Kids Love Nature

"What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow" 💚 - Vygotsky

#📷 .wickham

First fire of the season .avonheath. We enjoyed hot chocolate and toast to warm us up!

There are so many tools we can use to mark make... and our hands are one of them!

Our caterpillars .lytchett have been noticing patterns and colours in our environments this week. What is your favourite type of mark making?

Watching the magic of autumn as the seasons change .avonheath. Thank you to our artist for bringing ideas like these to life with the children.

We encourage the children to use their own ideas, giving them freedom when it comes to their art work. This helps with their creativity, independence and focus. 🖼️🖌️🎨

📷 .avonheath

We have been exploring a beehive .lytchett! Look at the detail!

Fun fact:

Did you know that one ounce of honey would fuel a bees flight around the world 🐝

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Looking back at the day .avonheath when we met a hairy friend called Aragog. We learnt about how to look after spiders and the beauty of them.

Are you a fan of big spiders?

Recently .avonheath, some of our children dug up geraniums to make room to plant some daffodil bulbs. We then replanted the geraniums into some pots to take home.

We spoke about the soil and how it needs to be healthy in order for things to grow and the direct link between soil microbes and the nutritional content of our food.

Research has shown that the microbes in the soil also help to regulate our emotions and immune response (Jenny Kao-Kniffin 2019)

Scientists have also found that soil contributes to the human gut microbiome and is a provider of beneficial gut microorganisms. Did you know that the soil microbiome and our gut microbiome contain approximately the same number of microorganisms?!

After finding the variety of of mushrooms .avonheath, we have created a mushroom forest, made from clay. We re-invented the ranger walk rules of 'no touching mushrooms', where the puppets couldn't touch them, whilst going on mushrooms hunts.

We are growing onions next .lytchett! Our children have been busy planting the bulbs over the last couple of weeks, and we can't wait to see how they turn out! 🌰

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The wonders and finds at .avonheath! 🍄 Whilst on a ranger walk with the children, we are able to explain the rules, risks and boundaries as they explore the natural world around them.



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Enjoy your autumn filled weekend! 🍂

( #📷 .avonheath )

It's already two weeks since halloween and what a successful pumpkin growing season we had!

How many of you have went pumpkin picking last month? 🎃

( #📷 .lytchett )

We go outside rain or shine here at Kids Love Nature. Why not grab your waterproofs, put on your wellies, and come and enjoy the muddy fun with us! ☀️☔️
lytchett

Learning to help out in the kitchen .avonheath is a life long skill. Children learn about different textures and tastes, colours and smells. They also learn about safety, rules and responsibilities.

"let's make rockets!" 🚀

We spent a whole afternoon .avonheath making all different types of rockets. The children were fascinated by all of the different creations and learning about the stars and planets

🌧️ When life throws us a rainy day, here .avonheath, we collect it! Collecting the rain looks at maths, sensory exploration and science.

Tree climbing has so many benefits, here are just a few:

Problem solving: Tree climbing requires critical thinking skills as children assess the best path upward, by planning their route carefully- it's like a 3D puzzle.

Risk assessment: Climbing trees allows children to assess risks and make decisions about their safety. They learn to recognise their own limits and make choices accordingly.

Confidence boost: Successfully climbing a tree boosts a child's self esteem and promotes a can do attitude.

Connection to nature: Tree climbing immerses children in nature, helping them develop a deeper appreciation for the environment and a sense of responsibility for its preservation!
lytchett

Art and Maths come together beautifully .avonheath with these Mondrian paintings.

.avonheath our park ranger has been creating sensory scent bags with the children, using a range of lavender, sage and rosemary that grows in the park.

Children have an innate connection to nature. It is then the adults role to foster this connection into lifelong love.
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Doing something different that challenges the norm can be really really hard. But if you really believe the thing that you want to do is going to make a positive difference, then no matter how hard it is, it is worth pursuing.

When Alex and I returned from Denmark (see Monday evening‘s post) we were on a mission to create a Kids Love Nature Kindergarten. The first thing we needed to do was find a site that met all of the characteristics of our ideal nursery. It needed to have access to the great outdoors, to have beautiful indoor spaces and a big garden where children could choose to follow their interests.

Alex’s wife Helen, suggested we visit Avon Heath Country Park, as she had recently returned from a trip there with their children and believed it had everything we were looking for. How right she was!
600 stunning acres of protected heathland with woodlands, hills, ponds, and some fantastic looking buildings that had potential!

