Celebrating Learning Through Nature
The benefits of enjoying the natural world are a hot topic, with the environmental charity WWF recommending we all get a daily dose of nature. And young children are said to be like a sponge, soaking up whatever environment surrounds them, with research suggesting the first five years of a child’s life have a lasting impact and the younger a child develops a connection to nature the more likely they are to maintain the positive benefits in later life.
We have taken this remit to heart and worked with award-winning local creative studio, Ivy & Gold, to bring the ‘outside in’ and create an interior that reflects our ethos of educating through nature.
Enormous floating clouds, a midnight sky with twinkling stars, and an enchanting woodland setting with a giant tree are just a few of the installations that have been put in place to support our Reggio Emilia approach to education, which focuses on learning through play and integrates nature into the classroom.
At KatieB Kids, we harness children’s natural curiosity and creativity, and enjoy the great outdoors every day but we also wanted to ensure that children felt connected to nature when inside the nursery. Spending time outside is the gold standard but what’s fascinating is that research has proven that recreating natural environments inside has many of the same benefits to our physical and mental health, so we’re excited to provide this resource for our children.
Ensuring that the interior installations were eco-friendly and stimulating for young children was key. The giant two-meter tree trunk base was forged by a blacksmith and includes different textures with natural cork, bark and moss, along with branches from a storm-damaged tree, natural wooden mushrooms and a cosy tent making a peaceful reading corner.
A tranquil cocooned space for babies and young children to rest and relax in has been created using soft natural cheesecloth swathes in gorgeous botanical dyes colours from pinecone and red onion. Single use plastics were avoided, with traditional chicken wire forming structures and a ‘living’ wall creating an immersive experience.
Creative Designer, Amy Cross, told us:
“Recycling and extending the life of materials is important, so where we have used ready-made materials, for example silk flowers, they are pre-loved and restored so they’ve all had a life and been used multiple times.
I love how imaginative young children can be so it’s been a real pleasure to use visual storytelling to bring ideas "to life that will give the children magical memories of childhood”
Fun fact: our brains can't tell if the nature we are looking at is real or not.
Benefits of nature exposure for children
Nature connection: Develops children's ‘nature connectedness’ when young can last for life.
De-Stress: The stress hormone cortisol is reduced, helping reducing anxiety in our children.
Improve concentration: Nature generates positive emotion -calmness, joy, and creativity - helping young children’s concentration, learning and development.
Immune system boost: Nature exposure can lower the long-term effects of cortisol on the body and so boost immune function.
Lower blood pressure: Developing nature connectedness in childhood leads to lower blood pressure in adulthood, reducing the risk of chronic heart disease.
KatieB’s Tips To Create A Magical Children’s Bedroom
Have a focal point that inspires your child - a colour, place or an animal! This could be pink with a cherry tree, a jungle tree could have a place for a toy monkey, or a woodland tree with soft owls or furry bears to hide in it
Have fun! Make branches from newspaper paper and crepe paper flowers
Involve your child -include paint printing- real leaf or potato prints
Create a sensory nighttime universe with fairy lights and glow stars
