This year at Childcare Expo Midlands we’re asking visitors to vote for their favourite product in the Star Product Award!
Exhibitors can nominate one of their awesome products prior to the event and we’ll be posting pictures and descriptions here! If you’re an exhibitor and want to put forward one of your products email us at info@childcareexpo.co.uk!
All visitors can vote at the Star Product Award voting station for the product or service they feel is a key, must-have item for early years or primary education practitioners.
Everyone who votes is entered into a free draw to win an awesome fire truck generously donated by Community Playthings!
Below are some of the nominated products this year.
Our last winners were Millwood Education, as voted by visitors to Manchester’s 2018 event.
Who’s going to win this year – you decide!
Childcare Expo Midlands 2019 Nominations
Woolly Sound Cloud from Woolly Shepherd
Highly effective, beautiful and sustainable, these unique ceiling suspended acoustic absorbers are made from UK grown sheep wool. The clouds absorb reflected sound waves, in reverberant rooms, that would otherwise mask direct speech, leading to impossibly noisy spaces, where the occupants compete to be heard and understood.
The clouds create a greatly enhanced clarity of speech, which is absolutely vital to early learning years, as they often cannot fill in the blanks when consonants are lost from words. The net effect is the creation of calm, inclusive environments that facilitate clear, productive communication and learning. Safeguarding our children’s futures.
Find them at Stand C36 or View Their Website
Apetito self-serve desserts
We have a new range of yummy self-serve desserts, designed specifically for children. These new desserts not only meet dietary and nutritional needs but also support towards Early Years Foundation guidelines for food and drink.
The desserts encourage children to be independent at mealtimes, enabling them to develop their adaptive skills and encouraging them to try new food.
Find them at stand B12 or View Their Website
Giant Stack and Build Block from TTS
A beautifully crafted and uniquely developed set of tactile wooden shapes (28pcs) which can be posted onto a large wooden tower base. Invigorate children’s construction and loose parts play. Let their imaginations soar as they build roadways, castles, small towns and mighty towers. This open-ended resource will certainly inspire children’s loose parts play and extend their construction experiences. Allow children to be their own architects and build all kinds of creative constructions only limited by their imaginations! Available as a single pack, 2 or 3 pack, providing more possibilities when packs are combined.
Visit them on stand B32 or View Their Website
The Happy Path Children’s Growth Mindset Journal from Mindset Mentor
The Happy Path is part story, part journal and is aimed at children aged 4-10. The Happy Path presents Monster Meddler and Slove (Self-Love), the brain buddies. Monster Meddler represents the inner critic and the story helps children understand the role of the inner-critic and teaches them how to reframe thoughts using a structured approach. Slove, is there to show Monster Meddler and the children the happy path by encouraging psychology interventions such as gratitude, self-love, helping others and celebrating successes. With puzzles and motivational quotes included in this colourful journal, it really is the perfect tool to promote happiness.
Outinz Backpack from EY Bags
The Outinz bag is an all in one solution to trips outside of your early years setting. Our design incorporates a first aid kit with all the essentials into a handy, ‘grab n’ go’ backpack – leaving your hands free and your mind at ease! The hi-vis nature of the bag means, unlike with regular backpacks, children will have no problem spotting you from behind.
Magic World Sewing Kit Unicorn from CS Kids
This all-in-one DIY Sewing Unicorn kit is a great classroom Arts & Crafts set that complements Montessori Education. It is a unique and creative teaching resource for all Early Years teachers to let children explore the wonderful world of sewing. This sewing kit includes:
- Safety Needle: Plastic needle that reduces the chance of children getting pricked
- Pre-cut Fabric
- Threads & Cotton
- Step-by-Step, illustrated instructions
This simple sewing project provides ample opportunities for students to:
- Develop fine motor skills
- Learn basic sewing skills
- Train eye-hand coordination
Find them on stand B40 or View Their Website
Footsteps 2 EYFS Learning Journey Software from Parenta
Footsteps 2 – FREE EYFS learning journey software
Try all features FREE for 60 days!
Footsteps 2 helps you take the strain out of working in a busy environment while you strive to record meaningful, detailed and essential EYFS observations.
