Welcome to Mindstretchers

The home of Floorbooks & Child-led Inquiry

The Floorbook Approach

Bring the joy back to planning

The Floorbook Approach is a method of collaborating with children to include children' theories and ideas at every step of the planning process. It supports practitioners to feel confident to move away from box-ticking exercises and discover meaningful and long-lasting learning experiences for themselves and the children they work with.

It has the power to turn mandatory planning into a joyful and effective process that benefits both professionals and children.

  • Get started with child-led learning
  • Create an engaged team
  • Make planning joyful again
  • Offer meaningful learning experiences
  • Streamline your planning
  • Make your planning impactful

Featured Products

Online Shop

Meet Dr Claire Warden

The Creator of the Floorbook Approach

Dr. Claire Warden is an award-winning educational consultant and the visionary behind The Floorbook Approach. With over 35 years of experience, Claire is globally recognized as the leading authority on child-led inquiry and collaborative ways of working.

Her pioneering work has revolutionized planning and documentation by making it collaborative, engaging, and deeply rooted in children’s voices. Her work on Nature Pedagogy is centred on the use of Floorbooks as a tool to link learning inside, outside and beyond the gate.

Claire’s expertise continues to inspire educators worldwide to move beyond instructional methods and embrace a more meaningful approach to learning which inspires both children and adults.

Work With Claire

Mindstretchers Academy UK

The Mindstretchers Academy is a place where early years educators from around the globe can access practical, research-based training materials. Our mission is to help children flourish in education through raising the quality of the experiences they are offered.

Find out more

Auchlone

Auchlone Nature Kindergarten was Scotland's first outdoor Nature Kindergarten in 2008. The multiple award winning site embeds Floorbooks and Nature Pedagogy to provide children with authentic, rich experiences.

Find out more

Nature Pedagogy

Dr Claire Warden has a PhD in Nature Pedagogy and Child Led Inquiry and has been integral in creating and theorising Nature Pedagogy which is an approach to education that places nature at the heart of learning, and plays an important role in Claire’s methodologies.

Find out more

Living Classrooms

Living Classrooms was set up to deliver educational programmes for a diverse range of client groups, including children's centres, adult community groups and schools and has done so with additional support from a wide range of external funders.

Find out more