Our Approach to Outdoor Learning
Child-led, nature-based education that puts your child’s voice at the centre
At Auchlone Nature Kindergarten, our approach to early years education is built on a simple belief: children learn best when we follow their fascination.
We combine child-led learning with outdoor, nature-based play to give your child a strong, confident start in life.
In reality this means that every day is shaped by their ideas, their questions, and their natural curiosity and not a rigid timetable or fixed curriculum.
This isn’t just outdoor play. It’s purposeful, meaningful learning which is what makes Auchlone different.
What is Child-Led Learning?
Child-led learning means that your child’s thoughts, questions and interests are at the heart of what we do.
Instead of planning topics in advance, we take time to observe and listen to the children to determine their own interests. If a child becomes interested in bugs, shadows, or where the rain comes from, that point of interest becomes the starting point for learning.
Skilled practitioners work alongside children, guiding and extending their thinking through hands-on, real-world encounters to ensure they have a broad range of experiences.
Children are not just included — they are actively involved in planning what and how they learn. This gives them:
- A stronger sense of ownership and belief in themselves
- More motivation to explore and ask questions
- Deeper, more meaningful learning that builds their skills and knowledge.
We don’t rush. We don’t over-direct. We let children build confidence in their own ideas, and that confidence lasts far beyond the early years.
Why Nature-Based?
Spending every day outdoors brings countless benefits to your child’s development.
Research consistently shows that outdoor learning supports emotional, physical and mental wellbeing, and is critical to brain development in the early years.
At Auchlone, our woodland setting provides a rich and ever-changing environment. Whether we’re out climbing a tree, collecting kindling for the fire, or building a den, nature creates endless opportunities for learning across all areas of the early level curriculum.
Children learn to:
- Take supported risks
- Problem-solve with others
- Work with real tools and materials
- Connect to the natural world
- Develop gross and fine motor skills
- Regulate emotions and build resilience
Most importantly, they feel free to think, to move, to explore, and to be themselves.
The Floorbook Approach at Auchlone
We don’t follow sets of worksheets like a lot of typical settings. Instead, we plan in response to children’s ideas and experiences by using observation, documentation, and collaboration.
We use the award-winning Floorbook Approach™, created by our founder Dr Claire Warden, to record children’s voices and learning journeys.
Through group discussions, photographs, drawings, and real questions, we use Floorbooks™ to make learning visible and inclusive.
Every child’s voice matters — and every child’s thinking helps shape what happens next.
What this means for your child
When your child comes to Auchlone, they join an environment that:
- Trusts children to be capable
- Encourages creativity and independence
- Values emotional wellbeing just as much as academic progress
- Provides a safe, rich and responsive outdoor environment
- Supports each child as a unique learner
Enquire Now
If our approach feels like the right fit for your child, we’d love to hear from you.
Places at Auchlone are limited, and our waiting list fills up quickly so don’t hesitate to get in touch.