So in April 2009, we called Avon Heath to propose our idea. Fortunately we spoke to the Head Ranger who is an incredible chap called Steve. He listened quietly while we explained what it was that we wanted to do and simply said “Well you had better come and have a chat with me”.
Once again we had met someone who believed in challenging the status quo and without much convincing, he was fully onboard with the idea.

Little did we realise just how hard it was going to be to convince the ‘authorities’ that opening a nursery in an unconventional location was a good idea! They simply couldn’t understand why we wanted to open a nursery that wasn’t right next to loads of houses!
In fact, it took us 3 full years, multiple applications, a 120 page transport plan to convince the highways agency and presenting our case to a full local authority planning committee! 😅

Finally in March 2012, we got the go ahead and we haven’t looked back since! 💚

Have you ever met someone who has changed the course of your life?
This may have been your partner, a friend, someone who inspired you, or someone that you went into business with.

This is what happened when Alex and I, Ben (co-founders) happened to go on the same study trip to Denmark in March 2009.
The week long study trip in and around the northern city of Viborg in Denmark, was to visit forest kindergartens and to understand how the cultural influences of the Danish way of life translated into the Kindergarten experiences that young children were getting.

Being the only men on the trip (unfortunately we are a rarity in early years education!) we were allocated as roommates. On the bus to the airport I decided it would be a good idea to find out who I would be sharing the room with.

It turned out that we had a lot in common, from our interest in sports to having both spent a gap year in the same village in France, just a year apart! We instantly got on really well, and as the trip progressed, our discussions focused around what we are experiencing and how this could be translated to early years education in England.

Though we had come into early years education via slightly different routes, Alex as a Montessori teacher and me as a primary school teacher, it was clear, our educational philosophies and aspirations for young children were aligned.

On the last evening of the trip we snuck away from the rest of the group in order to reflect on everything that we had learnt. We talked at length about our ideal nursery, bringing in Alex‘s Montessori, my teaching experience and ideas from a recent trip to Reggio Emilia, the things that we had learnt in Denmark, and our own beliefs, experiences and aspirations. On the back of a napkin, we drew out the environment for this ideal nursery and at the end of the evening, Alex looked up at me and said “Come on then, let’s do it”. We shook hands and at that moment Kids Love Nature was born and our great adventure began!

This is the smile of a child who has had the freedom to explore mud at our allotments all afternoon!
What would be your go-to activity in the mud?

Here .lytchett , we enjoy feeling the texture of mud on our hands, and making mud pies! 🥧

Swipe ➡️ for a surprise!

We often underestimate the power of letting our little ones get their hands dirty and connect with nature. This is an experience that can leave a lasting impact on their self esteem and curiosity!

Next time you spot a wiggly friend in your garden, don't be quick to shoo it away! Instead, invite your children to join you I'm a fun worm expedition. Provide a safe environment where they can ask questions, and let their imaginations run wild! 🪱🍃
lytchett

It is common for us as educators to believe we know what is best for our children, how they should do things and when. There are many cases when this is a correct assumption, however, when this is the only experience children receive, their potential is being significantly stunted.

Each child is an individual, with their own unique interests, needs and stage of their developmental journey. The one size fits all approach simply does not work in ensuring that children have the opportunity to develop in the way and at the pace that is optimal for them.

To create this optimal learning environment, great consideration needs to be given to the emotional and physical space. Children can only engage in deep learning when they feel completely emotionally safe, and the role of considered and loving adults who form strong attachments are pivotal to this. Children also need to feel the security of knowing what is going to happen and when, and having a consistent routine to kindergarten daily life, meets this need.
The environment has to be enabling, meaning children have access to a range of resources that are appropriate for their stage of development and interest, and free access to both indoor and outdoor spaces. All these spaces need to be beautifully presented and have a logic to the way they connect. When these elements are in place, you have the starting point for great learning to happen.

But where does the real magic of learning take place?

This happens when children are given time to follow their own interests. We call this their ‘lines of enquiry’. This is their journey of investigating what fascinates them and our role is to observe, understand, and provide sensitive interactions only when we really believe it will enhance their learning. By following their lead, we can truly understand who they are, what their interests are, and how we can best use our expertise to nurture their journey of understanding.

The children .avonheath have helped make storage for their welly boots. This has focused in on many stages of development such as fine snd gross motor skills, positive sense of self, achievement and caring for others.