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Scottish Sunday - Babes in the Woods: Does it Work?

Babes in the Woods

Our kids are miserable because they spend too much time indoors. But one nursery has a radical solution. So does it work?

By Vicky Allan

THERE WAS a time when most children spent their idle days like this. Ollie and Woody are clambering up the inside of the tree they call their rocket. They bicker over who is going to get to ride in the cradle of the trunk. There's room for two, but Ollie wants to go it alone. The scene is a timeless one. Rewind 20 years and it's possible that one might have found two small children playing in the same spot of a Fife forest. But it is also, perhaps, a rare one for our times: all the more so because of the weather. It is cold, wet, blustery. Ollie, dressed in waterproof overalls, moans that he doesn't like the rain and wants to go back to the house. It's a complaint that belongs to a long lost era when children were sent outside whether they liked it or not.

These two-year-olds, of course, are not out in the woods alone. They are accompanied by their childminder, Cathy Bache, creator of The Secret Garden, an outdoor nursery, whose days revolve around mud, rain, hot lemon drinks, and woodland wildlife. Though there are other nurseries in the UK that incorporate extensive outdoor time, hers is the only one that commits to it full-time. Bache believes that a daily dose of the elements is good for mental health. While the younger children spend only half-days outside, those over three years old are out for seven hours, rain or shine, blizzard or heatwave, and only permitted into the house to go to the bathroom. Mostly, she says, her 20 children do not complain about the cold. If their kit is appropriate, they don't seem to notice. If their hands chill, she warms them under her jumper.

Engaging with Nature

Bache doesn't check the weather forecast the day before. "We're going to be out in it regardless." This approach was partly inspired by her time in Norway, where she raised her first two children. It is a very Scandinavian concept: the first wood kindergartens were set up in Denmark in the 1950s."In Norway," she says, "you just go out in bad weather. It's almost a mistreatment if your child doesn't get out for one full hour every day, regardless of weather."

As we enter the woods, my own eight-month-old baby is strapped to my back, dressed in a borrowed waterproof suit, so big that its arms form flippers in the wind. The rain lashes down, wrinkling bared fingers. By most accounts, this is miserable weather. The two boys pause at the bottom of a path where the water floods down in a small stream. They scoop up water in large plastic cups and offer it to us to drink. Rainy days, Bache says, are far more interesting than dry, warm, sunny days. There is more to do. "We make dams, we make mud pies." Bache likes to take a back seat. It's as if she is there more to facilitate than instruct. The children choose their own routes; invent their own games. In one area of the wood, she tells me, they are pirates, in another tigers. She suggests that we wander to the shelter where we can have a picnic snack. It will be dry in there. Ollie, who took against the rain before, now wants to stay out and informs us that he likes the wet.

Bache's approach is one she believes might improve mental health regardless of age. About seven years ago, she started to feel she had found a way of dealing with the depression that afflicted her and ran in her family. She had started to take a daily walk in the local Fife countryside, taking with her a book of one-line nature poems by Thomas A Clark. The walking and contact with nature helped her to deal with the "black dog". "I engage with the weather with my moods and it shifts them. The way I've coped with my depression has been to engage with the outdoors rather than sitting inside and being miserable."

Rain Therapy for Mental Health

One of her latest ideas is rain therapy. "Bad weather classes," she believes, might help the "national health bill go down". In the UK, she says, "everybody gets down when the skies turn grey, but we get so much bad weather we've got to get through it." Bache believes that early experiences with nature are formative. She believes that even if her children end up as normal teenagers indoors with their PlayStations, she has planted a seed. Later on, hopefully, they will develop that connection with nature in their own way. She also highlights the fact that most people remember their favorite childhood days spent outside.

Bache's approach to childcare might seem unconventional to some, but she strongly believes in the benefits of spending time outdoors. Her outdoor nursery is gaining popularity, and she is planning to expand by setting up a new outdoor nursery in London, where she has already found a suitable site in an old cemetery.

Hotels Embrace Nature and Outdoor Activities

As more people are becoming aware of the benefits of spending time in nature, hotels are also incorporating outdoor activities and natural surroundings into their offerings. Many hotels now provide nature-inspired experiences and activities for their guests, aiming to promote relaxation, wellness, and connection with the environment. These offerings range from guided nature hikes and wildlife spotting to outdoor yoga sessions and forest bathing.

In addition to outdoor activities, hotels are also incorporating elements of nature into their design and decor. Biophilic design, which seeks to bring nature indoors, is becoming increasingly popular. Hotels are using natural materials, such as wood and stone, and incorporating plants and greenery throughout their spaces to create a sense of calm and connection with the natural world.

Furthermore, some hotels are taking the concept of outdoor living to the next level by offering unique accommodations that allow guests to immerse themselves in nature. This includes treehouse hotels, eco-lodges, and glamping sites that offer a more immersive outdoor experience while still providing the comfort and amenities of a traditional hotel.

Conclusion

As Cathy Bache's outdoor nursery demonstrates, spending time in nature can have profound benefits for mental health and overall well-being, regardless of age. The positive impact of outdoor activities and exposure to natural environments is being recognized by various industries, including the hospitality sector, where hotels are incorporating nature-inspired experiences and design elements into their offerings.

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