Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery

Every day is a book day at the Secret Garden, we really do have a book for every occasion. Today to celebrate World Book Day some of our children brought in their favourites (pictured) which they proudly shared during the day.

The Foxgloves had a Hungry Caterpillar themed day including fruits from the story as extra fruit at snack 🐛🦋

I had a moment like this today and it changed my outlook on how to support a child. Reflective practice is so important to help both us as practitioners and the children we care for to grow. 🌿

Sometimes I pause in the middle of a busy day and realise something huge:
Families trust us with the weight of their child’s whole world🌎
Their worries.
Their big feelings.
Their imaginations.
Their friendships.
Their growing confidence.
Their tiny triumphs and tiny heartbreaks. 💗

We are trusted with the moments that shape who they are becoming — not just their learning, but their lived experience of childhood.
And that is not a small thing.
It’s sacred.
It’s heavy in the gentlest way. 🫶🏻

It’s a privilege that still catches me off guard sometimes…. Because when a child runs to show me a leaf they’ve found, looks at me for reassurance before trying something brave, or even spontaneously turn and tell me how much they love me when we are rolling play dough…
I’m reminded that this role is so much more than a job. 🥹

We are holding their world while they learn how to hold it themselves. 
And that is the most beautiful responsibility I could imagine. 🌈🫶🏻❤️

🍂 WE’RE HIRING – Part-Time & Sessional Woods Practitioners 🍂

*Part-time (Permanent):
A 2-day key worker role as part of our established regular team.

*Sessional:
A flexible role supporting children and key workers in the woods and covering holidays and staff absence. For the right person, permanent opportunities and regular days may become available over time.

About Us 🌿
The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery is set within a 25-acre woodland. Our highly regarded philosophy and practice have evolved over the past 17 years and are rooted in our guiding principles: Presence, Nature, Play.

We offer explorative outdoor play and learning 4½ days a week, with practitioners developing a strong, stable presence alongside children in the natural environment.

🐞 Are you someone who...
· Wants to work somewhere with a strong community around you?
· Loves working in a child led environment?
· Is passionate about outdoor education and learning with Nature
as Teacher?
· Communicates respectfully, thoughtfully, and professionally?
· Is SSSC/GTCS registered or willing to study a qualification
recognised by these bodies

🍄 We offer:
· A supportive, established and nurturing workplace
· An inspiring work environment
· Ongoing CPL following initial training
· An annual external training allowance (permanent staff)
· Keela waterproofs (permanent staff)
· Staff discount on Keela outdoor clothing
· Staff discount on children’s fees (if your child attends the nursery)
· Annual professional fees (SSSC/GTCS) reimbursed (permanent
staff)
· Paid time to study for SSSC/GTCS required qualifications (1 day
per month subject to approval)

🌳 To find out more and how to apply, please visit our website:
www.secretgardenoutdoor-nursery.co.uk
Deadline for applications Monday 16th February 9am.

Today some of the children were deeply absorbed in cleaning a fantastic Red Deer skull that a member of staff brought in.

Using water and toothbrushes, the children carefully cleaned, asked many many questions, and pondered about how the deer may have died and the anatomy of the skull.

The skull was also given a Secret Garden chalky make over, which gave it quite the appearance!

What do you think?

At The Secret Garden, we were all saddened to hear of the recent loss of Juliet Robertson, a passionate pioneer of outdoor learning in Scotland. Throughout her varied career, Juliet worked tirelessly to make outdoor opportunities available to children and to inspire educators in primary, early years and beyond. Juliet created the Creative STAR Learning website - an essential resource for anyone interested in outdoor learning, full of ideas, inspiration, research and tips. She visited the nursery a number of times and was a great support over the years.

She firmly believed that just about anything could be taught outdoors and wrote two books “Messy Maths” and “Dirty Teaching”. She also pioneered the Forest Kindergarten qualification in Scotland, contributed to many education resources and toolkits such as “Loose Parts Play” and “Out to Play”, and led countless training experiences both in Scotland and abroad.

I was fortunate to attend a maths training day with Juliet many years ago, where we spent most of the day outside making shapes, angles and generally finding 101 uses for a metre long hazel stick!

It seems fitting to finish with Juliet’s own words she spoke on receiving her honorary degree from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in recognition of her achievements: “My life’s work been about developing play and learning outdoors - encouraging everyone to enjoy the creativity, awe and wonder of the world beyond the walls of a traditional classroom. In my experience it is a more effective and engaging way of enabling children to learn experientially. It is naturally interdisciplinary and improved wellbeing is an almost effortless benefit”.

Written by Karen Valentine.
Photo courtesy of Creative Star Learning Website.

A snippet into our days in the woods with this older video. It`s heartwarming seeing children who are now fully grown playing on the same trees as our current children. I love the idea of them witnessing so many years of play.

WEBSITE CLIP Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

🌿 A reminder that we are recruiting for sessional practitioners to join us in the woods.

🦋Our sessional team offer vital support to our key worker team who together provide the excellent care we offer to our children and their families. Sessional staff work flexible work patterns with full internal training available. We can support the right candidates to gain the relevant qualifications through trusted providers.

🌱Applications close 7th January. Get in touch if you have any questions. Further information is on our website`s main page.

As the nursery closes its invisible doors for the next two weeks, we wish all of our Secret Garden community a restful, cosy and love filled break.

Photos from our beautiful Winter Celebration earlier in December where over 120 of us gathered as dusk was fading to dark at the Moon Den to sing, tell stories, eat, drink and we met some very special gnomes.

**Exciting News!**
Join our friendly team at Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery in stunning Letham Woods.
We're looking for enthusiastic early years practitioners to join our friendly and inclusive staff team.
Ready to for a new adventure? Visit us: www.secretgardenoutdoor-nursery.co.uk for more information.

Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery -offering outdoor play & learning in the stunning Fife countryside

Its our last week in the woods of 2025 and there was a real sense of magic in the air today. What started as a small hole, with small hands, became a large hole with children scrambling through it laughing as they helped push each others legs through.

This photo perfectly represents the day at nursery today, exploring the world from a truly different perspective