All About Me

Who I Am and Why I Started Cups of Calm and More

Welcome!

I'm Mitch, a former teacher with a passion for designing engaging resources that equip children with the confidence, tools and knowledge they need to express and manage their feelings and emotions ... and help to restore calm.

I trained as a Nursery Nurse as soon as I left school. Since then I've had a rich and varied career ; from a Nanny, Children's Holiday Rep overseas, Senior Management in Nurseries, Qualifying as a Montessori teacher and managing a beautiful Montessori Nursery ... through to Class TA and working 1-1 with SEN children in primary schools. I feel truly privileged to have played a part in so many children's childhoods and remain in contact with many of them , and their parents to this day.

From Teacher to Mum

I left the classroom in 2009 to be Mum to our long-awaited baby boy. With my passion for teaching, nurturing and all things creative, it wasn't long before I was in my element - making him all sorts of play-based activities to aid his all-round development.

It was during this time that I realised he would benefit from some activities to nurture his emotional awareness, development and regulation skills ; things that would help him to understand and manage his big feelings of overwhelm, frustration and anxiety.

However, when I was searching for inspiration, I was surprised (and shocked !) to discover that although the market was awash with resources to support children's academic, physical and creative development ... there was a startling shortage of resources on the market that I could use to help me support my son with his emotional and mental health development.

A Parent with an IDEA

What I also find equally alarming is that not only do teachers and parents have few resources to teach emotional wellbeing ... they often have very little training, guidance or preparation time in this field either ... which simply exacerbates the situation. If we feel ill-equipped to teach this crucial area , how can we possibly hope to support our children effectively?

I strongly believe that if we can help children feel confident, articulate and in control of their emotional wellbeing, then they are far more likely to thrive, enjoy and reach their potential in all other areas of their development too.

So, after much thought, research, conversing with experts and with all my teaching and creativity skills firmly in place ... I began designing my own little range of activities for my son that would teach him all about his feelings, emotions and coping techniques. Little did I know that it wasn't to end there ...

What Happened Next

Friends and family loved my homemade creations and urged me to get them professionally produced. I shrugged the idea off, but then Lockdown came and I needed a project ...

After months of even more research, sourcing components and suppliers ... and many more fields completely out of my comfort zone ... in November 2021 I proudly (and slightly nervously !) launched my first product 'A Cup of Calm' at a very wet and windy Farmer's Market !

Then it was time to learn how best to spread awareness of my mission ... Another steep learning curve ! From leaflet dropping and pitches at local fairs to building websites and learning how to make reels on social media ... the latter of which unexpectedly unleashed my childhood ambition to be a Blue Peter Presenter !! 😆

I absolutely love sharing ideas and activities, and enabling more and more parents and educators to deliver engaging and effective mental wellbeing activities.

The Small Print ...

While I have had over 30 years nurturing and teaching young children and strive to assist parents and educators in providing effective resources and well-researched advice and strategies - I do not hold a mental health qualification and my resources and opinions SHOULD NOT replace professional and specialist Mental Health opinions, advice, diagnosis or interventions. Please always seek the advice of a trained and professional Mental Health Practitioner in the first instance if you have any concerns regarding your child's mental wellbeing and are seeking support.

Please note that all resources stocked in my shop (bar My Little Bag of Calm) are my own unique designs, have been registered with the Intellectual Property Office (formerly the Patent Office) and have their own official design number.

I am more than happy for you to share or reproduce my ideas for educational or personal purposes, but please do NOT reproduce, modify, distribute or sell as your own work or without my permission.