Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery

A merry little troop leaving the woods before Christmas 😊 hope you are all having a lovely festive break 🎄 (Watch with sound)

The sun sets on the shortest day. Happy solstice everyone ❄️ the nursery is now closed for Christmas and will re-open on Monday 7th January.

Some winter layering advice 😊 🧣 🧤 #keepcosy

Lost property alert! Parents if you recognise any of this can you let staff know in the park. It’s all washed 😊

***TOP SECRET*** The gnomes are coming!!! They may well be appearing in children’s rucksacks next week, shhhhhhhhhhh... 🤗🎄🎁

Some yurt DIY earlier this week with the lovely Paul from Highland Yurts. Our Mongolian style yurt looks beautiful with the side canvas off and all the lattice work on display 😊

We’ve been spotting so many snuggled up ladybirds 🐞 in the woods today and we learned that you can call a group of ladybirds a Loveliness! How cute is that?! 🤗🐞 “They’re cuddled up sleeping and cosy” “They sleep all squashed to stay warm” “They have to hide from the wind, all snuggled down”

The SG spare kit has been used a lot this week! The heavy rains brought endless play opportunities for our children in the woods (mud slides, tree rivers, water collection, mud baths, mud pies, squelch races through the mud...) However it did also mean lots of extra gloves and spare changes of clothes were required to keep spirits cheerful and resilience intact, to enable the children to continue exploring the wonderful element of water 💦 therefore this weekend, Sarah’s radiators all look like this! 😂

Who says rainy days aren’t beautiful 🌈 this was our view as we walked to the woods yesterday 🌈

***We are enrolling for winter*** Due to popular demand our half day Friday sessions are running again. These short days (0900 - 1300) are perfect for little ones beginning their journey to a full day in the woods. Many of our current Secret Gardner's started on this route. Please do get in touch if you are interested - we'd be delighted to chat with you 😊
Photo credit: Victoria Galloway

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself" (John Dewey). At the Secret Garden children are free to experience and be a part of events as they happen, free to explore the natural world around them and discover their place within it.
Photo credit: Victoria Galloway

We are delighted to announce that we raised a whopping £1,505 at our bingo fundraiser last week 🙌🏻 most of this will be going towards repairing our important Yurt as it is in need of a new canvas before the winter sets in. Thank you so much to everyone for the amazing support ❤️❤️

Bead making! We had to take down a cracked elder branch and it didn’t take the children long to notice the little white squashy centre of the elder. Very quickly they were poking and picking at it “It’s beads!” “I’m making wheels” 😊 #creativeminds #outdoorplay #elderbeads

Wow what a turn out!!! Thank you so much everyone for supporting our bingo fundraiser - it was a super night! 😄❤️

🎵 “Leaves fall down for me” 🎵 Every day we sing to our cherry tree as we pause and take a breath and a drink of water on our journey to the woods. The children change the lyrics depending on what they observe and how they feel. It’s a natural study of the seasons, in something simple that we do every single day 🍂 🍂

“It’s where the little rainbow dragon lives” 🌈 🐉 so many endless possibilities arise when children are left to play in a natural space 😊 #outdoorplay #creativeminds

***BINGO PRIZES*** More amazing prizes from our friends at Body Concept plus a bottle of malt and a Canterbury kit bag from our contacts in the Scottish rugby team 😉 Eyes down 7.30pm, Wednesday at a Duffus Bowling Club in Cupar. See you there! #nurseryfundraiser

***BINGO PRIZES*** A few more to share... beautiful bamboo socks, a voucher for the Cupar Tea Room and a gorgeous hand bag and scarf 👜☕️🍰 See you on Wednesday at Duffus Park Bowling Club for a chance to win! #bingotime #nurseryfundraiser

The Secret Gardeners have been busy pumpkin carving this week and (drum roll) here are the spooktacular results! 'Spooky' 'Freaky' 'Surprisey' and 'Boo!' 😱👻 Happy Halloween everyone.

Rory loves the secret garden. The staff are excellent and help the children explore the Forrest and make the most of being outdoors. Rory seems to like it even better when it's raining - which is nice to see as a parent because your first instinct is to bring them inside! If I could we would send him for the whole week! I thoroughly recommend sending your children here!

My boy has just increased you 2 days a week and absolutely loves. This is the stuff resilience is made from!!

My Son told me that the Secret Garden is (nearly) the best place in the world! Both my sons have been secret gardeners, my youngest is due to leave in August 2017, after 4 years of bringing my children twice a week, I think I am going to miss the woods just as much as they are...

Love it�Sounds like Karis had a fantastic first day back in the snow(& now she has clean wellies)Thankyou so much ladies���

I have found that having a child at the Secret Garden means you are welcomed into a fabulous community of families who believe in the power of play in the outdoors as a way of helping our children become caring, responsible and fun-loving human beans. Go Secret Garden! We need more forest nurseries like this and until they are seven. x

Rory loves the secret garden. The staff are excellent and help the children explore the Forrest and make the most of being outdoors. Rory seems to like it even better when it's raining - which is nice to see as a parent because your first instinct is to bring them inside! If I could we would send him for the whole week! I thoroughly recommend sending your children here!

My boy has just increased you 2 days a week and absolutely loves. This is the stuff resilience is made from!!

My Son told me that the Secret Garden is (nearly) the best place in the world! Both my sons have been secret gardeners, my youngest is due to leave in August 2017, after 4 years of bringing my children twice a week, I think I am going to miss the woods just as much as they are...

Love it�Sounds like Karis had a fantastic first day back in the snow(& now she has clean wellies)Thankyou so much ladies���

I have found that having a child at the Secret Garden means you are welcomed into a fabulous community of families who believe in the power of play in the outdoors as a way of helping our children become caring, responsible and fun-loving human beans. Go Secret Garden! We need more forest nurseries like this and until they are seven. x

Rory loves the secret garden. The staff are excellent and help the children explore the Forrest and make the most of being outdoors. Rory seems to like it even better when it's raining - which is nice to see as a parent because your first instinct is to bring them inside! If I could we would send him for the whole week! I thoroughly recommend sending your children here!

My boy has just increased you 2 days a week and absolutely loves. This is the stuff resilience is made from!!

My Son told me that the Secret Garden is (nearly) the best place in the world! Both my sons have been secret gardeners, my youngest is due to leave in August 2017, after 4 years of bringing my children twice a week, I think I am going to miss the woods just as much as they are...

Love it�Sounds like Karis had a fantastic first day back in the snow(& now she has clean wellies)Thankyou so much ladies���

I have found that having a child at the Secret Garden means you are welcomed into a fabulous community of families who believe in the power of play in the outdoors as a way of helping our children become caring, responsible and fun-loving human beans. Go Secret Garden! We need more forest nurseries like this and until they are seven. x