Our Nature Based approach

Our approach offers all our children quality experiences rooted in nature every day indoors and out. Children can spend prolonged periods of uninterrupted time out in our beautiful 'wild' woodlands following their own lines of interest and inquiry and build a love for the great outdoors. Equally, they can turn to a number of quality indoor activities inspired by the sights, smells and textures of the natural world.  

We support learning with an array of carefully chosen reclaimed, vintage, heuristic, natural and woodland-inspired resources. These include those used in our vintage tea shop, mud kitchens and apothecary. We have sensitively and gently managed certain areas of our mini woodlands to allow our babies to take part in nature based learning too! 

Learning and Development 

Nature is a natural educator and with experienced Early Years educators on hand to offer support and gently steer learning, our children develop skills right across the curriculum. Whether it's using conkers to count, writing in the mud or constructing and designing with natural found materials there is potential for learning at every turn! What's more, children develop crucial learning dispositions that ensure a love for learning that can last a life time. 

Bringing it back indoors 

Nature Based learning shouldn't stop the moment children kick off their boots and head back inside. We have created homely, calm and uncluttered natural spaces inside that are flooded with plenty of natural light to help boost mood and feel connected to the outdoors. Within each room, there is a wealth of beautiful open-ended natural resources that children can help themselves to. These resources support children's creative and critical thinking and help develop their imagination and independence. 

Throughout the nursery, we have ensured that the former farm house has retained its homely feel. Beautiful farm house furniture and original features are celebrated and show children and adults alike that we are a loving home from home family that cares and respects one another; the very foundation upon which our naturalistic philosophy is based.

Risky Play 

Children need to be hands on and 'feel' nature in order to properly investigate and make sense of the world around them. Every time we stop children from touching or having direct contact with nature, we teach them that nature is boring and dangerous. As such, we need to allow children to be hands on with nature whilst taking a common-sense approach. Through acquired knowledge and experience from our nature based programme, children learn to negotiate hazards and begin developing a risk taking disposition. Nature has the wonderful ability to offer all manner of challenge to all and at all levels. Changing weather, shifting seasons, visiting wildlife, blossoming flora, falling natural debris can all pose challenges to children but also offer potential for adventure and fun. This is why we love it! It excludes no-one and leaves everyone with an 'I did it' feeling as they successfully negotiate the risks posed. Children emerge stronger, smarter, happier and more resilient as a consequence. 

Of course, our top priority is always the safety of our children and we would never put children in a position where the harm from risks outweighs the possible benefits. That's why we have a robust Wild Nature Policy that clearly sets out our risk-benefit assessment procedures. Head on over to our Policies and Procedures page to find out more.