Our Personal Journeys
Hi I’m Claire, born and (mostly) raised in Britain, as you may have guessed from some of the spellings :-). I’ve also spent two very happy years in the USA as a teenager with my family. I’ve moved around a lot, now I live just outside London, UK.
I’ve always loved caring for young children. I’m a trained nanny/ nursery nurse (or childcare worker for those who are not familiar with the British lingo). I’m fascinated with learning more about childcare and child development so I continue to study it in my spare time.
Through temporary and permanent jobs I’ve worked in 16 nurseries, daycare centres and preschools. I got tired of seeing the unpleasant effects that group care has on little ones, so I became a nanny a couple of years ago and love it!
I’m fortunate that I’ve spent 10 years caring for and learning from my favourite age group, which of course is toddlers.
I believe that toddlers’ curiosity and striving for independence is often misunderstood as mischief. I’m pleased that this site gives me the opportunity to share ways I’ve found successful in guiding toddlers to fulfill their need for learning through activities. (If you have a toddler activity or a handy parenting tip, I’d love to hear about it through our contact page.)
Mind you, I never thought I would own an e-business! It’s much easier than I first thought. Would you like to know why building this site was easy?
By the way, do you need a gentle nanny? I am currently searching for a nanny position, so I might be able to help. 🙂 (Oct 2012)
….and I’m Patricia. The other half of the team. Well, I was at the beginning, but now I’ve started my own website, having seen how successful this one is getting.
I am a mother of two lovely girls. One of them being Claire! I really enjoyed being a mother when they were little. My oldest daughter, Helen, is just 16 months older than Claire, so they were both toddlers together!
I have been a teacher for more years than I care to count with all age groups under 15. Mostly under 11 and more recently 1-4 year olds.
As Claire mentioned, we have moved around quite a bit within Britain and also abroad. Teachers with English as a first language, have skills that are sought all over the world. I enjoyed living in North Carolina and Montana in the USA and also in Kuwait for a few years. (Claire didn’t come to Kuwait as she was at college in Wales.) I’m finding it’s good to be back in England now.
I’m Helen, sister and behind-the-scenes partner. I provide editing, formatting, graphics, marketing, search engine optimization and strategic consulting for Clever Toddler Activities and also for clients via my online business BeyondSEO.
I live in Minneapolis, USA with my filmmaking husband Orion, our two toddlers and baby who keep me busy and full of joy.