Creative

Passionate

Curious

I love the peace I find outdoors, connecting with tiny and huge things, feeling part of something inter-connected and vast. I always feel at home outdoors, I feel free and I always get my best ideas when I'm walking somewhere wild.

I can't possibly choose between two, so I'll tell you about them both. I remember the first time I walked into the patch of woodland where I subsequently opened my setting. It felt so right - peaceful, grounded and homely. I now love watching the children and staff play and connect with the woodland and with one another. It's now the hub of a vibrant community, shaped and led by those who play there and I couldn't be more proud.

So many things!!! The whole team are incredibly passionate, dedicated and inspiring, it's a real joy to work with them, and learn from them. We are incredibly fortunate to have an incredible amount of support for outdoors and play in Scotland and I'm looking forward to working alongside participants to witness the changes in practice and environment that will unfold.

I think my passion for the outdoors began in my childhood. I have clear memories of playing in the garden that I grew up in as well as helping my dad in his vegetable garden and later in our allotment. He taught me so much about the world around us and I learnt to care about the living things he shared with me. These experiences build on my relationship with my dad, helped me to develop a relationship with the world and to recognise the therapeutic value of time spent outdoors.

Mad about mud!

It is very hard to pick a favorite, so I am going to cheat and have a work related one and a personal one. Work wise my favorite moments are the times I observe children just able to 'be' in the moment in our setting garden, I know in these moments that the child is relaxed and at ease, and that I have enabled that to happen. Personally my favorite moments outdoors are spotting the first snowdrops of spring, with all the promise of the year to come.

This new certificate offers students the opportunity to increase their understanding of and confidence with their practice in the outdoor environments immediately around their settings. The very practical nature of the course will help staff to make small changes that will have potentially big impacts for the learning and development of children in their early years settings.

I am very excited to be able to share some of my own experiences of learning alongside children in the outdoors as well as hearing about the ways that delegates are able to make changes in their settings.

Playful

Dedicated

Nurturing

My love for nature comes from my father, a Welshman with a passion for the hills. Growing up in Birmingham, I didn't see much greenspace or much of him during the week but at weekends he would take all of us on long drives to where we could walk and experience natural spaces. He used to say the hills were his 'church' and he helped me to experience awe and wonder for the natural world.

Welcoming new children to Nature Nurture and watching them discover and explore natural spaces. I love sharing those 'wow' moments with children when they experience awe and wonder too.

I am excited about working with our inspiring Outdoors Thinking team and helping to support growth and positive change in Scotland's nurseries and schools. I'm excited about the enormous potential Scotland affords for children's healthy and happy development and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with teachers, practitioners, local authorities and leaders in education on realising this potential.

It is an immersive course and the pedagogy is immediately relevant to the participants' daily practice. Its inspiring and affirming and the slow and unhurried approach is as restorative for participants as it is for the children in their settings.