Welcome!
Imagine a world in which children are free to roam fields, walk dogs and alpacas, feed sheep, collect eggs, dabble in ponds, scramble over logs and ditches and clamber about in tractors and combine harvesters. A world of good old-fashioned fresh air and exercise, and – in winter at least – probably quite a lot of mud!
Why Mini Explorers?
Set on our own 260-acre farm near Bedale, on the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, Mini Explorers Nursery is a unique concept in early years childcare. As far as we are aware, we are the first and only Farm School in the country!
Our days are shaped by the seasons on the farm and the natural world around us. We believe passionately that children should be given every opportunity to immerse themselves in the great outdoors and be offered unrestricted, carefree access to the open countryside.
Food for thought
Food is a huge part of life at Mini Explorers and we embody the farm to fork philosophy. So much so that in 2019 we opened The Nest, our gorgeous on-site oak-framed café. We heartily encourage parents to sneak away here after drop-off to soak up the panoramic views of the farm and enjoy delicious freshly made coffee, scrumptious cakes and heart-warming (and belly-warming!) lunches, made from fresh, local, seasonal produce. See more »
A World of Adventure
Whilst our outdoor environment is sculpted by the farming calendar, many of our activities are entirely child-led. If our babies are enjoying watching a combine harvester cut corn, or our toddlers want to stop and turn a fallen tree into a spaceship, or our pre-schoolers want to build a fairy castle in the paddock, then this is what we’ll do. We know their hungry little tummies will tell them when
it’s time to head back to Crabtree Hall for a home-cooked lunch (or, when it’s time to unpack our picnic baskets in the summer). You’ll hear your children talk of animals and machinery, paddocks and polytunnels, mud kitchens, ponds and fields...we could go on. And then there’s our enormous sandpit – more like a mini beach in fact - where so many of our Mini Explorer adventures begin!
Yorkshire's award-winning Farm School Nursery
WINNER: Best Rural Education or Training Business, UK Rural Business Awards, 2019
RUNNER UP: Outstanding rural diversification project, UK Rural Business Awards, 2017