On Spring Equinox weekend, we celebrate International Day of Forests!

Traditionally this is a day to remember the balance of light and dark and the movement out of winter into Spring. After the year we have all experienced, there is hope and the promise of new life in the forest.

On International Day of Forests today, I am walking in the community woodland I co-chair in East Sussex (Laughton Greenwood), I enjoy the signs of spring – primroses, larch tree flowers, tree buds of the wild service trees, goat willow and silver birch on the verge of opening, and the blue bells leaves emerging from under the blanket of the autumn and winter leaves. Glad we made it. I have a friend who once reminded me that I may only see this sight for 30 more times (if I make it to 80 years old).

In this unusual year, I am acutely aware that where I put my attention is extremely valuable. I know that I don’t want to miss the simple yet irreplaceable beauty of the forests, the sunsets, the flowers and the priceless non-human artistry around us.

“Natural treasures, in roots, wood and leaves, for beauty, for use, the air that we breathe. Imagine: a wood begins with one small seed. We’re stronger together – people and trees.” Harriet Fraser, 2017

We need to be able to spend time in places with trees, to experience first hand the direct benefits of ‘being’ in these restorative spaces. It’s necessary to take time away from our screens and our thinking minds, and allow space for a realisation or a new perspective.

A popular new idea in this part of the world is Forest Bathing, soaking up the health benefits of the forest, widely researched in Japan and beyond.

As a nature practitioner of over 30 years the ‘therapeutic activities’ we introduce during all our work – be that in Away Days, Forest School Training, our CPD’s all combine this wonderful mix of personal development and experiential nature connection drawing on ‘invitations’ that are creative, sensory, focus our attention, are mindful, playful and feel good.

Trees really are extraordinary! Apart from their gifts of medicines, timber, climbing and homes to insects, birds and mammals – they have this unusual ability to regrow when cut down. Our ancestors learned to work with the trees to both increase the diversity of the forests and woods, applying a woodland management technique of coppicing and pollarding. These regenerative techniques support human and non-human life. Our forests need both celebrating and protecting. The Japanese have an ancient technique of producing wood for 700 years without cutting down trees – the daisugi technique from the 14th century.

Here the technique allows for the caretaking of future generations of both plants and humans. What is exciting for me is that we do have the ability and opportunity to work with nature. We can learn to mimic it’s majesty, intelligence, diversity and create a regenerative path to recovery and well-being for all.

Marina Robb, Director of Circle of Life Rediscovery and The Outdoor Teacher

Circle of Life Rediscovery provides exciting and highly beneficial nature-centred learning and therapeutic experiences for young people, adults, and families in Sussex woodlands, along with innovative continuing professional development for the health, well being and teaching professionals who are supporting them.

For many years I have held the question, ‘What motivates people to care about the natural world and value nature.’ Yet, as we know so well, access to nature is not available to all, and that the bright screens of the 21st Century enclose us ever more to the indoors.

However, by training practitioners from education and health to be competent and confident to embed nature-based practice in their workplace, we can create a sustainable and realistic way forward.

My favourite childhood memory was a tree just in front of my house. I was small enough to sit hidden under its branches and watch the world pass me undiscovered for hours. It was a place of safety and curiosity with its soft boughs skirting all around me. I am pretty sure it was this tree that provided a place for me to learn to self-regulate, to feel what I was feeling, without judgement or cognitive understanding. It was here that I dug to Australia (a common childhood pastime apparently!) and imagined the vastness of the Earth. I suppose the seed of this organisation has grown out of a ‘below the brain’, body-based appreciation of nature, and in particular trees.

This week here in the UK, we celebrate National Tree Week and I have no doubt that our woodland culture roots infuses my own and our wider collective memory.

It is somewhat contradictory then, that I have embarked on creating a series of online video-based resources.

Four years ago, I was invited to deliver Forest School-type Training in various cities in China. During the first few days, I couldn’t see the sky due to pollution and I was a little overwhelmed by the cities’ population – some 30 million, one of the smaller cities.

In contrast to my sensory experiences, my hosts and the people were wonderfully kind, enthusiastic and wanted to provide access to nature to the children in their care in urban and other spaces.

As a former primary school teacher, I could see that, like here in the UK, there is this tension and often a misunderstanding of what we mean by learning outdoors or the Forest School approach and where it can happen. Classic questions like, do you need a forest to teach Forest School, and if not, why are you calling it Forest School? Teachers worry that they may not be doing, ‘real outdoor learning’ or what is ‘real Forest School’.

