Meet Our Team
Tom SheaWorking for and with and about play and children, Tom was one half of the duo that brought together the essence of Icelandic culture and the beauty of many international bubbles of excellence alongside Hulda.
In the 55 years of working alongside some of the finest caring and capable minds he remains determined to bring together all that is good in the snowball of play resources and finally create the wakening avalanche that is needed to get the world to understand the relevance and importance of play locally, nationally and internationally to create a more caring society of the future. |
|
Dísa & Helga HreiðarsdóttirOrganizing things in Iceland are the Hreiðarsdóttir sisters. They are using their network and cultural insight to make the experience a special one. Helga has the professional insight as she has worked as a preschool teacher for years and now runs an open preschool. Disa loves planning culture related experiences and finding delicious food choices for the occasion.
Having grown up among trolls, elves, whales and volcanoes the sisters will be our Icelandic guides! |
|
Niki BuchanNiki has lived, worked and played in South Africa, Scotland, Australia and is now back in Scotland. She is happiest outside in nature, for more than 40 years she has brought the concept of nature pedagogy to educators and children through a variety of roles including as an educational consultant and author.
Environments and cultures are excitingly different, all children still need time in and with nature, play is very similar, we don’t need to be able to speak the language to understand the play. Niki is a strong advocate for children’s rights to high levels of well-being, to be heard, respected and trusted. |
|
Alistair Bryce-Clegg
|
Alistair is an award-winning author, as well as a blogger product designer and advocate of all things play! His work has been featured in various publications, and he has lent his expertise as an advisor for film and television projects related to early years topics.
In addition to supporting educators, schools, and parents locally, Alistair also works internationally and collaborates with local authorities across the UK. Alistair has a Master's degree in Education, and he has just submitted his thesis for his doctorate in early childhood education. |
|
Michelle WisbeyBringing knowledge and wisdom, Michelle has been a Montessori and early years guide for 29 years. Over the years she has built 5 unique settings and environments that meet the needs of and listen to the voice of children.
She believes that children's awareness of themselves can be trusted and their need for real experiences should be embraced. With her experience teaching, mentoring and researching as well as working directly with children, Michelle is a treat to share time with. |
|
Kim HowI have both a Level 5 & 3 Diplomas in Children & Young People's Workforce, am ITERs qualified, Paediatric First Aid trained as well as a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader.
I am a mother of two boys and love seeing and helping children develop. Watching my boys grow up on the farm and the freedom, independence and resilience it gave them, inspired me to set up Grassroots - in a setting where children could learn through play by making the most of our farm location. I also have a vast array of hobbies! Before setting up Grassroots I was self-employed for 18 years as a designer, so I now fulfil my love of all things arty through painting, knitting, felting, crochet, paper and pottery (to name a few)! I feel very privileged to get to know each and every child at Grassroots and am proud of my teams' passion and commitment in helping me build this family orientated nursery. I like to think of myself as fun with the children, an equal colleague to my staff and approachable whatever the situation with families. I am passionate about Early Years… about making a difference and a people person, and whilst I have a good level of experience in business, I feel I will never stop learning in this industry as long as the Grassroots values remain key to what we do. |
|