Hygge Home School - Case Study

TEACHER – HOME EDUCATION SETTING

After the birth of our son, I decided to leave my role as a junior teacher to be a full-time mum. Here began my wonderful journey into the world of early years - fascinating! It was during this time that I discovered the importance of open-ended play and the learning environment. Our home quickly transformed to provide beautiful spaces to play, explore and learn in this new way. Eager to learn more, I was led to the ‘Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation’. A fascination with the Danish lifestyle soon developed and both my husband and I began reading books and incorporating more hygge into our own lives. Based on this new-found knowledge, we decided to home educate our little boy, at least during his early years. The ‘Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation’ has been invaluable in helping me create a beautiful environment in which our son can explore and develop.

Below are some highlights of my journey.

BALANCE - I really enjoyed the first module and being a full-time mum and home educator, my days were often busy and fast paced. It taught me to slow down. I worked on making small changes at home, such as setting the table for breakfast the night before and lighting some candles so I could start the day calmly. This was a welcome relief from eating a snatched piece of toast whilst unloading the washing machine or putting away dishes. I made it a priority to sit down and eat breakfast with my little boy each day - candles and calm!

We soon developed our afternoon tea sessions which became very popular. I used my late grandmother’s tea set and at weekends we would often spend time together enjoying a relaxing, slow-paced lunch together as a family. This self-care module was a perfect start to my hygge journey.

CALM ENVIRONMENT - I was really inspired thinking about the vision for my setting and despite being an environment for home education, I was still able to transfer many ideas. Our learning area has been a work in progress. My little boy now has his own space where he is able to select and choose resources as he explores his own ideas. Vehicles, small world, track, tubes, ramps, cable reels, loose parts etc are all accessible and now displayed in beautiful baskets, wooden bowls, apple crates etc. We have a large cable reel for a nature table and an area where focused set ups are displayed for our wanderlust nature curriculum.

The room was originally a dining room. Once I had begun my hygge accreditation journey, we decided to convert it to a space for our little boy

Before

After

SLOW TEACHING - I found this module so inspiring. It provided useful detail on how to interact and further develop learning through play and I was able to develop my skills of documenting these activities with the suggested approach: ‘I enjoyed exploring apples with you. I thought it was a great idea to use the wooden stick to make an apple lolly so you could eat the apple. You recognised each of the wooden numbers and I asked if you could draw the correct amount of apples. You did this independently and moved on to exploring the hole puncher, to make caterpillar holes in the paper apples. You counted these fast too, I just needed to help you remember 16 which you sometimes forget. I liked your idea to make an apple train and I helped provide equipment so you could set up your idea. I suggested we build an orchard and so we used sticks and apples together to make an apple tree. We used the labels together to identify the different parts of the tree. The addition of a large box excited you and you were quickly inside! You enjoyed closing the doors to conceal yourself and we decided together it might be an apple shed. I suggested we write a sign on the door and you wrote your name independently. We can practise capital B in the sand tray later in the week. I helped with the other words sounding them out as I scribed – Bob’s apple shed. I rang the bell when you were inside the shed and you thought this was a good way to let the apple seller know I wanted some fruit. Sometimes you took a little while to answer the door but you explained you were busy doing appley things like making apple crumble so I waited patiently!’

NATURE - This unit was a helpful reminder of the importance of embracing nature. Nikki Buchan’s talk on mental health was a real source of inspiration. We are so lucky to own a local allotment where we have really explored and developed the outside area. We even created a little library for our fellow allotmenteers to use and reading has become popular at our regular visits. I have made greater efforts to brave the weather and wet rainy days have been so much fun!

LEAD WITH LOVE - Although I do not work with a team of people, I was still inspired by this module and finding ways to help other parents enjoy hygee with their children, soon became a passion. From this seed, our new family business began! ‘Hygge boxed’ is now a way we share hygge with other families. We provide beautifully themed gift boxes for children, which include objects intended to ignite senses, develop creativity and allow open-ended play. We are overjoyed with our new venture and creating the boxes for others, has added even more hygge to our lives. Thank you. Beautifully presented hygge play box helping children learn and be confident about themselves. Included with affirmation cards and a beautiful book, 'Maybe', written by Kobi Yamada. You are more amazing than you even know. New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada has written a story about the unbound potential you hold inside. With striking, realistic illustrations, it's a reminder that you were meant for incredible things. And maybe, just maybe, you will exceed your wildest dreams.

To discover more on Hygge Homeschooling click here