Wildflower Inclusive Childcare

The home is the first environment a baby knows. It is where they start to learn around the world around them and the base where they feel safe and are able to process the things they learn.

Small children take great interest in the activity of the home, who is doing what? And why are they doing it?

It’s important to involve children in that activity as much as possible, in a meaningful yet age appropriate way. Hours of fun can be had loading and unloading a washing machine or washing fruit in the sink.

Often people think Montessori is about buying loads of things but actually it’s much more about thinking carefully about how the things you already have can be safe and accessible for the children in the home to be able to use. Think about what can be put at child height. Value the children’s contribution to the home and their confidence will fly

A brilliant weekend attending the .org.official conference. I am so passionate about respectful caregiving, not only for the wellbeing of the child but also as a tool to give parents the confidence and guidance they need to navigate parenting.

Spring seems very stop, start at the moment which can really make the winter feel like it’s dragging on. I’ve got to admit this winter felt very long and grey for me.
But working with so many new families in the last year has brought be a lot of joy. My favourite thing about the job is getting to meet new people, I’m certainly never bored.

Grace and courtesy is a major cornerstone of Montessori Education.

It offers an alternative to manners for the sake of manners, instead putting the responsibility on the adult to role model what mutual respect looks like.

This goes beyond just our words, including the way we touch each other and the spaces we live in.

I try to used recycled and foraged materials for crafts as much as possible. I want the little one to know she doesn’t need to buy loads of things to be able to create.

This was a lively craft where we dried out some Mother’s Day flowers and and then glued them onto an old candle jar to make a lovely seasonal vase for flowers

Waldorf

Free play is vital to early years development. Children need extended periods of self directed play (Montessori recommends 2 hour blocks) both inside and outdoors.

These windows of exploration help children develop their imagination, internal motivation and gives them time to repeat and perfect skills.

I also think it gives children some quiet time to progress the day and regulate emotions. Children who are respected to enjoy thier free time do the same in return

When thinking of a children’s environment there are two things to think about.

First, how is their environment set up? Are they able to explore and experience that environment independently? Ensure the environment is set up with developmentally appropriate activities and objects. This doesn’t mean having lots of things, sometimes it just means bringing in som seasonal flowers to discover.

The second environment is the emotional environment. Are you creating a calm and caring environment for them? Are you bringing your whole self and attention to them? While we can’t always do this 100% of them time, what can we do to improve the emotional environment for the child?

I currently have slots available on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for families in East and central London

Can provide both regular and ad hoc care.

DM to discuss

I’m so passionate about outdoor loose parts play.

Loose part play is using lots of different objects that aren’t particularly made for children and allowing children to use thier imagination to make games to play with them.

This early year’s adventure playground is an amazing space for outdoor exploration and play and is my absolute fav place to come.

Development looks different for all children. Trying to monitor if your child is on track is often overwhelming for parents. There are so many different frameworks to follow and variables.

My advice is to always “follow the child”, observe closely at what they are doing, often they are doing more than you think, and design activities around their natural interested and stage of development.

It’s LGBTQ+ history month!

Working in childcare as an LGBT person can be very isolating. My day job is a totally different community and culture than I the one I have a home. Neither side seems to understand each other very much.

While the families I have worked with directly have always been welcoming, I’ve had some awful comments from agents telling me to “keep it quiet” and even had one play date mum block me as soon as she found out.

Yes I bring it into my work. Like I bring in all sorts of different cultural experiences. I feel it’s my job to expose children to the wide variety of human experiences.

Crying often incites panic in lots of care givers. “What’s wrong!” “Are you hurt?” “Are you sad?” Are the thoughts that run through parents mind.

But for young children crying is communication. Try to remain calm, listen to what they are trying to say, and always respond to that communication. (Never let a child ‘cry it out’”

Don’t always presume a child cry needs to be soothed with being given something. Even the youngest of babies can be comforted by words of reassurance.

Try saying things like “I hear you’re frustrated” “I want to understand what you’re telling me” next time your baby gets to communicate with you.