Nursery Management: Training - Outside the box

Last year, a group of first year university students started their course by playing in the woods. They were on a mixture of degrees – early years, primary teaching and working with children and families, while one of the group was a drama lecturer keen to find out more about the benefits of learning in nature. The open-ended session included marshmallow toasting, followed by going off to experiment with clay, leaves and twigs; or making dens and sculptures in small groups.

The feeling was that some students also need to re-experience something they might have had little of growing up.

‘A lot of it is about encouraging young people to reconnect with nature and feel the benefits themselves, then they can see the benefits for children,’ says Jo Traunter, head of subject for Education, Childhood and Youth Studies. ‘Research shows between the ages of 18 and 30, young people tend to disconnect with nature. If they are going to develop problems with their mental health, often they develop around this time, but they have found if they reconnect people with nature, it has a huge impact on people’s well-being.’