All About US

Our Vision

Mini Explorers opened in January 2020 as a childminding setting just before the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time we realised just how important children's mental health was on their learning and development and thus began our journey with the Hygge in the Early Years accreditation. We ensure that our children's happiness, comfort and mental health are at the forefront of all we do.

We aim to provide a home from home environment that allows children the space to express themselves and take learning at their own pace. It is deeply important to us that children have a safe space to relax and that staff understand that just like us, children sometimes need time to unwind before getting back to their exploration.

Outdoor play is also essential to a child's learning and development, and here at Mini Explorers we love nothing more than taking the children out to explore nature. Being in nature has been scientifically proven to significantly help reduce negative feelings of anger, stress and anxiety which is so important for our little ones as they start to explore these big emotions. Additionally, being outside has been proven to improve concentration and attention. This is why our outings and outdoor activities play such a vital role in the services we provide.

It truly takes a village to raise a child and in these modern times we are aware that not everyone is able to access the support network and helping hand that they need. We are here to be that village for families. Whether the family need a shoulder to cry on, an advocate for them, an encourgaing voice, or just some friendly advice and support, we are here for you. Our staff are able to advise on numerous topics from pregnancy and breastfeeeding, to completing EHCPs and financial support. If we don't know the answer, we will find them for you.

We feel incredibly blessed by every child who joins our Mini Explorers family and we look forwards to many new adventures to come.

Baby Room (0-2 years)

Our baby room has space for 15 children aged 0-2 years and we pride ourselves on providing a welcoming, cosy environment where each child is cared for like our own. Staff are trained in baby wearing to support positive attachments and help children settling in. We are acutely aware of how important the first 1000 days are in a child's brain development, and use this knowledge to provide engaging and enriching activities.

We have a loose routine that is easily adapted to each individual child. We understand not every baby naps the same way at the same time for the same length of time so it is really important to us that we are able to support children in having their individual needs met so they are able to learn and thrive.

We encourage baby led weaning in the setting and fully understand that some parents may be uncomfortable with this so we will always work with parents to ensure we are working as a team for the child. All our staff are paediatric first aid trained to ensoure the health and safety of everyone who attends the setting.

Toddler Room (2-4 years)

Our room has space for 25 children aged 2-4 years. It compromises of a specially designed large home corner to encourage imagination, role play, peer engagement and self expression. The room also has a small world and loose parts area, a construction zone, our enchanted nook and emotion station, a sensory space, and role play and cosy zones. We have a dining and craft area attached to the main room with 8 individual children's toilets and sinks.

As part of our continuous provision, we provide dough disco and squiggle while you wiggle activities to promote early writing skills and fine motor development. We frequently do sunshine circles which uses sensory experiences and role play to encourage speech and language development, and key communicational skills. We have weekly sports session with CTO Sports which uses imaginative play to explore a wide range of movement and physical skills. We have found this invaluable for children's confidence and listening skills.

We believe in frequent outings and outdoor activities to encourage the children's love of nature and the world around us. We aim to provide frequent park and woodland visits, trips to the beach and farm, and even trips to the soft play. This all helps to build a child's experience in life. As well as this we like to engage with the community through local events and visits to local care homes.

Our hygge ethos manifests through the setting in different ways but for the toddler room we aim to focus on positivity, familiarity and comfort. Children are encouraged to dress comfortably, express their emotions to staff and peers, and engage in weekly "hygge moments" activities where we share our thoughts and feelings on a weekly buzz word like "loved", "happiness", "bravery".