About Us
At Mindstretchers Academy, we believe in transforming early years education by placing children’s voices at the heart of learning.
Mindstretchers was founded in 1996 by Dr. Claire Warden, with the mission to inspire practitioners to create environments where curiosity, creativity, and care thrive.
We’re proud champions of child-led, inquiry-based learning and nature pedagogy through which we aim to empower practitioners to create meaningful learning experiences that connect children to their peers, their environment, and the wider world.
Through our own innovative tools (Floorbooks and Talking Tubs), expert training, and a global community, we equip practitioners with the skills and confidence to nurture children inside, outside, and beyond.
Our vision is a world where education systems around the world allow children to explore and celebrate their innate wonder, encourage stewardship of the planet, and build a future shaped by creativity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
Our Journey
At the start of the Mindstretchers Academy story Claire was an early years practitioner working with a group of disengaged children in an area of high deprivation.
She was tasked with finding a way to reach them. Traditional methods and classrooms just weren’t working, and seemed to stifle their energy and curiosity. Claire took them outside, armed with a sheet of paper and markers, to explore their interests.
At first, the children were reluctant, but nature intervened. Whether it was a worm wriggling out of the soil or rain drops in a puddle, unexpected moments of connection were born as if out of nothing.
Soon, all sorts of lines of inquiry into measurements and life cycles emerged. Children’s curiosities had been ignited, and Claire realised something transformative:
When children are given the freedom to explore their interests, guided by engaged adults, learning becomes joyful and meaningful.
This moment inspired Claire to pursue new methods of education and became the foundation of the philosophy that would guide Mindstretchers.
She didn’t know if then, but those sheets of paper would become the first ever Floorbook, and in years to come this method would evolve into The Floorbook™ Approach.
Mindstretchers Academy was founded to share this approach with educators around the world and today we’re proud to lead the way in early years education by providing the tools and training you need to follow in Claire’s footsteps.
Our Philosophy
Children are natural explorers, at least that’s what we believe. Everyday we see them brimming with curiosity and creativity.
Our philosophy is built on the idea that education is most impactful when it respects children’s voices. It is impactful where adults work collaboratively with children and each other, to connect children to their own rights and those of the natural world around them.
Child-Led Inquiry
Letting children influence their own journey is at the heart of everything we do. You’ll often hear this referred to as Child-Led Inquiry. We’ve seen over and over again that children learn best when their ideas and questions guide their own journey with adults there to walk alongside them stepping in when needed.
We always start by listening to children, to their thoughts, their questions, and their interests. We document these, and build meaningful experiences around those interests through our awareness of the possibilities for learning.
Doing this means that we can nurture confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of learning in each child.
This belief drives The Floorbook™ Approach
Nature Pedagogy
The natural world is the most rich and dynamic learning environment for a child. It has endless opportunities for discovery and connection.
With a PhD in Nature Pedagogy, it’s no wonder that this is another fundamental of our philosophy and approach.
What this means is that we place nature at the heart of children’s learning by utilising areas that are inside, outside and beyond the gate. This is in both the physical sense of a location, inside a building or playing outside, but also as a sense of our self, family around us and the community beyond that.
Children learn about, in, with, for and from the natural world in a form of environmental kinship. This sense of belonging and kinship is motivational and engaging, supporting them to challenge themselves in all aspects of learning.
Holistic Development
We believe that education should focus on nurturing the whole child.
At Mindstretchers, we aim to develop:
- Confidence: Helping children believe in their abilities and take pride in their accomplishments.
- Curiosity: Encouraging children to ask questions, explore, and embrace wonder.
- Care: Cultivating empathy and a sense of responsibility for themselves, others, and the planet.
By developing the whole child, as opposed to just their academic successes, we create a foundation for lifelong success.
When children become confident, curious, and caring, they become more resilient learners, better problem-solvers, and more compassionate for the people and the world around them.
Therefore we’re shaping a future where adults are equipped to thrive, contribute, and care for their communities and the planet.