Natalie

About Me

My name is Natalie, I moved to Newbury 7 years ago with my partner of 12 years, and son (who is now 17 and lives at College in Gloucester Monday to Friday). I have worked in early years for the past 6 years in a private nursery setting. Since having my little girl in March 2022 I decided now was a great time to fulfil my dream of becoming a childminder. After lots of planning, hard work and dedication Little Oaks was born. Our garden is home to a huge Oak tree which is where the name inspiration came from.

My Home
My home is situated in central Newbury. There are lovely local parks, a library, local shops and easy access to a beautiful canal. I offer full time childcare for children aged between 1-4 years old (preschool) all year round. We love messy sensory play and outdoor exploring come rain or shine, providing a home from home environment. I have a beautiful cabin in the garden which is our main play space and has excellent access to free flow garden play. I provide 3 meals a day and nappies to.

Play Cabin
Little oaks has a beautiful cabin in the garden with floor to ceiling glass windows maximising the natural light. The cabin has been converted into our play room which has a large range of recourses and play opportunities. From a snuggly book corner, to enjoy self reflection and share stories together, to a little role play station which is regularly changed following children’s key interests. Our resources cover the seven areas of learning in the EYFS and are accessible to the children to identify from our real life labels. Real life labels for the resources allow children to make their own choices with what they’d like to play with. The cabin has direct access to our large garden space and is also extremely close to the main house.

Outdoor Space
We have a lovely sized mature garden with plenty of room for children to run around safely and explore in a natural environment. Our garden has a sandpit on the ground and a selection of outdoor play equipment, all accessible to the children. Little Oaks has a lovely natural mud kitchen corner with a range of materials and real life and natural cooking resources for children to explore and let their imagination take over. Our garden is fully fenced and has two locked gates creating the ultimate safe space to play. Our garden is home to a family of hedgehogs which produce new offspring each year and a family of squirrels in our big Oak tree making learning about British wildlife exciting and educational.

Pets
I am an animal lover and have a beautiful friendly old tabby cat named Nhala who shares my home. We also have two baby Herman tortoises downstairs in our family living room who enjoy their outdoor enclosure in the summer months. Lastly we have an equally friendly pet corn snake called Cinder, who lives upstairs in my son’s room. Animals play a key role in children’s understanding of the world and they thrive from the responsibility of looking after them from pets to the wildlife in our own gardens. Learning facts and how to care for other living things is a great experience.

I am passionate about helping children learn and grow to reach their full potential through play led activities. Childminding gives me, my family and all future families a flexible home from home environment. I follow the EYFS curriculum and we spend a lot of time exploring and learning outdoors. I am level 3 early years qualified and hold a full pediatric first aid qualification. I can’t wait to give my little girl and future little oaks children a safe, supportive and happy home from home environment to play learn and grow.