut the cardboard into shapes and attach them with the fixings provided. Everyone got straight to work and we had some wonderfully imaginative objects created. One child worked with a new resident to create an aeroplane. They supported one another with the saw and screwdriver. What a team!

The children enjoyed working with their older friends on a range of activities. Books always draw the children and adults together as well as a shared love of drawing. We have been surprised by everyone’s creativity especially with the make resources. We saw high levels of engagement and team work throughout the day, showing the true collaborative spirit of our project.

Monday 17th March

Some may ask, what is it that you do in the care village or what do the children and residents get out of working together. We can not begin to describe the amount of learning which takes place and how the interactions between old and young create such a magical atmosphere, but we will try!

Being together provides opportunities for children to learn about personal space as well as learning from knowledgeable, older adults. It is not only the adults who teach the children but the children are able to teach their older friends many new skills. We often hear, “yes you can do it” or “team work makes the dream work” from these three and four year olds as they encourage their friends to ‘give things a go’. Our friends are often surprised by some of the activities and reminisce on their younger years, smiling and laughing as they tell their own life stories, much to the children’s delight.

Literacy, language and communication play a huge part within our day. The children are keen to share stories with their older friends and in turn their friends provide them with something special, time. They have all the time in the world for their little friends and love to engage in story time. They enjoy ‘putting on voices’ to add to the characters and asking questions of the children and if they attempt to change the story, even slightly, the children know! The children are also able to read some of the more familiar stories back to the adults. They love nothing more than sharing an information book together, developing their understanding of a new subject and gathering new knowledge. We often hear comments such as, “did you hear that? I didn’t know that” from the older adults as they engage in the information books together.

The children are kind and considerate, thinking about their friends, old and young, as well as themselves. Today, one of the children was ensuring all of his friends had a ‘healthy green’ temperature with the thermometer whilst another child used the handheld hoover to clean up after lunch. The photo above shows a practitioner sharing a baby scan photo with a child. The practitioner wanted to take the scan photo in to share with the residents because as the bond between the children and their older friends have deepened so have the friendships between the residents and practitioners. They are all definitely part of our ‘Childsplay Family’.

The children and residents are also masters of singing and dancing. Here is a sneak peek of us working on something special ready for our celebration day later in the year.

Wednesday 12th March

This week we had a very special visitor come to meet us. The mayoress of Gateshead came to see what our project is all about and meet the children and residents. She was amazed by the children and their older friends interactions and could see the value of our project. The children showed her what they have been up to and what they do when visiting.

We have been observing the interactions between the children and their friends as friendships continue to grow. Some of the children have found a special friend to spend their time with and others enjoy moving around activities and spending time with several residents. One child in particular has enjoyed spending time with a new resident. They have a very similar personality and enjoy sharing stories and drawing together. We can see this blossoming into a very special friendship.

This week the children enjoyed exploring the theme of Spring. We created spring bracelets, rainbows (we have seen several rainbows when on our minibus) as well as making flowers. Some of the children used the paper to make paper planes, screwdrivers and fans. How very creative!

Wednesday 26th February

There was a lot of love in the room this week. The children were so excited to visit their older friends and as we arrived we realised that one of our friends had returned from a long hospital stay. One of the children who had built up a particularly strong bond with her was very excited to finally see her friend. There were huge hugs all round.

Sadly one of our friends was feeling unwell this week and needed to stay inside their flat. Again, one of the children who has worked with the resident since their first trip to the care village was a little sad that they couldn't see their friend. We talked through what we could do to make him and his friend feel better. He decided to make a card which one of the care staff kindly delivered. The resident was quite overwhelmed and even more so when the child waited outside his window so he could wave. These are the moments when you see just how much it means to both the children and their older friends to have developed these close friendships.

New friendships are blossoming constantly and one child has made a special new friend who has been teaching her how to operate her mobility walker. She even asked if the child could help her put her brakes on and then off before praising her. The child desperately wanted to sit on the walker, as she had seen several of her friends do before. After speaking with a practitioner, she wondered if she would be able to. The practitioner encouraged her to ask the resident and of course the resident was thrilled to help her sit on the walker and proceeded to read her a story. The child displayed the biggest smile of delight we have ever seen!

The children thoroughly enjoyed their day and from paper plane making to tower building, everyone was feeling very creative!