Outdoor learning is the learning that happens, the skill is how we observe and perhaps choose or not, to link this back to the curriculum or to well-being.

In short, I realised that one keyway to share learning and expertise for practitioners is to use high quality professional visual-based trainings. This is cheaper for the practitioner or school/nursery, builds on the expertise of the practitioner’s direct experience of working with their ‘clients’, and can happen at their own pace in their own time. I am a huge advocate of direct trainings too, yet undoubtedly, a resource that can be returned to again and again is really helpful.

As an author of a how-to book (Learning with Nature), I know how valuable a well written book with good photos can be for a practitioner or parent.

However, bringing that alive through video and footage of how to do an activity, does show in ‘real time’ the details that a book can struggle to convey.

The ultimate goal here is to facilitate practitioners to increase access, well-being and learning for the groups they work with – including parents/carers and their children.

Enter, ‘The Outdoor Teacher’: it is designed as a comprehensive training portal for outdoor activities and pedagogy (with new resources added over the seasons), based on my 30 years of experience as a nature practitioner, trainer and working with school-age children and specialist groups.

A common myth is that you have to do a Forest School Training to take children out of doors. Those of us who have been teaching outdoors for many years, know that is not the case – though you do need to be competent, have risk assessments in place and have the appropriate insurance.

With this platform I wanted to provide educators, carers and mental health professionals with accessible, practical support to deliver their work in nature, and my fellow outdoor practitioners with the tools to develop broader teaching and personal development skills in their practice.

My intention is simple, to bring these skills to a much wider audience. My hope is that schools and the health services – two of our largest systems expand nature-centred training to their staff so that they can bring nature into their practice making it part of an everyday education and health choice. 

“You will find this resource is absolutely packed with ‘activities’ and details that enable yourself and your own learners to explore the natural world in a safe and yet challenging way.” Jon Cree, Director Forest School Association.

The 8 modules cover the following topics:

• Fire and Pedagogy
• Ropes and knots
• Cooking on a fire
• Shelters and Play
• Using Tools
• Natural Crafts and Play
• Wild Plants and Foraging
• Nature Awareness Games

In each module, there are many of the ‘practical aspects’ of leading and facilitating experiences and connection to the natural world and each other which are communicated through a number of short films that take you through small achievable steps. There is a clear commentary of why we do what we do. Many of the films show me working with groups of children and young people demonstrating the ‘reality’ of working with the activities.

These are then backed up with downloadable resources such as risk benefit assessments and descriptions of the activities.

We are delighted to have Early Childhood Outdoor as an affiliate. This scheme allows like-minded organisations to share profit and support all our endeavours to bring the outdoors to as many people as possible.

Marina Robb, Director of Circle of Life Rediscovery and The Outdoor Teacher

Growing up is never easy! Often what we long for as adults, is really an indicator of what we need most in our lives. As practitioners who work with children and young people, we are more effective when we have the ability to know our unmet needs which provides a greater capacity to generate love and care for ourselves. It is from this place that we can care for another child or person.

When we are young, most of us didn’t get what we needed all the time (the human condition) and even more important, we didn’t know how to get it. How to reach out for help, and continue to do this, when the ‘other’, the adult rejects us in some form or another.

We naturally learn to compensate and it is by reclaiming our vulnerability – a very misunderstood term, that we can find our way to well-being and to support the well-being of others.



At the heart of being human, is the essential need of human relationship – the other. Our psychological development through the stages of life – from birth to elderhood, grows this sense of self. Our lives grow in the wider context of the natural world too. We are nature, and ‘our nature’ is fundamental to health and learning. Much of our nature-based practice is underpinned by what I call, Nature-centric wheels.

The Nature-Centric Wheel below shows the stages of life from 0 – 80, linking these to both times of the day and a compass direction. At its simplest level – the East (Spring) direction is sunrise, the beginning of the day and life (the baby), the north direction is elderhood, the night-time or winter of our lives!

The prevalence of ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences) echoes the widespread reality of childhood trauma-related experience. Years of nature-based practice has also shown me how the natural world, as ‘other’ silently reflects back to us, offering metaphors and sensory experience that support our growth and development.

In many ways for many of us lucky enough to have played and enjoyed nature as a child or adult, the role of nature as an unconditional friend represents an un-scarred relationship.

“In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”
(Alice Walker)



There is a link between our ability to understand our own behaviours, those of others, our knowledge and ease with different mental states (feelings, thoughts, beliefs) and the ability to respond to infant’s emotions and feelings.

