Teaching young children for 22 years, Cathy Bache is convinced that outdoor education is the way forward. So, she plans to open Britain’s first totally open-air nursery in Scotland! Yes Scotland, one of the coldest areas of the country.
Bache’s new nursery — The Secret Garden — will be like no ordinary garden. Bringing the children close to nature, the only shelter for them will be a wattle and daub structure with no walls.
Furthermore, the children will be provided with no toys! Instead, they will be encouraged to play with the toys nature provides – sticks and leaves, mud and rainwater, fir cones and acorns.
Learning about vegetable gardening and rearing chickens, the children will eat outside, and use outdoor compost toilets. Britain’s national lottery will be funding Bache’s dreams with 10,000 pounds ($19,000). She plans to start with 24 children when it opens next autumn, with support from education authorities and local parents.