Footsteps 2 helps you:
- Improve essential safeguarding and comply with GDPR regulations with unique facial detection, tagging and blurring technology.
- Have peace of mind, knowing that your data is secure, hosted and backed-up in line with GDPR regulations.
- Save hours by viewing key information at a glance on one screen
- Spend more time with the children as you observe, track and assess more easily.
Find them on stand C12 or View Their Website
Outlast Cascade from Community Playthings
Running water has always fascinated children, and the Outlast cascade is the perfect way to safely incorporate it into your outdoor play area. Experience real-life erosion, flood control and experimentation with natural loose parts. The water is recycled the old-fashioned way: by hand! Bucket brigades build cooperation, team work and communication skills.
Be warned: this product invites exploration and things will get messy! Don’t worry about the tables though. Built of weatherproof acetylated wood, they will withstand years of serious play.
Find them on stand D2 or View Their Website
Glow Writer Range from Hope Education
Loved by many, The Glow Writer Panel is a great value resource for encouraging reluctant mark makers or writers. The panel is dry wipe clean and side lit by coloured LEDs. When used with the fluorescent dry wipe markers provided, children can enjoy making colourful marks, drawings and even writing. The LEDs have 28 different lighting effects that really make the children’s work come alive and can be controlled using the IR remote control (included). Each Glow Writer Panel comes with a pack of 8 fluorescent chalk markers.
Available in 30 x 40cm and 50 x 70cm panels, and a 52 x 107cm Easel.
Find them on stand C40 or View Their Website
Exploring the Education Inspection Framework Publication from EYA
New Alliance publication, Exploring the Education Inspection Framework aims to provide practitioners with a good understanding of the process of being inspected and the changes the new EIF has brought into place. For instance, defining your early years curriculum through conveying intent, implementation and impact; demonstrating cultural capital and the new judgements that will be made under the EIF.
Practitioners should embrace any inspection under the EIF as an opportunity to demonstrate the high-quality provision they offer to all the children in their care and this new publication will support them to do this effectively.
Find them on stand D44 or View Their Website
Children’s Well-being publication from NDNA
According to the Mental Health Foundation, good mental health starts in infancy. Increasing levels of well-being in the first five years of the child’s life is key to future mental health.
This new NDNA pocket guide aims to give practitioners an insight into how we can support children’s well-being. Throughout the book you will find case studies to illustrate how you can tune in to your children’s emotions and feelings.
It aims to support you with positive outcomes for children. Once we understand the importance of well-being, we can focus on learning.
Buy at stand E22 for just £11.50.
Widgit Symbols for Education
Widgit have developed a large and widely recognised symbol set of over 18,000 symbols that are used globally.
Learning to read and write can be very difficult, especially when new concepts are being introduced. Young children can also find a new environment daunting. Widgit Symbols add support to the learning environment and motivate children. Symbol labelling, visual timetables and educational materials make it easier for young children to access information and feel more confident.
Inspired by the best people (our customers) Widgit Online is quick and easy to use, produces high quality resources and delivers great outcomes.
Meet them on stand E9 or View Their Website
FIRST LEGO League Jr. Discovery - The IET
A playful STEM learning programme developed for 4-6 year olds that teaches children key habits of learning like teamwork, persistence and problem-solving through fun, hands-on activities using LEGO DUPLO elements. It engages the youngest learners to encourage them to start thinking and behaving like engineers, all the while having fun! The programme promotes parental engagement, offers a comprehensive Team Meeting Guide for teachers with readymade lesson plans and offers online guidance videos and resources to enable teachers to focus on teaching rather than time-consuming planning. The programme is mapped to the EYFS curriculum with a clear skills progression document.
Find The IET at A34
Creative Steps Magazine - Bubbles Publishing Ltd
Packed with fun creative activity ideas and easy craft projects, Creative Steps magazine provides inspiration for early years practitioners to encourage learning through creative play. Get your hands on the latest AUTUMN issue – including ideas for autumn, Halloween, Diwali, the Big Draw, plus 13 pages of fun Christmas craft ideas and £100’s of great prizes to be won!
Find Creative Steps Magazine at E30