How do we as practitioners develop our ability to respond authentically to children, to maintain a healthy distance from our reactions to be genuinely available to listen, non-verbally as well, to the ‘other’ person in our care? To consider how we empower, despite our positional power? Meeting our needs, awareness of power dynamics, our triggers, what supports our and others self-regulation is part of creating a safe and resilient environment for our children.

Fortunately practice in nature supports self-regulation – all the bottom up (body-based) strategies. Our autonomic nervous system is soothed, our threat system is reduced, and we are all more able to have fulfilling relationships with each other – all increasing our ‘attainment’ potential.

Health and Learning are deeply intertwined. When we enjoy learning, have healthy bodies and lifestyles – which include playing and learning in the outdoors, we become socially confident and connected people, who feel valued for their contributions – power is shared. The intrinsic motivation, autonomy, sovereignty we encourage through child-centred/self-directed approaches, also help us to trust others and learn to meet our needs.

Many of us know how it felt to be in school and not enjoy the experience. When people are asked what most stopped them in a subject from continuing, they often point to a time when they were shamed by an adult.

According to Brene Brown (2017), your real sense of worthiness relates to the core 4 sense qualities below.

Take a moment to consider your own sense of self and if you feel you are worthy of love and belonging?

Can you:

• Tell the story of who you are, with the courage to be imperfect (sense of courage)
• Are you kind to yourself first, before others (sense of compassion)
• Are you authentic, willing to let go of who you think you should be, to be who you are (sense of connection)
• Are you willing to say things, like I love you, or help, to be imperfect, to be seen (sense of vulnerability)

We learn through the actions of others, often that we are not fundamentally okay.  We are punished (or rewarded) for our expressions and we learn that our range of feelings and behaviours are not acceptable.  We hide who we are.   Children from the poorest 20% of households are four times as likely to have serious mental health difficulties by the age of 11 as though from the wealthiest 20% (Morrison Gutman et al 2015); Children and young people with a learning disability are three times more likely than average to have a mental health problem (Lavis et al 2019) (see Mental Health inequalities in Numbers, Centre for Mental Health 2020).

In my experience of working with teenagers for over 15 years, referred from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS) to our long-term nature programme, I almost always discover young people who are incredibly emotionally aware, yet have not found a way yet to belong.

How can we best support children and young people now and into the future? At Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC, we are pioneering ‘ The Nature Gateway Project’ – a four day training (supported with webinars and a manual)  that equips practitioners from all backgrounds to take their practice into the outdoors. 


We are currently looking for key practitioners and stakeholders who would like to take part free of charge in funded, ‘Proof of Concept Training’ – for education and health practitioners, starting in Spring/Summer 2021. 

This is an invitation to radically re-imagine our relationship between nature, education and human mental health whilst offering a practical course in how to do this that is accessible, relevant and of its time!

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact, Marina Robb (Director of Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC and The Outdoor Teacher Ltd.

CPD Training courses available

Circle of Life Rediscovery is passionate about training schools, organisations and education departments, in Outdoor Learning, Forest School and Nature-based Practise. We offer a full programme of CPD courses, Forest School Training and in-house training.

Nature Play & The Therapeutic Space – Free webinars and two day training course:

Over the past few months we have recorded a series of webinars; Nature Play and the Therapeutic Space. These webinars are and introduction to and part of a longer ‘live’ two day training in nature (September 24th & 25th 2020), specifically to help and support children who are struggling within a group.

The aim is to develop your facilitation skills and ability to work with children that present difficult behaviours and explore therapeutic nature-play skills (e.g. reflective communication and use of puppets & sand) which will engage the group of children and individuals building their emotional regulation, curiosity, imagination and well-being.

Please view the FREE webinars and course details on our website. This course can also be delivered in-house at your setting. Minimum numbers apply. Contact us for details.

Working with Young People with Challenging Behaviour, in the Outdoors:

Run by Jon Cree, this course is aimed at any educator who feels they want to engage and work with students in the outdoors who may be reluctant learners (of any age). 

This course will delve into:

• What challenges us as leaders in the outdoors
• Theory on challenging behaviour
• Up-to-date neural research; triggers and causes for challenging behaviour
• Ways of dealing with ‘real life’ scenarios in the outdoors
• De-escalation
• How to transfer outdoor strategies into an indoor and other settings – including looking at the validity of sanctions and rewards.
• Reviewing your own policies

This course takes place 9th-11th November and you can find details here. This course can also be delivered in-house at your setting. Minimum numbers apply. Contact us for details.

