The popular Danish term “Hygge” which features in the Oxford dictionary is described as ‘ Esp. with reference to Danish culture: a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being; contentment from simple pleasures, such as warmth, food, friends, etc.’

With the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland consistently holding the top places for being the World’s Happiest Countries it’s no wonder we’ve all been wondering how we can have our own piece of hygge.

The popular trend has seen us adding fairy lights to our living room in a hope that it would make us all feel a bit more joy!....but maybe it’s failed to make you any happier.

This is because hygge is so much more than adding a string of twinkly lights. It’s about creating an environment where those within it feel connected, settled and at peace.

In order to create those feelings of contentment we can explore some changes to our spaces. We might add t...

Ah the fields are bright and yellow with the delight of buttercups! I have such fond childhood memories of spending time in the uncut fields near my house. 

Whilst the buttercups are appealing, please take care as they are toxic if eaten and it's always best to handle with garden gloves on to reduce the risk of skin irritation. 

Here are some simple Buttercup Activity Ideas that you can enjoy over the next few weeks....

1. Play hide and seek in the long swishy grass and buttercups

2. Choose a spot to just sit and observe them. Who visits them? How do they smell? Notice their shiny and reflective petals. How do you feel when you sit amongst these? Why not take a picnic?

3. Run free through a field of buttercups. Feeling the buttercups across your hands as you run. 

You might be wondering where all the fancy resource set ups and invitations to play are here. Have we missed them out of this blog post?

No!

I often get asked ,'Am I not doing my job well if I don’t have lots of inv...

I started my Hygge journey because I have an interest in creating a more cosy and comfortable indoor and outdoor environment to help the children feel safe and secure when in my setting, just as they would in their own homes. And to see if it will help aid their development. Something that I do find difficult is that I am a pack away setting I found it quite difficult to find the correct decor that could easily be put away after each day.

Carpet Area

I started with a focus on my carpet area, as I felt it was quite colourful, and was not a very inviting space for quiet or reading. To help this I have stopped putting on the big lights and started to put a warm light lamp, which I have put on top of a wooden crate which I then use to put the books inside. I have also bought some hessian leaf pillows and soft fluffy blankets to create a cosy area. To make the carpet area feel more like the children’s homes, I asked the parents to bring in some family photos, which I put out around the se...

With the wonderfully warm weather here in the U.K this week the challenge is to keep everyone nice and cool. What not better than embracing some simple water play! 

It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective and create opportunities for high levels of engagement. Young children find water truly fascinating. From watching the shape rain makes as it lands in a puddle to the flow of water down stream. 

Over in my Rewilding Your Wanderlust Nature Study Programme I offer a whole module on the wonderful elements of water and the natural ways we can explore this safely with young children. From visiting bubbling becks, splashing in puddles and reviewing your water provision.

Here is a handy getting started list for water play taken from my Rewiding Your Wanderlust Audit. 

• Pipes and Guttering Connectors for the pipes Measuring jugs in different sizes
• Watering can
• Funnels
• Brushes
• Paint roller
• Plant pots with holes in Jerry cans
• Spray bottles
• Bubble blowing set
• Sponges of di...

I see some of the beautiful nature sand play going on in Australia and they’re so dreamy. Here in the U.K I have to make do with our fixed sand pit from @plumplayuk . Our canopy was never very good so we removed it and now it makes an excellent structure for adding in den building covers and the beautiful @the.wonderie cloths.

I’ve added some loose part baskets of nature; sticks, sea glass, shells, pebbles. There are buckets, spades, spoons, pots, dishes, masher and colander.

I need to add to the small world here but we have some wheeled vehicles and I have plans to add the following wildlife; camel, donkey, snakes, lizards, sea birds,

I would love deeper sand to really build on the upper body strength but sometimes we have to make do with what we have. We can do lots of digging in the soil in the garden.

I’ve added a plank of wood that can be used as a surface to work on or spark some imaginative play as a bridge.

I would also love a water pump but instead I added a source of water so we...

Are there areas where your children are not playing? Stand back and watch for 10 minutes. How are the environments being used? Look at the areas that are not in use and be curious about why. Ask yourself would you want to play there? How could the area be improved?

Our mud kitchen was in a need of a spring clean and a refresh.

Here are some ideas of what to include in your mud kitchen;

-Oven
-Pizza oven
-Weighing scales
-Tea pot
-Pots
-Pans
-Plates
-Cups
-Casserole dish with lid
-Ice cream scoop
-Potato masher
-Garlic press
-Ravioli cutters 
-Pestle and mortar 
-Different sized scoops 
-Mixing bowls of different sizes
-Spices 
-Empty food packages 
-Moss
-Herbs
-Perfume bottles 
-Washing lines and pegs to hold up their nature finds 

For more ideas on nature play check out my Rewilding Your Wanderlust Nature Study Programme.

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