NATURE NURTURE COURSE
Specifically designed for education, social care and health professionals.
Nature Nurture in Action
The Official Nature Nurture Course
Welcome to Nature Nurture in Action, the official Nature Nurture course. This online course comprises 27 training sessions divided between 7 modules. It provides complete training that will enable you to run Nature Nurture sessions for primary-aged children on your own site. The course includes weekly live tutorials and a wealth of online resources such as articles, presentations, and resource sheets to support your practice. You will be assessed through your contribution to the reflection sessions at the end of each module, your reflective journal and through video of your practice.
What is the Nature Nurture Approach?
A Brief Summary
Nature Nurture is a nurturing intervention that takes place outdoors in natural environments. Nature Nurture promotes resilience and improved wellbeing for vulnerable individuals through carefully attuned nurturing, exciting challenges and nature connection. We facilitate and support learning and development through free play and child-led curiosity and exploration.
The Nature Nurture approach has evolved through research and experience. In this course, we will share the current research in neuroscience, trauma, ACEs, nature therapy, Forest School, outdoor play and child development. We will also share our knowledge and experiences from our extensive practice in working with children and young people with additional support needs in schools and through social work and health referrals.
The Nature Nurture approach has evolved through research and experience. In this course, we will share the current research in neuroscience, trauma, ACEs, nature therapy, Forest School, outdoor play and child development. We will also share our knowledge and experiences from our extensive practice in working with children and young people with additional support needs in schools and through social work and health referrals.
What does the course cover?
A Course Overview
This course is designed to teach you the core facets of the Nature Nurture approach. It will teach you about essential practice, offer detailed guidance on developing and implementing your own Nature Nurture sessions and provide the best tools and strategies for recording and tracking outcomes for the children you work with. Throughout the course, some of the concepts, skills and strategies you will explore are:
How do I promote resilience?
Resilience is defined as ‘the mental, emotional and physical fortitude to recover from adversity and realise potential’.
We have developed an understanding of the environmental conditions which promote wellbeing and resilience. Through close and concise observation of children and the continuous evaluation of their care outcomes, we put forward a model for an effective therapeutic climate.
We have developed an understanding of the environmental conditions which promote wellbeing and resilience. Through close and concise observation of children and the continuous evaluation of their care outcomes, we put forward a model for an effective therapeutic climate.
Can I promote children's emotional literacy?
We will demonstrate what is required for awareness and communication of emotions.
The first emotions that are named by children are generally ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, and ‘frightened’, but how do they make links between the trigger, the emotion word and their behaviour in response to that emotion? How do I foster that growing self-awareness and recognition of emotional literacy as a positive characteristic?
The first emotions that are named by children are generally ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’, and ‘frightened’, but how do they make links between the trigger, the emotion word and their behaviour in response to that emotion? How do I foster that growing self-awareness and recognition of emotional literacy as a positive characteristic?
What about practical manual skills I will need?
Play is fun. It is this intrinsic value that we cherish most of all in Nature Nurture.
Practical activities that nurture and facilitate play in natural environments are critical to your practice. We will teach you some basic bushcraft including safe use of tools, fire and shelter building with children and young people.
Practical activities that nurture and facilitate play in natural environments are critical to your practice. We will teach you some basic bushcraft including safe use of tools, fire and shelter building with children and young people.
How do I manage challenging behaviour?
The first question we will ask is, ‘How do you define behaviour?’
Can you describe what you see rather than how it makes you feel or how you interpret the motivation of the individual who displayed the behaviour? Are you able to maintain an open mind in your search for understanding how and why people are motivated to behave in the ways they do?
Can you describe what you see rather than how it makes you feel or how you interpret the motivation of the individual who displayed the behaviour? Are you able to maintain an open mind in your search for understanding how and why people are motivated to behave in the ways they do?
How can I accommodate a variety of educational needs?
The world can be an overwhelming, challenging and confusing place for anyone, never mind the personal challenges we face.
We will demonstrate to you how the Nature Nurture approach perfectly lends itself to the inclusion of individuals with additional support needs. The tools and practical ideas and examples we provide are backed up by 30+ years experience of working in this field.
We will demonstrate to you how the Nature Nurture approach perfectly lends itself to the inclusion of individuals with additional support needs. The tools and practical ideas and examples we provide are backed up by 30+ years experience of working in this field.
Does the training include risk assessment?
We will demonstrate how to use risk-benefit analysis tools to enhance your children’s outdoor experience.
Hazard and risk are dealt with clearly and succinctly. You will approach the outdoors with confidence and in the knowledge that not only the activities but also the exposure to carefully managed risk will benefit your children.
Hazard and risk are dealt with clearly and succinctly. You will approach the outdoors with confidence and in the knowledge that not only the activities but also the exposure to carefully managed risk will benefit your children.
Who is the Course for?
At Salugen, we think that the state and concept of wellbeing, resilience and a nurturing approach are relevant to every human being and, as importantly, every organisation. Arguably, you could say that the knowledge and skills acquired through this course would benefit any individual working in any organisation, anywhere.
Specifically, however, we have designed this course with education, social care and health professionals in mind. Personally, our focus has always been on children and young people, but we know that with appropriate adaptation, the approach can and has been used with adults in a variety of situations and thus lends itself to work with people of any age where nature, nurture and therapeutic intervention are required.
Specifically, however, we have designed this course with education, social care and health professionals in mind. Personally, our focus has always been on children and young people, but we know that with appropriate adaptation, the approach can and has been used with adults in a variety of situations and thus lends itself to work with people of any age where nature, nurture and therapeutic intervention are required.
Are you interested?
If you are interested in taking this course, please get in touch. Even if you are not sure whether this might apply to you. One of the things we pride ourselves on is being flexible and adaptable. Providing bespoke training requirements is part of what we do.
Contact us today
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the course cost?
Head to the course store (coming soon) to see a summary of the costs and to view our terms and conditions.
When does it start?
It’s a fully online course, so you can start anytime, study as long as you like and come back when you are ready for the next step.
Is it all online?
Yes it is. All course content is accessible online and any feedback or marking we return will be online also. You will have a secure, dedicated user account and profile which only you can access.