Who are we?

Timi Majoros

I am the founder and the spirit of GentleNest. I am the one who you will meet during all the programmes. I am Hungarian and my relationship with the Czech Republic started a long time ago when I read Hrabal's Postrižiny. I felt so connected to that free and a bit wild woman who followed her feelings and desires. Yes, there is definitely something in common between me and her.

Then many years later, I met my Czech husband and this tiny thread that I had held with the Czech land has become a strong rope connection. (Sometimes literally a rope as we are rock climbers.) After travelling for a while in our campervan and climbing rocks all over Europe, we moved to Tábor 2 years ago when our son was born. I knew for a long time that I don't want my child to attend mainstream education so I was always searching for alternative approaches that protect childhood and follow the child's lead.

I want to preserve and nurture my son's curiosity as I believe that this is the key to becoming a life-long learner. I want my child to learn how to care. To care for himself, to care for others, to care for his environment. I want him to know that relationship is the most important in this world. I would like to raise a child who is capable to stand up for his values and can think critically, who takes risks and who follows his dreams. I want him to respect Nature and its creatures.

It all starts in the very early years, the first 7 years are crucial in the child's development with an emphasis on the first 3 years. It really matters what kind of care our children receive and how we nourish them at the beginning of their lives. My son is my biggest motivation for why establishing GentleNest where I can contribute to a happy and gentle childhood and after all to a better and more caring society.

I have vast experience in different fields of life. Just to mention a few, I have worked as a trainee judge at the court in Budapest, as a waitress in Dublin, as a CEO of an NGO in Budapest, as an English-language teacher and as a volunteer on a permaculture farm in Andalusia, Spain. Children and non-formal education were always part of my journey. I have been working with children for more than 20 years. They energize and guide me towards what is important to me in life.

I am an Early Childhood Educator with a Level 3 Diploma. I have studied Holistic Baby and Child Care at Emerson College, in the UK. The course had a special focus on the age of birth to five based on the Waldorf and Pikler approaches. I have also graduated from the Wonder-led Approach, at Fairy Dust Teaching in the US. The year-long programme concentrated on relationship-based education, self-development and identity as an educator, child development and personal pedagogy.

I am also an artist and a maker. I mostly paint with watercolours. I love travelling, dancing, doing yoga, spending time outdoors and doing active sports. I love small wonders in everyday life: sunshine, the little green leaves on a branch, the wings of flying birds, the smile of my son, the wiggling tale of my dog, waking up at the bottom of the mountain or in the Sahara and walking by the ocean. I love spending time in nature which inspires my artwork a lot.

Professional and Self-development

• Holistic Baby and Child Care, Emerson College, UK - 2022-2023 - Early Childhood Educator (Level 3 Diploma)

• Free Play in the Pikler-Approach Workshop - 2022

• Gross-motor Development - Pikler Approach Workshop

• Wonder-led Approach, Fairy Dust Teaching, US - 2021-2022

• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Dublin

• Non-violent Communication Training, Budapest

• Outdoor and Experiential Education Training (Training of Trainers), Galyatető-Budapest

• Self-development training (Event Wise, Choice at Olde Vechte Foundation, Holland)

• Solution-focused Coaching and the WOWW-method Workshops, Budapest

• T-ART Educational Artistic Methods, Hungary, Italy and Portugal

Lukáš Wiesner

He is my husband and my biggest support in life. He is the project manager of the building and construction of elements at GentleNest. He is a precise engineer and a restless climber. He always finds the solution for my ideas and designs to become reality. He puts his whole self into making GentleNest as beautiful as it is. His thorough planning and carefully made to-do lists, his hard work and his clever ideas made it possible to create our lovely play spaces.

Lukáš will be in contact with you if have any questions and you prefer to use Czech instead of English. He is well-informed about my approach and can give you guidance if you need some support from us. He also takes care of the bigger maintenance tasks at GentleNest.