Marina Robb (PGCE; MsC, MA)  is Founder and Managing Director of Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC and The Outdoor Teacher Ltd, organisations that aim to transform education and health through nature.  She is a leading author, green practitioner and educator in the outdoor sector, an international trainer in the design and delivery of nature-based experiences and an advocate for the integration of environmental, education and health and well-being services. 

Marina is Author of ‘Learning with Nature’ & Upcoming New Book written with Jon Cree: ‘The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy’ published by Routledge Winter 2020/21.

Let’s connect – a sense of place and belonging

Everything has a story to tell, whether it’s a person, object or a place. But it’s the connection between people and their memories/stories that make places special, unique and gives us a sense of belonging.

For some, we are instantly taken back to our childhood. Maybe somewhere we loved exploring, a place that makes us feel at home or maybe a place where you feel close and connected to significant people in your lives. When we develop a sense of place, we develop a story of our lives, a narrative.

Over the course of this year I have been continuing to deepen my understanding of developing a “sense of place” and have found myself musing on imagining a world where everyone was emotionally connected to the place where they lived.

I have often wondered what that may look and feel like. In my mind this would be a place which would be cherished, cared for, communities would come together and have a heightened sense of responsibility and stewardship. This is the type of world I long to live in… don’t you?

Why is developing a sense of place so important?

There are many outcomes we could list that occur when we feel emotionally secure in a place. For children, if they feel comfortable in a place then they feel able to explore, play, take risks and become directors of their learning. This takes time to nurture.

Here are a few other reasons for why developing a sense of place is so important:

• Developing a deeper connection and sense of belonging
• Feeling grounded, comfortable and familiar
• Connecting to our past and a growing personal identity
• Developing an appreciation of natural resources
• We become inspired to care and protect our local spaces for the future
• Developing empathy

Out of all the terribly sad and heart-breaking moments that COVID 19 has brought on us in 2020, on reflection there has been one positive reaction, or maybe should I say interaction, because people connected. With time through enforced lockdown, people connected not only with each other but with the land around them.

Daily walks became longed for and valued and people began to notice. They saw seasons change from spring into summer and they noticed the pace of the wildlife around them… people stopped, were still, observed and listened. A pause in time has given nature a chance… people have begun to see its value.

So with this all in mind, what better time to start the seed of change.

If we want to live in a world where the physical landscape becomes part of a person’s self-identity, people belong and feel connected, then we need to put more emphasis on building a sense of place into our youngest children’s experiences.

For a sense of place and belonging doesn’t happen overnight. It is a perfect blend of many moments that develop a personal history of memories and through shared experiences these will evoke feelings and connect children with their place. A sense of place can’t be pre-packaged or bought. It takes time, reflection and thought.

Forest Kindergarten: Local Nature Play

The approach “Forest Kindergarten: Local Nature Play” is an ideal approach which is built around giving children regular experiences in nature, visiting their local greenspace and exploring through playful experiences and stimulating all the senses.

Circle of Life Rediscovery offers a 2-day training course that supports this approach. Throughout the two-day training practitioners can:

• Reflect on current practice
• Develop ideas for how routines and rituals in nature can support a growing sense of place
• Explore ideas of nature play
• Understand some different approaches to support pedagogy

The course takes place in East Sussex on 22nd October & 4th November 2020, find out more here. Please see below for our short introductory webinar based on the course.

This course can also be delivered at your setting to a minimum of 15 people.

Taking the time to build local nature play into your day to day routines and exploring a local park, wood or field will undoubtedly allow your learners to feel more connected to nature and to themselves.

Over time, adults and children will develop a growing respect and gratitude for their local place which in turn encourages children to want to protect and become guardians of their special place for the future.

In addition, it has also been noted by practitioners that by increasing positive time in nature with young children generated a “ripple effect.” This “ripple effect” involved their children encouraging the wider family to explore their special places thereby forming greater emotional attachment to the land which was passed across generations.

This is the dream isn’t it? To live in a world where people connect, value and appreciate our planet and each other and nurture well-being so that we grow together as a community.

So maybe, just maybe now is the time to act and focus on really belonging to our world. Not just watching our world from a window, app or television screen but by being outside, by being present in the moment, breathing in the air, feeling the sun on our face and plunging our fingers into the soil.

Let’s connect.

By Louise Hack.

The Forest School Activities Online Training Course

Our Director Marina Robb has created a new online training. Marina wanted to offer a quality training resource that is accessible to a wider audience, who can’t get to our woods in person!
It includes over 100 training videos and resources with step by step instructions designed to inspire new ideas for both experienced and novice practitioners.

Click on the image below to find out more: