'Little Apples' is our weekly parent/carer and baby/toddler session. It provides an ideal opportunity to meet other families with young children and for toddlers to get used to the playgroup environment. For younger babies there is a wide range of bouncy chairs and beanbags available, so that they can watch the activities going on around them. Older pre-school children are also welcome to attend.

The sessions are loosely structured in that the older toddlers have the opportunity to do a craft activity, which might be painting, colouring, sticking or playing play dough. There are also toys set out for free play which are varied from week to week. In the middle of the session, there is a communal song time, followed by a snack and a drink.

The babies have a quiet area where they can play reasonably undisturbed by the older children. There are also books, sorting toys and so on provided. At snack time the children all sit together around a table, and a hot drink and piece of cake is available for the carer.

There are also books, sorting toys and so on provided. At snack time the childern all sit together around a table, and a hot drink is provided for the carer.

These sessions enable children to get used to other children in the setting with their normal carer present. This should ease the transition to pre-school, as pre-school sessions are held in the same surroundings.