Nature Academy: Professional Learning for teachers and educators
LEARN TO CREATE WILD EXPERIENCES FOR CHILDREN IN YOUR LOCAL LANDSCAPES.
We offer in-person and online training will empower you to confidently share your local wild places with children and young people. Whether you’re an early childhood educator, primary school teacher, parent, or carer, our courses will equip you to mentor children in connecting with nature.
More importantly, you’ll also deepen your own connection with your unique local landscape — both inner and outer — so you can share this love of place with children, your community, and beyond.
We recognise the increasing levels of anxiety, stress, depression, attention fatigue, and poor physical health among children. The pressures of modern life, including excessive screen time, disconnection from the natural world, and the fast-paced nature of society, contribute to these challenges.
We also know that time spent in nature is a powerful antidote.
Time spent outdoors fosters creativity, builds resilience and promotes emotional regulation. It encourages mindfulness, decreases symptoms of attention fatigue, and supports overall mental health by providing a calm, restorative space for children to reconnect with themselves and the world around them.
We know that immersing children in nature not only nurtures their well-being but also empowers them to form a deeper, lifelong connection with the wider world.
We often witness young people developing a strong sense of their ‘ecological self’ and recognising their role in taking action to change the world.
Are you ready to be part of the nature play movement? Contact us at to organise a training.
Our in-person or online training provides interactive, experiential learning and guided reflection to give you the skills necessary to mentor children and young people in the natural environment. The journey begins with a personal “re-wilding” to help you build confidence and a deeper connection with both your inner self and the natural world around you.
You’ll then move into your local terrain, learning its unique secrets. Finally, we’ll bring everything together to offer you a comprehensive toolbox of pedagogies and strategies, as well as sector-specific applications of nature play.
Throughout the course, you’ll not only rebuild your sense of awe and wonder for the world around you, but also gain specific skills to help share this love with children and young people.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Theoretical frameworks underpinning Nature Play
- Nature Journalling
- Mindfulness in nature
- Program design and planning
- Identifying play urges in young children
- Reading landscapes & wild spaces
- How to set up a base camp
- Conducting risk assessments
- Appropriate tool use for children
- Introduction to bird language
- Introduction to animal tracking
- And so much more!
What Past Participants Say
“This course is for anyone who loves the outdoors and exploring their own relationships with the ‘natural’ world. It is also for anyone dismayed by the rapid changes happening to beloved ecosystems and wondering how to deepen their understanding of ‘Nature’ while helping children find their own relationship with it.”
“The Nature Academy training has been an amazing tool to increase my awareness and preparation as a nature mentor. The course structure is flexible, and the weekly Zoom sessions with students and coordinators were invaluable. Thanks so much for a great experience of training and personal growth!”
“In these times of rapid ecological change, when so many of us feel distressed and unsure about what we can do, this course offers both a philosophical and practical solution — reconnecting ourselves and our children with the natural world.”
