Kirsty Hislop Childminding Service

17/08/2026

The response to my recent posts about adrenarche has been quite overwhelming — and it’s clear how many families are recognising their own children in them.

So, I’m turning this into a new series:

THE ADRENARCHE YEARS — AGES 6–9

We’ll be looking more closely at what is happening during these often-overlooked years — the emotional changes, growing self-awareness, friendships, behaviour, brain development and, importantly, what children need from us as they navigate it all.

Because there is an awful lot happening between 6 and 9 that can easily be mistaken for a child simply becoming more difficult, emotional or challenging.

Sometimes, understanding the why changes how we see the child.

📌 For details of the Adrenarche guide, see the footer of the post.

17/08/2026

2 Days to Go
👟 Ready, Set, School!

The night before school:
✅ Lay out uniform
✅ Pack school bag
✅ Prepare lunch items
✅ Set alarms
✅ Get an early night

A calm evening can help create a calm start to the school day.

17/08/2026

17/08/2026

And just like that 😲 the Summer Holidays are over!
🌞 ⛱️ 🍦 👒 😎

It's been full of fun, adventure, favourite activities and new experiences.
We have enjoyed sharing our days with new friends from other childminding settings and reconnecting with old friends.
We had a fabulous celebration with the residents and staff at The Grove Care Home BBQ.
Filled long days with trips to the beach, local woodlands, Byres Farm and too many playparks to list.
We've enjoyed slow and easy days playing in the garden, den building, snacking on our homegrown strawberries and peas, visiting Lossiemouth Library and walking Rosie 🐾.
We kept cool in the heatwave with pool parties and ice creams (shhh, don't tell the Inspector 🍦😜).
We stayed active with bike rides, dance parties and parachute games.
We nurtured our curiousity in nature with pond dipping, minibeast hunts and growing the most enormous sunflowers!🌻
We kept our creativity sparking with painting, playdough, woodwork, LEGO, baking, pizza making, clay modelling and fancy dress.

I would say it is sad to see all this fun come to an end... but the show goes on here for the little ones! 🥳 Here's to a new term of learning and growing through play and connection.

I am going to miss the children who are moving on or returning to primary school but wishing lots of luck to them on their first week back 🙏💕

01/08/2026

“I’d love to do more outdoors… but I don’t know enough.”

We hear this from so many Early Years practitioners.

They imagine they need a perfect woodland space, specialist equipment, endless activity ideas or years of outdoor experience before they can begin.

But meaningful nature-rich practice can start much more simply, with noticing:

The child who returns to the same slope every day.

The leaves arranged carefully by size.

The puddle tested with different objects.

The stick carried, balanced, measured and transformed into something new.

These moments may hold schemas, communication, sensory exploration, scientific thinking, problem-solving, agency and connection.

You do not have to create something impressive before learning can happen. You need the confidence to recognise what children are already showing you.

Nature Practitioner Level 1 is a gentle starting point for practitioners and childminders who want to understand outdoor learning more deeply without feeling overwhelmed.

It introduces Wild Pedagogy and The Wild Lens™, helping you notice ordinary moments, reflect on the adult role and begin explaining the learning with greater confidence.

You do not need to arrive as an expert.

You simply need somewhere clear and supportive to begin. 🌿

Comment LEVEL 1 and we’ll send you the course details.

01/08/2026

Here's my somewhat unpopular opinion about caring for kids during the summer months: they need as much time as possible to be unhurried and gloriously unstructured.

Those slightly boring, self-directed hours, the ones that can feel almost lazy, are where so much real development happens. Kids are using their imaginations, problem-solving, learning resilience, and finding ways to be calm. In fact, researchers are now linking the loss of this kind of free time to rising anxiety in children.

Our kids need days that are unscheduled. They need to lose track of time.

So this summer, whatever yours looks like, give them, and yourself, permission to simply be. ❤️

Check out the article for my full thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/33ucjpn

01/08/2026

Can we stop making outdoor learning another thing practitioners feel they have to perform?

You do not need a perfectly styled mud kitchen.

You do not need a brand-new activity every day.

You do not need expensive resources, elaborate invitations or a Pinterest-worthy outdoor space.

Sometimes meaningful outdoor learning looks like:

🌿 a child returning to the same puddle again and again
🌿 a practitioner watching before interrupting
🌿 sticks being moved, sorted and rebuilt for twenty minutes
🌿 a child asking one question that changes the whole direction of the morning
🌿 space to move, retreat, repeat and try again

The value is not always in what the adult sets up.

It is often in what the child does next, and whether somebody notices.

Honestly, we think many practitioners are already supporting far more learning than they realise.

They just haven’t always been given the language or confidence to explain what they can see.

What is the simplest outdoor moment you have seen recently that held far more learning than it first appeared?

Tell us below, we would genuinely love to hear it. 🌱

01/08/2026

Writing
✏️🖍️ The Power of Early Mark Making! 🖍️✏️

Did you know that early mark making begins long before a child picks up a crayon? Through everyday experiences like squishing, poking, and exploring food in their high chair, babies are starting to develop important fine motor skills. These messy moments help strengthen little hands and fingers, laying the foundations for future writing skills.

As children grow, scribbling, painting, drawing, and making marks in sand or shaving foam continue to build hand strength, coordination, creativity, and communication. Most importantly, children begin to understand that their marks can have meaning.

So let's celebrate the mess and the scribbles—they're not "just play," they're the first steps on a child's journey to becoming a confident writer! 🦜

01/08/2026

🦜 Ready for School Bingo! 🦜

Starting Primary 1 is an exciting milestone! Our School Readiness Bingo is a fun way to help your child build confidence before August.

Simply cross off each square as your child learns a new skill – from putting on their shoes and washing their hands to recognising their name and asking for help.

Every child develops at their own pace, so celebrate each achievement along the way! 💙

Let's make getting ready for Primary 1 fun, positive, and full of little wins. Good luck with your bingo! 🎉📚

27/07/2026

What a fantastic, action-packed afternoon the children had exploring Forres today! We started our journey at Wastebusters, where the children learned about recycling by dropping off some of our old toys.
Next, we headed to Sanquhar Pond for an exciting spot of pond dipping, a beautiful nature walk, and a lovely picnic with the ducks! It was fun waiting for the ducks to go down their 'waterslide' 🤣
The children then showed great resilience testing out their physical skills on the outdoor gym equipment. We then journeyed on to Grant Park to explore the stunning Forres in Bloom sensory garden. They children an amazing job recognizing and naming different flowers and vegetables. We even used our senses to smell fresh lemon balm—which got mixed reviews! We finished our big day out burning off the last of our energy at the swing park, conquering the big tube slide. Through today's community adventures, these little learners are developing a wonderful sense of the world around them, building their physical confidence, and discovering how to care for nature.