Chinwags: Educate, Nurture, Grow

Chinwags: Educate, Nurture, Grow A calm, connected space supporting children, families, and educators through reflection, connection, and growth.

Through Family Day Care, the Nurtured Heart Approach, and Human Design, I help others see beyond behaviour and build deeper understanding.

Reading feedback about yourself is a funny thing… 💕Part of me feels incredibly seen and celebrated, and another part fee...
26/08/2026

Reading feedback about yourself is a funny thing… 💕

Part of me feels incredibly seen and celebrated, and another part feels a little awkward receiving such beautiful words.

My coordinator recently wrote:

«“I adore how Inge is with the children. Kind, warm, considerate and calm.

I wish all the children in the world had an opportunity to experience being seen this way.

There is an ease within the space that is rare, where the agency of each child is treated with reverence and respect.

She guides the children with warmth and confidence.

With her understanding of Human Design, Inge understands the unique landscape of each individual child — down to the way they communicate and the environment they need to regulate themselves.

Inge is calm, patient and understands her own energy levels and prepares the day around those, ensuring she can always offer support to the best of her ability.”»

Reading it back feels a little strange because, from the inside, I am simply doing what feels right.

I don't wake up thinking about creating something “rare”. I think about the children in front of me. Who they are today. What they need. When to guide, when to support and when to get out of the way and let them lead.

And I certainly don't get it right every moment. There are tired days, busy days and days when my own energy needs more care too.

Maybe that is why these words touched me so much.

Someone looking in from the outside could see what I have been trying to create all along.

A place where children don't have to fit into the environment.

The environment makes room for them. 💕

💛 Feeling it first, deciding laterSomething I have become very aware of lately is just how many of the children in my ca...
11/08/2026

💛 Feeling it first, deciding later

Something I have become very aware of lately is just how many of the children in my care are Emotional decision-makers in Human Design.

And oh boy… they can FEEL. 💕

Big excitement.
Big frustration.
Big disappointment.
Big “YES!”
And sometimes, five minutes later, a very big “NO!” 😅

But there is nothing wrong with those emotions.

My role isn't to stop the feeling, distract them from it or convince them that they shouldn't feel that way.

My role is to help them recognise it, experience it and learn what to do with it.

Because every child expresses their emotional wave differently.

One might yell.
One might cry.
One might become incredibly excited and impulsive.
Another might withdraw.

So instead of focusing only on the behaviour, I can become curious about what is happening underneath it.

"You're really excited about this right now."

"That disappointment feels huge."

"You really want to decide this NOW."

And then comes something I think is such an important skill to learn:

You don't have to make a decision while the feeling is at its biggest.

In Human Design, Emotional Authority is about allowing time for the emotional wave to move before reaching clarity.

With young children, I translate that into something much simpler:

💛 Feel it.
💛 We don't have to solve everything right now.
💛 Give yourself some time.
💛 Come back to it later.
💛 Sometimes, sleep on it.

Because when you feel something incredibly strongly, chances are you may feel very differently once that wave has moved.

And that doesn't make either feeling wrong.

I don't expect a three-year-old to understand their emotional authority 😂

But I can create an environment where they slowly learn:

My feelings are safe here.

I am allowed to feel them.

I don't have to act on every feeling immediately.

And the adults around me will help me while I learn what my emotions feel like in MY body.

And then there is my side of this work too.

Some days this is much easier than others.

My Emotional/Solar Plexus Centre is open. In Human Design terms, I can take in the emotions around me and experience them more intensely on top of it

Put several little emotional beings together in one space and, yep… some days that's A LOT. 😅

There are days when I can feel myself becoming overwhelmed. I notice I'm shorter. Snappier. Less patient.

And that's where my own awareness becomes just as important as theirs.

What am I actually feeling?
Is this mine?
What have I picked up from the room?
And where am I sitting within myself right now?

Sometimes I need to take a breath.
Ground myself.
Give myself a moment before stepping into their big emotion.

Because I can't guide a child through their emotional wave very well when I have become swept up in it too.

And like every other human being, some days I fail spectacularly 😂
Some days I absolutely nail it. 👑
But mostly, there is a healthy balance somewhere in between.

And maybe that's part of what I am modelling too.

Emotional regulation isn't about being calm and perfectly regulated all the time.

It's noticing.
Recognising.
Coming back to ourselves.
Repairing when we get it wrong.
And trying again. 💕

That, to me, is the beautiful part of bringing Human Design into my work.

I'm not trying to put children into boxes or teach them Human Design terminology.

I'm learning to understand the child in front of me AND myself a little more deeply, so I can keep asking:

What does THIS child need from me right now — and what do I need within myself so I can actually give it? 💕

07/08/2026

No idea why Facebook is adding a theme to my post ....
Something to investigate lol

💕 A reminder to just beYesterday and today have been calm work days.Apart from a teenager and a tween in the house 🙃, th...
07/08/2026

💕 A reminder to just be

Yesterday and today have been calm work days.
Apart from a teenager and a tween in the house 🙃, there really is nothing going on.

And yet today I feel anxious. A little lost.

I sat down for a moment to just be, and realised… this is one of those moments where my nervous system has taken over.

There is nothing I need to worry about right now.
So where is this feeling coming from?

It feels like my body is waiting for the next wave.
Waiting for something to happen because it has become so used to needing to respond.

So I am doing the Jessie trick 💕
Sitting with it.
Acknowledging it.
And then sharing it outwards instead of letting it spin around inside me.

I am safe right now.

And then I look at the children around me.

Children and slow pedagogy are such an incredible reminder of how to simply be.

