Nicky Hudson is the new Childminder Lead for East of England Early Years Stronger Practice Hub. She was a teacher, and now, alongside working for the Hub, and working part time as a childminder's assistant with her colleague Vicki Chenery, has a Social Enterprise that puts on stay and play sessions in Norwich for families and childminders. Her passions are sharing stories, reading, walking in the mountains with family, and inspiring nature connection for children and families. She also takes groups of families and childminders out into our local Norfolk Wildlife trust nature reserve, Sweetbriar Marshes, to share stories and connect with nature.
What is Nature Connection? It is how we think about, feel about and experience nature, so that we see ourselves as part of the natural world. The Nature Connection Handbook (Richardson and Butler 2022) suggests benefits as...
The EEF mentions outdoor learning in natural settings in its new resource “Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing” which can be downloaded here - https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/mental-health-wellbeing. It evidences how outdoor learning in natural settings can promote self-knowledge and autonomy.
There are also further benefits to children’s physical development. For further information follow this link:
Physical development - motivating children to be physically active, both in and outdoors - https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/pages/supporting_physical_development_in_the_early_years.pdf?v=1725965159
More than that!
However, according to the National Literacy Trust ( NLT), evidence also shows that taking the learning outside in nature can also impact on a wide range of development and skills including communication skills, physical development, social skills, knowledge & understanding of the natural world, and self-confidence.
“Getting outside, experiencing and exploring the natural environment is essential to child and adult wellbeing”. (NLT)
Even more than that!!
The impacts of learning outdoors and spending time in nature can be even more important. According to Richardson & Butler (2022), whatever our relationship with nature, we can always “notice more, listen more, feel more, enjoy more, and care more”.
If we do this as adults, we can bring the children along on the journey with us. Richardson and Butler suggest that if we increase our nature connection, we are happier, live a more worthwhile life, care more about nature, and become more willing to take action to protect it. So Nature Connection is not just vital for children’s wellbeing and development, but also for the future of our planet
Inspiring Childminders
We’ve all got a local patch where we can begin a Nature Connection journey, whether we live in the countryside or in the city. You might have a garden, a local park, or the countryside on your doorstep. You might also notice the plants or fungi growing on the footpaths, and along the verges. You may see the birds and insects you spot on the school run. It’s not about planned activities, it's about being there, noticing things and chatting about what you see. The conversation might spark an interest, so you might go home and find out more, or look for a library book, and so the connection builds.
My Tips
Start small - Notice one little thing each day - the warmth of the sun, a bird flying overhead, the shapes of the trees without leaves in Winter
Talk about it - What does the warm sun feel like? What does the tree bark feel like when you hug a tree? Where might the bird be going? What’s going to happen to the trees in spring? What do we notice as the seasons change?
Photograph it - I love photographing nature and the outdoors (as you can tell). And these days we all have a camera in our pocket. Photograph what you see. Talk about it later at home. Use Google Lens to identify a flower or fungus
Share stories outside - Any story will do. But some of my favourites are the Gruffalo, The Acorn, Moth (an evolution story), Nuts!,
Listen - What can you hear? For added knowledge, download the Merlin bird ID app (see below), you can record the sounds outside and it tells you which birds you can hear.
Patterns - Look for patterns like spirals in nature - it’s fascinating how nature has made spirals, in lichens, when ferns are opening up, or seashells.
Magnify it - Take a magnifying glass and look more closely at what the children notice
Your Setting’s local context
What access to green spaces/nature do you have as a childminding setting?
What access do the families that you work with have to nature and green spaces? You can find our your local context here - https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/access-green-space-england-are-you-missing-out This ties in with the new Ofsted planning call where the inspector will ask about your local context. If families lack green space, you might make use of green spaces as part of your practice, to help children develop nature connection.
Babies too!
Nature Connection is for all ages, no-one is too young or too old to benefit. According to the Children and Nature Network, founded by Richard Louv, “by getting children outside from birth, we are raising a generation to love the outdoors and empowering every member of the family to experience the physical and mental benefits of nature” (see below, anthology page 98)
Inclusive Nature Connection
According to the Children and Nature Network Anthology (see below, anthology page 90), nature is naturally inclusive - they describe how, for children with disabilities, it can be a “teacher, therapist and source of joy”
Take Part
Join an East of England Early Years Stronger Practice Hub outdoor session. Forest school for childminders (3rd Friday of the month at Highfield Nursery school Ipswich) or if you are in Norwich, join First Steps Norwich CIC on a visit to Sweetbriar nature reserve for stories and nature connection (see First Steps Norwich CIC on Facebook). Look out for further Forest school and outdoor sessions coming up from the Hub.
Stories that are perfect for sharing outdoors (not an exhaustive list)
The Acorn by Edward Gibbs
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Moth, an evolution story by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egnéus
Nuts! by Lou Peacock and Yasmeen Ismail
Granny and Bean by Karen Hesse and Charlotte Voake
Firefly by Robert McFarlane and Luke Adam Hawker
That’s not my Owl from Usborne books
More visual inspiration here…
Further Resources / References
EEF (2024) Supporting Children’s mental health and wellbeing, available at https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/mental-health-wellbeing (accessed 19/1/26)
Annie Davy, A Sense of Place, Mindful Practice Outdoors (2019) - https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-sense-of-place/annie-davy/9781472953650
The Slow Down books from Magic Cat - https://www.magiccatpublishing.co.uk/collections/mindfulness-1?page=4 - we particularly like Slow Down - on your Doorstep (a board book for little hands) - https://www.magiccatpublishing.co.uk/collections/mindfulness-1/products/preorder-slow-down-on-your-doorstep
Merlin bird ID App - https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/
Richard Louv (2010) Last child in the woods, saving our children from nature deficit disorder - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/last-child-in-the-woods-saving-our-children-from-nature-deficit-disorder-richard-louv/2060332
Richardson, M., & Butler, C.W. (2022). The nature connection handbook: A guide for increasing people’s connection with nature. United Kingdom - https://findingnature.org.uk/2022/05/03/nature-connection-handbook/
National Literacy trust blog (accessed 13/1/26) - The benefits of outdoor learning in the early years - https://literacytrust.org.uk/blog/the-benefits-of-outdoor-learning-in-the-early-years/
Giusti Matteo, Shorthose L., Porter K., (2025). “BeNature! A guide to growing relationships with nature” - https://benature.info/
National Education Nature Park - early years (accessed 13/1/26) - https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/resources/results?key_stage=9%2B13&topic=All&duration=All&step=All
Richardson, M., Barnes, C. & Owen, K. (2025). Nature Connection in Schools. University of Derby - https://findingnature.org.uk/2025/09/18/nature-connection-in-schools/
Finding Nature website, a regular source of research and inspiration (Miles Richardson et al) - https://findingnature.org.uk/
Children and nature network - https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/finding-nature-news-anthology/ Nature as “naturally inclusive”, anthology page 90, and connection to nature can be built from birth, anthology page 98