Little Explorer's Hemel

09/09/2026

Preparing one of their favourite lunches… They say "pizza!"🍕

I say wholemeal pittas topped with homemade tomato, red pepper, onion, basil and garlic sauce. The tomatoes and basil are homegrown too, so I’m feeling a little smug! 😂🌿🍅

06/09/2026

Autumn feels

05/09/2026

But, as always, my favourite moment came during child-initiated play. The children worked together beautifully to prepare a feast of mud pies and pine-cone muffins, with very little adult direction. 🤎

They shared ideas, communicated, solved problems, took turns and used their wonderful imaginations. So much genuine learning happened naturally in that one moment.

Structured activities have their place, but child-initiated play is where so much real development takes place. This is why it’s so important to provide an environment that encourages children to be curious, explore freely and follow their own ideas. 🌿

05/09/2026

What a lovely first week we’ve had! 🥰 Everyone has settled beautifully back into our full-time routine.

This week we’ve been learning all about our amazing bodies through obstacle courses, yoga and dancing—building strength, balance, coordination and confidence. Just look at these gorgeous yoga cards that one of our very talented parents made for us! We have a whole set to enjoy. 🧘‍♀️

We also created face collages and used loose parts with playdough to make our own faces, supporting creativity, fine-motor skills and our understanding of ourselves and others.

Each day, we read our focus books, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes and From Head to Toe. Repeating familiar stories helps children learn new words, remember what happens next, join in with actions and phrases, and develop a lifelong love of books. 📚

So much wonderful EYFS learning through Communication and Language, Physical Development, PSED, Literacy and Expressive Arts and Design—all while having lots of fun! 🤎

31/08/2026

🍂 We’re back! 🤎

I’m genuinely so excited to have everyone together again this week, and some new faces too to start a brand new term at Little Explorers.

We’re starting with All About Me, My Family & Belonging — getting to know each other, our bodies, talking about the people we love and celebrating all the little things that make us us. 🥰

📚 We’ll be reading Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Helen Oxenbury and From Head to Toe by Eric Carle along side many other stories, with lots of songs, rhymes and dancing in between. 🎶

Our days will be full of family role play, self-portraits, counting fingers and toes, exploring our bodies and feelings, messy play, walks and little adventures in the community. 🌿

And some of my favourite bits… sitting around the table sharing meals together, learning to take turns and just enjoying being part of our little group. 🤎

So much learning happens in those ordinary little moments — confidence, language, friendships, independence and that lovely feeling of belonging.

Can’t wait to get started. 🥰🍂

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

28/07/2026

🌱 My little capybara has been busy harvesting the veg patch while our Little Explorers are enjoying their summer break! 🐹💚

This year we've managed to grow plenty of tomatoes 🍅 and the odd strawberry 🍓, but we're still waiting for our runner beans and peppers to make an appearance!

It's our very first year growing fruit and vegetables, so it's all been a learning experience. I don't think this spot gets quite enough sunshine, so we'll be choosing a much sunnier home for our vegetable patch next spring. ☀️🌿

One of the lovely things about gardening with children is that it teaches us that not everything goes to plan—and that's okay! We learn, adapt, and try again. We can't wait to get our Little Explorers involved in planting, caring for, and hopefully harvesting an even bigger crop next year! 🌼💚

23/07/2026

Today marks the start of a little summer break! 🌿

I have 16 days to spend making memories with my family, while Kylie has 4 well-deserved weeks to enjoy with her son. ❤️

Of course, being self-employed means you never truly switch off! Alongside family time, I'll be painting, cleaning, repairing and making improvements to our little nursery, ready to welcome everyone back.

Weekdays start at 7:30am and don't finish until 6pm. In between those open times, we're cooking healthy meals and snacks, planning exciting learning experiences, shopping, completing CPD, updating learning journeys, tackling the endless admin... and squeezing in a little sleep somewhere too! 😅

Am I complaining? Absolutely not.

Whenever we've had a busy or challenging week, I remind myself how incredibly privileged we are to be trusted with your most precious people. Watching your children grow and receiving the kind messages we so often get makes every early morning and late night worth it.

Thank you for trusting us to be part of your children's journey.

Happy Summer, everyone! ☀️💚