Philosophy & Intention 

Nature Nest Philosophy & Intentions
Nature Nest is rooted in the belief that meaningful learning grows through relationships, curiosity, freedom, free play, trust and time spent in nature.

My philosophy is ever-evolving. I don’t see it as something fixed or finished. It continues to grow and shift as I grow and shift — through the children I work alongside, the families I learn from, my experiences as an educator, and my own journey as a parent of a 5- and 7-year-old.

The children themselves are a big part of that growth. Their questions, ideas, needs and ways of seeing the world continually challenge me to reflect, reconsider and deepen my understanding of how children learn and what they need from the adults around them.

Relationship Comes First
At the heart of Nature Nest is relationship.

Children need to feel safe, known, valued and connected before deep learning can happen. I aim to create small, welcoming communities where children can build trusting relationships with me, with one another and with the natural world around them.

I value intrinsic motivation and want children to experience the satisfaction of exploring something because it genuinely interests them — not simply because an adult has decided what they should know or produce.

The Process of Learning
I see curiosity, wondering, questioning, experimenting and thinking as the foundation of learning.

Before facts can be remembered or concepts fully understood, children need opportunities to explore ideas for themselves. They need time to notice, wonder, make predictions, test theories, make mistakes, change their minds, ask questions and make connections.

For me, the goal is not simply for a child to know the answer. I am interested in how they are thinking and how they came to an idea.

Facts and knowledge absolutely have a place, but information has very little meaning if it is not relevant to the child. Learning becomes much more powerful when it connects to something a child has noticed, experienced, wondered about or genuinely wants to understand.

Rather than rushing in with the correct answer, I might wonder alongside them:

What do you think?
How could we find out?
What did you notice?
Why do you think that happened?

I want children to experience themselves as capable thinkers, questioners, investigators and meaning-makers.

Freedom & True Free Play
I believe children need real freedom within safe, thoughtful boundaries.

When I talk about play, I mean true free play — play that belongs to the child.

It is not an adult-designed activity disguised as play. It is not a craft where every child is expected to make the same thing or an activity with one predetermined outcome.

Free play is self-chosen, self-directed and internally motivated.

Children decide what the play is about, how long they stay with an idea, who they play with and where their curiosity leads them.

That freedom matters because children think differently when the ideas belong to them.

Intentional Free Play
Free play at Nature Nest is not passive or accidental. It is intentionally protected time within a thoughtfully prepared environment.

Children are surrounded by nature, peers, open-ended materials, physical challenges and a trusted educator who is observing closely and supporting what is unfolding.

My role is not simply to stand back.

I am noticing what children are drawn to, the questions emerging in their play, the relationships forming within the group and the challenges they are working through.

Sometimes that means introducing rope, clay, paint, tools, loose parts or natural materials. Sometimes it means asking a thoughtful question, helping with a disagreement or supporting a child as they assess a physical risk.

And sometimes the most intentional choice I can make is not to interrupt.

Long, Uninterrupted Play
I believe long stretches of free play are incredibly important and increasingly undervalued in childhood.

Children need time for play to deepen.

The beginning may look simple — wandering, observing, negotiating roles or deciding what to do. But with enough uninterrupted time, play can become complex, collaborative and deeply absorbing.

Children may be imagining, planning, experimenting, negotiating, making rules, solving problems, taking risks, managing emotions and navigating relationships all at once.

For this reason, I try to protect generous stretches of uninterrupted free play rather than filling the day with constant transitions and adult-led activities.

The intention is not to remove structure.

The intention is to create enough structure for children to feel secure, while preserving enough freedom for something meaningful and unexpected to emerge.

More Than “Just Playing”
Nature Nest is not simply a place where children are sent to play.

Children are navigating a small community, developing friendships, negotiating ideas with peers, encountering different perspectives, building relationships with another trusted adult, testing their abilities in a natural environment and solving real problems.

The forest itself is part of the learning environment.

Weather, seasons, plants, animals, water, mud, ice, wind and unexpected discoveries create possibilities and challenges that cannot be fully planned in advance.

So while a Nature Nest morning may look beautifully simple from the outside, there is often a great deal happening underneath it.

Children are building independence, creativity, communication, resilience, conflict-resolution skills, physical confidence, flexible thinking, self-awareness, curiosity and belonging.

The intention is not to fill every moment with instruction.

The intention is to create the conditions in which children can do some of their most important work themselves.

Process Over Product
I value process art because the learning happens while a child is creating — choosing materials, experimenting, noticing cause and effect, changing direction, solving problems and expressing an idea.

The finished product is secondary.

Throughout Nature Nest, I am often more interested in the process of learning than the demonstration of knowing.

Open-Ended Materials
I am drawn to open-ended materials because they preserve freedom and possibility.

Sticks, stones, mud, water, fabric, rope, loose parts, clay and simple art materials do not tell a child what they are supposed to do.

They encourage creativity, flexible thinking, independence, collaboration, experimentation and problem solving because the child — rather than the adult or the material — determines what comes next.

Instead of showing children what something is supposed to become, I want to leave room for them to decide what it could be.

Risk, Challenge & Failure
Risky play is an important part of Nature Nest.

Children need opportunities to climb, balance, move quickly, navigate uneven terrain, test physical limits, make decisions and experience manageable uncertainty.

I also believe children need ample opportunities to fail.

Failure is not something I want to remove from childhood. It is often how children learn persistence, flexibility, problem solving and what to try differently next time.

A structure may fall down. A plan may not work. A climb may feel too difficult. A game may need to be renegotiated.

Those moments matter.

If adults constantly step in before children can struggle, make mistakes, feel disappointed or try again, we can unintentionally take away opportunities for them to discover what they are capable of.

My role is not to eliminate all risk, challenge or failure.

It is to support children as they learn to assess risk, make decisions, recover from setbacks, adapt their thinking and trust their growing capabilities.

Working Through Challenges Together
The same philosophy applies to social challenges and disagreements.

Children will disagree. They will want the same stick, have different ideas about a game, feel left out or become frustrated.

Whenever it is appropriate and safe, I try to give children some space to work through these situations rather than immediately solving the problem for them.

These moments can help build conflict resolution, communication, perspective-taking, negotiation, flexibility, resilience, self-advocacy and empathy.

That does not mean children are left alone to manage situations beyond them.

I am always there.

I am watching, listening and available to step in when support is needed, when safety becomes a concern, when a child is becoming overwhelmed or when they come to me for help.

Sometimes my role is to intervene. Other times it may be to sit nearby, help children find words, reflect what I am noticing, ask a question, or simply give them enough space to discover that they can work something out themselves.

The goal is not independence at all costs.

It is to build confidence, capability, resilience and trust, while children know there is a caring adult nearby when they need one.

Community & Belonging
I want Nature Nest to foster a strong sense of community and belonging.

Children are learning not only about the world around them, but about how to be with other people — how to listen, contribute, negotiate, disagree, repair, care for one another and recognize that their ideas and presence matter.

I hope children come to feel:

I belong here.
My ideas matter.
I have choices.
I can try.
I can wonder.
I can ask for help.
I can make mistakes.
I can fail and try again.
I can figure things out.

Above all, I hope Nature Nest protects space for wonder, freedom and childhood itself — time to notice small things, follow unexpected discoveries, move slowly, get muddy, ask big questions, take manageable risks and experience the natural world with curiosity and joy.

These intentions are not meant to be a rigid set of rules. They reflect what I value and strive toward right now, while recognizing that both Nature Nest and I are still growing.

I expect this philosophy to continue shifting and deepening as I learn through experience, alongside the children and families I work with, and through my own continuing journey as a parent.