MY SETTING

PHILOSOPHY

My home based environment naturally and positively encourages everyday activities such as tidying up, food preparation and sharing meals together helping children gain practical life skills and promoting feelings of security through routine and repetition. I’ve carefully designed spaces in my home based setting to promote hygge - evoking feelings of comfort, calm, nostalgia and security reinforcing children’s overall wellbeing, social and emotional development.

My indoor and outdoor spaces have been thoughtfully designed for children to interact and view materials and resources at their level encouraging independence and confidence. I focus heavily on the use of open-ended resources, loose parts, curiosity objects, everyday objects, natural materials and role play materials which encourage children to be curious using their imaginations and problem solving skills during their play. The materials and resources in my setting rarely change, which provides consistency for the children and also promotes security, confidence and independence.

Children attending my setting will spend lots of time outdoors, whatever the weather. Outdoor learning supports all seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage and has a positive impact on children’s overall wellbeing.

I mainly use the Development Matters curriculum, developed by the Department for Education, and a mixture of pedagogical approaches including Maria Montessori and Reggio Emilia with an emphasis on child-led interest-based play and adult-initiated learning. I plan ambitious learning opportunities for children with a mixed focus on process and result which allows the children to learn at their own pace as well as find satisfaction in completing activities.

I believe in the power of a strong partnership and that parents are a child’s best teachers. I work closely with the families of children in my setting to establish consistency between their learning inside and outside of my setting.

PETS AND LOCAL WILDLIFE

I have a cat, Bertie Wooster, who is as dapper and strong willed as the character he is named after. Bertie is mostly an outdoor cat and prefers solitude, but may on occasion come into our home. I always ensure the children are appropriately supervised around Bertie and help them safely interact with pets. Bertie is fully vaccinated and is up-to-date on his worming and flea treatments.

My garden is also home to a variety of other wildlife including muntjac deer, foxes, hedgehogs, black squirrels, magpies, wood pigeons, small garden birds, frogs, minibeasts, some friendly local cats and, of course, some little starlings. Having a variety of local wildlife provides wonderful learning opportunities for the children. I ensure all outdoor spaces are clean and safe for use each day as well as ensuring the children use good hygiene, wash their hands after spending time outdoors and are regularly checked for ticks.