Helping Home Child Care Providers Thrive
What can young children learn from a garden living classroom for young children? Perhaps you are an educator or parent seeking more perspective on how young children acquire knowledge through hands-on or experiential learning. In that case, this guide will point you in the right direction. Our garden was featured in In Her Garden Magazine…
Winter Sowing Mini Greenhouse Method for Educators. Learn how educators and home childcare providers can use winter sowing and mini greenhouses to garden with children and support nature-based learning. Winter sowing means planting seeds in soil and letting them overwinter outdoors, exposed to snow, rain, and cold, until they emerge naturally—sometimes described as creating mini…
Learning beyond walls in my home childcare is prioritizing outdoor, play-based learning. This approach gives me the opportunity to use my backyard as a place for experiential learning, focusing on the seasons, noticing what is around us, and slowing down from the hustle and hurried life that often leaves educators overwhelmed or inadequate. Learning beyond…
When I offered infant care in my home childcare, there were moments that required care beyond classroom learning or management — moments when infants needed extra love and a bath after accidents, spit- ups, or illness. Yes, the real work of caring for babies. During those years, I kept a small infant bath in my…
Today, in our home childcare, the children explored scientific concepts that naturally flowed into process art. It’s always a joyous day to watch their creativity in our outdoor learning environment, which blends content areas. I’ve been experimenting with colors, specifically dye baths using flowers from my garden, and decided to invite the children into an…
Home Daycare Art Show – this summer, we hosted our annual backyard art show—and it was a beautiful reminder of what home childcare can be: personal, creative, and deeply connected. As a Reggio-inspired educator, I believe in honoring children’s work and bringing families into our learning journey. With three of our children leaving my home…
Why We Garden in Home Daycare At our home daycare, gardening is an integral part of our daily routine. Children learn alongside the garden, the seasons, and the offerings of the outdoors. Our garden is more than a place to grow food—it’s a living classroom where children discover that some plants are edible, some support…
In our home daycare, nature often leads the way—but nothing prepared us for the powerful Illinois storm that changed our outdoor space overnight. Illinois weather surprised us this week. During my son’s middle school graduation, hail and strong winds swept through our area. The next night, we experienced something even more unusual—a dust storm. I…
Operating a home childcare means staying flexible, especially when the materials run low, but the children’s curiosity runs high. Our outdoor days are filled with gardening and mud kitchen play, and lately, we ran out of mud specifically for their mud kitchen. Yes, completely. (And let me tell you—if you don’t offer a designated dig spot,…
A simple moment in nature can transform the way young children learn—but only if we slow down enough to notice. This morning, as the children in my home childcare played in the front yard (our backyard is still getting a makeover), one of my littles spotted some dark clouds roll in. “Miss Sue, look it’s…
The beloved book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt was rewritten by the children in my home daycare. Today was a beautiful day in the Academy, filled with exploration, imagination, and deep thinking. We started with a book that sparks creativity—What Do You Do with an Idea?—and followed it with We’re Going on a Bear…
Beating the Winter Blues in Your Childcare Space with Flowers Winter can feel long and dull, especially when the cold keeps us indoors. While our childcare space is filled with green plants, sometimes we need flowers to brighten the environment. A Simple, Affordable Way to Bring Flowers Indoors One day I was feeling blah and…
Embracing Messy Learning in my home childcare. Another day of the vortex freeze, and once again, my children were reluctant to go outdoors. As the morning unfolded, I could see their energy building—like bottled-up excitement ready to explode. I knew I had to shift the environment to match their needs. I quickly gathered clay, bowls, water, and…
