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I have been a registered Childminder since 2002.

I began Childminding after my divorce in 2000.

I wanted to have an occupation where I could work from home and be there for my two daughters and support them through their school life.

Throughout my career I have given 100% and so far achieved 3 Outstanding Ofsted Grades.

Unfortunately I feel that because I have given so much to my job and the families I care for, I have missed out on the main reason for starting this childminding journey......... my family.

For years I thought that my vision was to provide a setting which emulates a school nursery. I would be obsessed with the EYFS Development Guidance, taking multiple daily observations and obsessively completing tracking charts.

I used a variety of online platforms to observe our children and found the whole process to be so time consuming and a complete chore. I felt that because I had constantly done so many observations, I needed to keep up that pace.

In actual fact, I was...

Hygge is more than a cosy room full of candles, company and good food. Hygge is a philosophy; a way of life that has helped Danes understand the importance of simplicity, time to unwind and slowing down the pace of life.

For my when I discovered hygge considering moments for cosiness, warmth and nature were my first steps.  

Warmth - add soft throws of different textures, in warm shades for the winter. Consider using rugs, layering your bedspread with fluffiness and sheepskin, swapping over cushion cover and curtains at this time of the year. Think about your bathroom too and how you might add soft fluffy towels. When Daisy Chain Nursery started studying on the accreditation they immediately began work on their indoor environment; creating nooks, cosy spaces and adding more warmth. Immediately they noticed a change in the behaviour of the 2 year old children and also the children who have special educational needs. 

Lighting:  Soft lighting with lamps rather than one big light, ligh...

"How do you resource your provision Laura?," I asked.

"Basically anything that children can't do at home I do here." Laura- Stone Hen Childcare

This is how the learning happens and Laura brings in the teaching around risk, the curiosity and enchantment. 

Find out more about Laura's practice here https://www.facebook.com/stonehenchildcare/

I am the Area Manager for Daisy Chain Nursery and over the

last year the nursery owner has worked hard transforming the

nursery into a home from home approach. The company has 2

settings and I work to support both settings whilst managing

the Liverpool site. The nursery Owner works closely with

myself and the teams and has completed a lot of the

environment work and the research behind it, educating the

teams along the way.

When the initial decision was made to change the nursery

approach we started by adapting the furniture and muting the

colouring to provide a more natural approach. We immediately

noticed a change in the behaviour of the 2 year old children

and also the children who have special educational needs. more

comfortable. hey seemed a lot calmer and the environments in

general seemed to be calmed as the children were being

stimulated by the toys and the activities rather than being over

stimulated by the general environment.

We began the process in the ...

As a result of the Hygge training undertaken, we have taken on board the basic principles of Hygge, despite having previously implemented small elements of the ‘Hygee’ idea and building our ethos upon the idea of creating a cosy, inviting and special environment for the children in our care, we felt as a result of the training and further investigation into the Hygge principles and how this can relate and be implemented into Early Years Settings, we made a conscious decision to plan and create our learning environment around these principles as we believe that creating these ‘special moments’ and inviting, relaxing, cosy environments has incredible benefits on the children in our care in terms of their well-being, mood, behaviour and emotions.

As a setting, we have always tried to limit the amount of plastic on offer, but as a result of this training we decided to make even more of a conscious effort to do so; instead bringing in more loose parts, natural resources, soft furnishin...

Dottie’s Nursery and Dots and Tots are
currently taking part in the Hygge in Early
Years Accreditation to transform their
learning environments and practice. Look at
this fabulous lunch time transformation!

In Norway and Denmark mealtimes are seen as a time to come
together as a unit over some much-loved home-made food. Yet in
England I often visit settings and schools where lunch time feels
rushed, noisy and a process rather than an event to celebrate in the
day. Not only are young children often fussy eaters but they might
be worried about opening their yogurt, leaving the comfort of a
familiar room or being with different staff who support lunch time
cover. When planning lunch times these factors need to be
considered;


• Are the children in a familiar environment?
• 
 Are the adults familiar to the children and available to support
them and talk to them?
• 
 Does the menu offer a variety of choice across the week? Cooked
with seasonal produce.

• Is the lunch time environment c
...

A good motivational quote always fills with me positivity to start the day.

 Here are some of my favourite Hygge inspired quotes. 

 “Just living isn't enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson” ― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. -Simone Weil” ― Louisa Thomsen Brits, The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

“You cannot buy the right atmosphere or a sense of togetherness. You cannot hygge if you are in a hurry or stressed out, and the art of creating intimacy cannot be bought by anything but time, interest and engagement in the people around you.” ― Meik Wiking, The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well

“Craft makes our homes more human." -Ilsa Crawford

“Material goods rarely alter our levels of ha...