Country Bumpkin's Childminding

Country Bumpkin's Childminding Childminding service

29/08/2026

🧸 Trying somewhere new! 🌿

Yesterday we headed off on a little adventure to try Muthill Playgroup for the first time!

Our Thursday little ones regularly enjoy our trips to Comrie Toddlers, so I wanted to find a similar opportunity for those who come to Country Bumpkins on a Friday too. ❤️

We had a lovely morning exploring somewhere new, playing, enjoying snack and meeting lots of new children and families. When it was time to go, everyone even helped to tidy the toys away. 🥰

New places, new faces and lots of opportunities to build confidence and feel part of our wider community — I think we’ll be back! 🌿🧸

14/08/2026

🎨 Painting in the garden… Country Bumpkins style! 🌿

This afternoon I simply put some paints beside the easel and left the children to decide what they wanted to do with them.

The easel was soon forgotten… apparently the playhouse made a much better canvas! 😂🎨

I’m often asked how I cope with the mess when I let the children explore so freely. The answer is simple — the clean-up becomes part of the play!

A tray of warm water, some cloths and sponges and suddenly I have a very enthusiastic little cleaning team. 🧽💦

Freedom to explore, create, make a mess… and take a little responsibility for putting things right afterwards. ❤️🌿

ReggioInspired

24/07/2026

We will be back on 11th August 😊

23/07/2026

🌿 A lovely day by the river… 🌿

Today we met up with our friends for a beautiful walk along the Lednock path.

The children had so much fun scrambling up the grassy banks, chasing one another through the trees and enjoying the freedom to explore at their own pace. There was plenty of laughter, fresh air and opportunities to build confidence as they navigated the natural landscape together.

After all that adventure, we stopped for a picnic lunch before settling under the shade of the trees to share some favourite stories. 📚🌳

Sometimes the simplest days become the most memorable—good friends, a picnic, stories, and the great outdoors. 💚🍃

22/07/2026

Every voice matters at Country Bumpkins.

One of the many ways I encourage the children’s voices to be heard is by giving them genuine opportunities to make decisions about their day.

Today, it was time to choose our afternoon snack! Using our simple self-voting board, each child placed a stone beside the recipe they wanted to make. It was a lovely hands-on way for everyone to share their opinion, whatever their age or stage of development.

The final result was…
🫐 Blueberry Pancakes – 2 votes
🍌 Banana Oat Muffins – 1 vote

Blueberry pancakes were the winners! 🎉

Giving children meaningful choices helps them develop confidence, independence and a sense of belonging. It also shows them that their ideas and opinions are valued. Whether we’re voting on recipes, planning activities, choosing books or deciding where our adventures will take us, these small moments help children understand that they are active participants in our setting.

After all, some of the best ideas come from the little people. 💚

21/07/2026

Some days are a little harder than others…

Today we said goodbye to one of our Country Bumpkins who has been part of our little family since he was just 10 months old. After years of adventures, muddy puddles, woodland walks, laughter, learning and so many special memories, he’s now ready for his next big adventure—starting school after the summer holidays.

Watching him skip happily out of the door with his memory book tucked under his arm was a reminder of just how much he’s grown. Meanwhile, Mum and I were left with tears in our eyes as we shared one last cuddle and reflected on the incredible journey we’ve been on together.

While we’ll miss seeing his smiling face every week, the memories we’ve made together and the little mark he’s has left on Country Bumpkins will always remain.

Wishing you every happiness as you begin this exciting new chapter. Keep being curious, kind and adventurous—we know you’ll do amazing things.

And as I look around the playroom on Monday morning, there’ll be one less little pair of wellies waiting by the back door… but a lifetime of treasured memories will always have a place here.

With love,
Emma 🤎

17/07/2026

**Yesterday’s charity shop find turned out to be an absolute treasure! 🥚🍃**

Tucked away on a shelf was this beautiful little basket of decorative eggs. Each one is completely different – some are smooth polished stone or marble, others are carved from wood, while some are hand-painted with intricate patterns and others have been left beautifully natural.

What looked like a simple basket of eggs quickly became a wonderful sensory invitation for our little Bumpkins. Tiny hands explored the different textures, noticing which eggs felt **cold or warm**, **heavy or light**, **rough or smooth**, **shiny or matt**. They rolled them carefully in their hands, compared their sizes and patterns, and talked about which ones they liked best.

Sometimes the simplest resources spark the richest learning. There’s no right or wrong way to explore—just curiosity, conversation and the chance to discover something new through all the senses.

A reminder that you don’t always need expensive toys to create meaningful learning experiences. Sometimes the best invitations to play are waiting to be found in your local charity shop. 💚🌿

14/07/2026

🍅🥕 A busy day in the Country Bumpkins Kitchen! 👨‍🍳🌿

This morning the children arrived to discover that Harry the Hedgehog had left them a very important job… a shopping list! 🦔📝

Off we went to the local shop where everyone played their part. Our youngest Bumpkin proudly carried a red pepper all the way in the buggy, while the older children carefully found the items on our list, helped load the basket, scanned the shopping at the checkout and packed the bags ready for home.

After some time enjoying the garden, it was time to become little chefs. With freshly washed hands, the children washed and chopped the vegetables before helping to prepare our lunch. Our Chef of the Day then set the table ready for everyone to enjoy.

Lunch was served family-style, with the children serving themselves and carefully pouring their own drinks. It’s always lovely to see how much pride they take in doing these jobs independently, and I’ve often found that children are much more willing to try new foods and eat well when they have been involved in every stage of the process—from shopping, to preparing, to serving their own meal.

Cooking together isn’t just about making lunch. It’s full of opportunities to develop independence, confidence, early maths, language, fine motor skills and healthy eating habits, all while having fun together. 💚

LittleChefs

11/07/2026

🌿🍎 Exciting News from Country Bumpkins! 🍎🌿

We’re introducing a brand new Weekly Menu at Country Bumpkins!

Mealtimes have always been an important part of our day, but over the coming months we’re taking them one step further by giving the children a much bigger role in planning and preparing their food.

Even our youngest children have ideas and preferences, and involving them in choosing ingredients, preparing meals and setting the table helps them to become confident, independent and curious about food.

Together we’ll be:
🥕 Choosing fruit and vegetables
👩‍🍳 Helping to prepare simple meals and snacks
🍽️ Setting the table together
🌱 Growing and tasting where we can
📖 Recording our favourite recipes to create our very own Country Bumpkins Cookbook!

Research shows that children are often much more willing to try new foods when they’ve helped choose or prepare them. There will never be any pressure to eat something they don’t like, but we’ll encourage everyone to explore new tastes at their own pace in a relaxed and positive way.

Our menus will continue to follow Setting the Table nutritional guidance, with balanced meals and snacks prepared using fresh ingredients wherever possible.

I can’t wait to see where this new adventure takes us—and I’m looking forwar to sharing the children’s ideas, recipes and cooking experiences with you along the way. 💚

09/07/2026

☀️ Summer days are made for this… 💦🌳

This morning we burned off some energy with our friends at Comrie Toddlers before heading to the park to enjoy a picnic lunch beneath the shade of the trees. 🧺

Back at Country Bumpkins, we spent the afternoon in the garden keeping cool with lots of water play. The children poured, splashed, experimented and laughed together, all while developing their confidence, coordination and teamwork without even realising they were learning.

Following the children’s interests and making the most of warm summer days allows us to slow down, enjoy the outdoors and create meaningful learning experiences through play. Sometimes the simplest days really are the best.

Address

2 Hebridean Gardens
Crieff
PH73BP

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+447590355168

Website

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