To explore because something interests you.
To stop when you have had enough.
To move when your body wants to move.
To rest when you need rest.
To follow your instinct and what feels right for you.

Before we, adults, surroundings, expectations, systems, slowly teach children to move away from that instinct and start looking outside themselves for the answer.

Human Design has made me so much more aware of this.
We aren't designed to make our important decisions purely from our mind.

Some of us are designed to wait for emotional clarity.
Some to listen to a sacral response.
Some have a quiet, immediate splenic knowing.
Others have ego/heart authority, self-projected authority, mental/environmental authority, or, for Reflectors, the wisdom that comes from giving themselves time through a lunar cycle.

Different ways of knowing.
Different ways of moving through life.

And here I am today, watching the children and being reminded of something I spend so much time trying to protect in them:

Trust yourself. Listen to yourself. You don't have to think your way through everything.

Sometimes the children I am here to guide are the ones reminding me how to come back to myself. 💕


Samantha Mckoy
Jessie Bray
Big Hearted Education

One thing I have become much more intentional about this year is looking after myself.As educators, parents and carers, ...
05/08/2026

One thing I have become much more intentional about this year is looking after myself.

As educators, parents and carers, we spend so much of our time looking after everyone else. But if we want to keep showing up with patience, energy and a full heart, we also need to look after the body that carries us through each day.

I was introduced to Kel while he was completing his practical placement. I never say no to helping someone learn... especially when it comes with a free massage! 🙃

Before I even had my first appointment, another friend told me how amazing he was. That was enough for me to book my second massage before I'd even experienced the first.

I'm so glad I did.

Kel has magical hands, but what really stands out is that he doesn't just work on sore muscles. He makes sure your body feels safe and relaxed before working deeper. That has made such a difference for me.

More than once I've fallen asleep on the table, and every session I've needed at least 15 minutes afterwards before I felt alert enough to drive home.

To make things even better, Kel is now coming to Armidale, and I can enjoy my massage in the comfort of my own home. 💕

He also gives simple stretches and exercises to do between appointments, so the benefits continue long after the massage has finished.

I've made the decision to prioritise my wellbeing by booking one massage every month, and when I can, two. It's an investment in my health, helping my body regain strength, improve my posture and reduce the aches and discomfort that come from the busy life I love.

If you've been putting yourself last, maybe this is your reminder to do something kind for yourself.

I can't recommend Kel highly enough. 💖

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bo4E1Zond/

Some days just fill your heart. 💛After months of lower numbers and even having to close one of my days, things are chang...
04/08/2026

Some days just fill your heart. 💛

After months of lower numbers and even having to close one of my days, things are changing. Families are reaching out, enquiries are coming in, and places are being filled again.

One conversation today really stayed with me. A mum told me she had been following my page for a while and loved what I do. Hearing those words meant more than she probably realised.

It reminded me that staying true to who you are really does matter. I have continued to share my journey, my philosophy, and the way I work with children because it feels right to me. It won't resonate with everyone—and that's okay. As a Manifestor, I've learned that my role isn't to be everyone's cup of tea. It's to be authentically me, and trust that the right people will find me.

And they are. 🥰

My casual list is filling again, ready for families who need flexible care now and for permanent places that will become available when some of my big children head off to school in the new year.

Feeling incredibly grateful, seen, and excited for what lies ahead. ❤️

Spontaneous learning is often the best kind of learning. ❄️☀️Our whole experiment lasted only about five minutes, but it...
23/07/2026

Spontaneous learning is often the best kind of learning. ❄️☀️

Our whole experiment lasted only about five minutes, but it was filled with curiosity, observation, and discovery.

This morning we found ice in our tuff tray. It had frozen around some toys and a piece of string. We carefully pulled it out and realised we had created a beautiful ice mobile!

We found a sunny spot to hang it and simply watched what happened.

Some toys slipped out of the ice almost immediately, leaving little shapes behind. Others stayed trapped a bit longer. We noticed the ice was cold, wet, and dripping as it slowly melted. Then, without warning, one section cracked off and crashed onto the ground!

No planned activity. Just children observing, predicting, asking questions, and making sense of the world around them.

These everyday moments are where some of the richest learning happens. 💙

🌿 Five days in a row... and I surprised myself. 🌿After getting used to working one or two days, followed by a couple of ...
10/07/2026

🌿 Five days in a row... and I surprised myself. 🌿

After getting used to working one or two days, followed by a couple of days off, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about being busy five days in a row.
But as I finish this week, I find myself smiling.

The preschoolers returned for the school holidays and, at first, they were simply excited to see each other again. Then came the interesting part... working out the new group dynamic.

Who would take the lead? Who would follow? What happens if I don't share? What happens if I choose something that annoys someone else?

Rather than stepping in to solve every problem, we talked about how our actions make others feel and explored ways they could work through challenges together.
And today... they did.

They negotiated, compromised, built cubbies, played mums and dads, and all four children—different ages with different personalities—made it work.

This is one of the things I love most about Family Day Care. There is time and space for children to practise the lifelong skills of communicating, negotiating, understanding emotions, and repairing relationships. So often in larger settings, adults need to step in quickly to solve problems, and those valuable learning moments can easily be missed.

When I looked around before lunch, there was play left everywhere inside. Some might call it a mess, but I saw evidence of deep engagement, imagination and memories being made.

Outside, we kept the shed closed, meaning there were hardly any toys available.

Yet the play blossomed.

The cubby house and the space behind the shed became a whole new world. The children chose the longer route, created their own fairway, delegated jobs, negotiated roles and filled the garden with laughter while I quietly reset the indoor space.
Sometimes, less really is more. ❤️

Address

35 Mann Street
Armidale, NSW
2350

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+61493018964

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