Monday 17th February

This week the children continued to develop their friendships with our older friends. The children broke off into smaller groups independently with some choosing to complete jigsaws, others drawing and the other children sharing stories.

Some children enjoyed sharing a story about dinosaurs with a practitioner and two residents. The residents were amazed by the children’s knowledge of dinosaurs as they learned about how small the smallest dinosaur was (about the size of a chicken), what we call a dinosaur who eats meat/plants and how heavy the heaviest dinosaur was. A classic example of children teaching the adults.

Some of the children have enjoyed working with our building resources with one of our residents. They have created a whole host of different structures, using problem solving skills, communication and fine motor skills. One of our residents who is a master paper aeroplane maker, demonstrated his skills to the children and before we knew it we had aeroplanes flying everywhere!

Wednesday 12th February

Today the children enjoyed celebrating Valentines Day with their older friends. We created beautiful heart decorations which we hung from the ceiling, coloured in Valentine's themed sheets and decorated biscuits with icing sugar, chocolate stars and pink sprinkles.

One of the children and their older friend worked really hard and decorated a cake which we shared. It was delicious and definitely the best decorated cake we had ever seen! The children enjoyed marvelling at their friend’s handy work.

As well as celebrating Valentines Day, we have been practising a new song which we hope to perform later in the year so watch this space!

Monday 3rd February

This week the children and their older friends began their Valentines celebrations. We began our day with lots of beautiful drawings and colour by number activities which the grown-ups really do love to engage in. We then moved onto making Valentine cards. We thought about the different colours we associate with St Valentines Day.

In the afternoon, the children and residents supported one another to create beautiful heart pictures. We lay heart stencils onto laminating pouches and filled the hearts with pieces of tissue paper. They were then laminated, cut out and a ribbon placed through to hang them from the windows. They looked beautiful! Everyone was very proud of themselves and so they should be. 

Wednesday 29th January

This week the children were very excited to see their older friends and celebrate Chinese New Year as well as pyjama day. The residents did wonder why the children had their pyjamas on but the children quickly explained it was pyjama day back at nursery. We all got busy colouring lanterns, dragons and even trying our hand at writing ‘Happy New Year’ in Chinese.

Some of the children wanted to decorate the space and began creating multicoloured paper chains. Even some of our older friends helped make decorations with one of our friends making a multicoloured Chinese New Year stick. How very creative! One of the children showed her special dress which she had worn especially for the day. The residents thought it was beautiful!

Monday 20th Jan

This week we continued to create pompoms with the wool and cardboard. The children have been fascinated by how easy it is to produce your own pompom and the residents have thoroughly enjoyed sharing their tips and tricks to make the perfect pompom. Everyone is becoming more and more adventurous and one resident has introduced multicoloured pompoms whilst another has shown the children how to make tassels.

Reading and drawing still remains a huge part of our day and the children often showcase their talents and we even have our own resident artist! The children have made themselves completely at home and feel comfortable within the space, often lounging on chairs whilst chatting to their older friends. The environment the residents have created brings our Childsplay family ethos to life with the care village.

Wednesday 15th January

Today the children enjoyed another visit to one of our favourite places, the care village. The children were eager to get there as we had a special activity we would be attempting that day. The adults had lots of card, wool and scissors in their bags. Yes, you have guessed it, we would be spending the day making pompoms. The children got to work quickly threading their wool through the card. The residents quickly joined in and before we knew it, it was pompoms galore. Some of the residents remembered making pompoms when they were younger and knew all the tricks to get the best out of the wool.

Some of the children continued their interest in board games, matching games and dominoes and the residents were quick to help support them. Our photo wall also proved a highlight this week with one of the residents and children looking at these together and sharing stories of what they have worked on. We had some new residents visit us today and we are very hopeful that they will be there on our next visit.

Monday 6th January

This week we headed back to one of our favourite places, the care village. We were excited to see all our friends and tell them all about what we did over Christmas. They were very excited to see us too and we all chatted about spending time with our families and exchanging gifts. As we engaged in activities with our older friends, we noticed it was beginning to snow again. The children were very excited and immediately ran to the windows to watch the snow come down. Some of the children perched themselves on chairs and peeked over the top to get a different view. We knew we would have to keep a close eye on the weather as the care village is at the very top of a rather steep hill!

