Outdoor Learning

We believe passionately in the power of outdoor learning. By taking the indoors outdoors we develop a positive attitude towards learning by making it fun, motivating and exciting.

Our unique, spacious and beautiful farm site has sprawling meadows, woodlands, farm walks, play areas, planting areas and an orchard. These all offer safe exploration, discovery and adventure where children learn to take risks. We have a variety of hard and soft surfaces with a range of gradients which increase play and exploration. 

We have a large, enclosed, gated garden that contains different zones and covered play areas. There is a vegetable patch, wild grass area, woodchip pit, sand pit, play car track and a climbing area on soft surface. We also have an artificial grass area, cosy reading corner, decking, painting area, mark making area, chicken run, herb garden and raised garden beds for planting and digging. 

We have a separate garden for our youngest children which contains a covered area, climbing activities, sand pit and artificial grass with easy access to the main garden. 

We are very fortunate to have a meadow, orchard and woodland area all on site. Our learning often links with weekly themes e.g. seasons, animal homes, travelling, music, structures and stories. As the children progress through the nursery they are taught how to keep fit and healthy. Various topics are based around healthy eating, growing, sports, my teeth and visiting the doctors. Healthy living is given a high priority and the children go outside for at least 3 or 4 sessions per day. We also have weekly dance sessions led by a dance teacher and football sessions with a professional sports trainer. 

We encourage children to play, and learn, using natural materials found in nature. It is an inspirational process that educates children and meets many of the learning outcomes outlined in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework (EYFS). All of our children, including babies in buggies, visit the onsite woodlands twice weekly. It has a substantial positive impact on all children. They become so engaged in the wide variety of activities on offer and it’s a privilege to see their look of wonder and excitement as they experience the delights of nature first hand. 

The woodlands area contains log rings, mud kitchens, stepping stones, wooden dens, musical instruments, sitting logs, a small world play area and a storytelling ring.

Our weekly forest school sessions provide the children with a vast range of physical activities, including den building, walking along stepping stones, making mud pies, building animal homes and climbing over logs. We have two members of staff who are forest school trained. 

The children regularly go on farm walks along the meadows and the farm tracks. They love going on windy walks using paper streamers, muddy puddle walks and visiting the horses in the fields behind the nursery feeding them with carrots or just watching as they canter around the paddock.