 One of the residents showed the children a game someone had given to us as a present. It was draughts. The children took it in turns to move the pieces and learned how to capture each other’s pieces. The children and residents are really enjoying engaging in jigsaws, games and dominoes at the minute. One matching game in particular, was proving to be quite tricky to complete so we decided to change the rules and make up our own. Our older friends decided to turn over four cards instead of two!

This week we introduced the wooden construction blocks and everyone really enjoyed building their own structures. We do need to keep an eye on some of our more competitive residents who try to build bigger and taller than everyone else!

Monday 16th December

Today the children enjoyed their very last visit to the care village of 2024. We had a wonderful time with a Christmas party in the morning where the children enjoyed lots of party games. We played musical bumps, musical statues and some pass the parcel which was a big hit. One of our older friends was particularly good at musical statues and even won a prize!

The children showed off all their best party moves and before we knew it, it was time for a party lunch. We had lots of different party food to eat and share with our older friends. Everyone enjoyed some special Christmas treats before our afternoon began. We shared stories, sang Christmas songs and to end it was hot chocolate all round! What a great end to 2024!

Wednesday 11th December

This week Winton Court was filled with fun and laughter as everyone embraced the Christmas spirit. Everyone chatted happily and the children shared their Christmas lists with their older friends. We began the day with a special treat as the children gave mince pies to the residents!  They were a big hit and heightened the excitement.

Some of the children had brought gifts from home to give to the residents.  They were overwhelmed by thi, and it brought many happy smiles. The tables were filled with Christmas crafts and together the residents and children made some amazing creations. We made Christmas trees and pictures of Santa Claus. Everyone worked together to decorate paper plates and decorate pine cones.

We finished our day with some Christmas dancing and our older friends enjoyed joining in. As this was the last visit before Christmas for this group of children, everyone said a big goodbye to one another and a Merry Christmas.

Monday 2nd December

Today the children thoroughly embraced the Christmas spirit. The Christmas tunes were playing and everyone helped to make decorations which we placed onto the Christmas tree. Once finished we marvelled at how beautiful the decorations looked.

One of our older friends is an amazing artist and loves nothing more than showing off his skills to the children. Today he drew an amazing dinosaur and Christmas tree. The children and residents also enjoyed playing games and jigsaws which was a huge interest today.

One of our residents is amazing at making paper aeroplanes and the children did not let him forget it! The children enjoyed designing their paper and then our special older friend folded the sides to create the plane. We then had aeroplanes flying everywhere! The children giggled with excitement as they attempted to throw their aeroplane the furthest.

Wednesday 27th November

This week the children were in full Christmas swing! They chatted to their friends about what presents they are hoping to receive as well as what they would be doing for Christmas. The children engaged in more singing, stories and drawing (with some children deciding to write their Christmas lists).

Everyone’s drawings seemed to be Christmas related with two special friends drawing a Santa together. Everyone is an artist no matter your age!

As engaged as the children were, there was a sudden commotion outside. The children (and our older friends) raced to the window to see what was happening. It was a very brazen squirrel playing in the garden. Everyone was amazed and watched as the squirrel happily searched for food. He even spotted us at the window and really wasn’t bothered by our presence.

We took some very special wooden people with us and everyone was asked if they could draw themselves. The results were amazing! By the end of the day, we had a whole group of wooden figures adorning the mantlepiece.

After all the fun and games, it was time to head back to nursery but the children didn’t want too! They wanted to stay and play. It won’t be too long before we will be back. Goodbye for now!

Monday 18th November

This week the children visited their friends and as we walked in, we were amazed to see the Christmas decorations were going up. There were beautiful golden stars and throughout the day the staff erected Christmas trees decorated with golden baubles and twinkling lights. It is making us all feel rather Christmassy!

The children enjoyed drawing again today but one of our residents had another suggestion. Why don’t we make paper aeroplanes? Some of the children began decorating the paper whilst our very kind resident turned them into aeroplanes and even constructed lots more for the other children.

We had a plan! We would hold a paper aeroplane race but whose plane would fly the farthest? Only time would tell.

After lunch the race was on. Everyone lined up and one at a time we threw our paper aeroplanes. Some of the residents had clearly been practicing as their planes flew quite far. The children threw their planes and everyone cheered each other on. We had two races and both were won by our residents. The children have planned a rematch for next time. Who will win the next round?