We are disappointed to share that following a recent visit from the Care Inspectorate, we have been advised that our application to register as a fully outdoor nursery is not being supported at this stage.

While we are still awaiting the formal written report, feedback provided yesterday was that our community centre garden is not considered a suitable environment for registration as a fully outdoor nursery. We were advised that fully outdoor settings are expected to operate from natural green spaces rather than from a paved garden space such as ours.

This comes as a surprise, as Care Inspectorate guidance simply defines an outdoor setting as “an early learning and childcare setting where the provision is outside requiring minimal infrastructure” and states that it will “support and encourage innovative models of outdoor experiences and opportunities for children.”

This means that, once again, it is time for us to regroup and decide on our next step in our journey towards outdoor registration. In the meantime, however, this decision does not affect children’s day-to-day experiences. We will continue to spend the majority of our time outdoors, both in the garden and in Gillies Hill Community Woodland, providing the same outdoor play and learning opportunities that we know our children and families value.

It’s probably fair to say that we’ve all been enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures of the last week. Indeed for many it felt just too hot! And, if we ever needed a reason, it was another that makes us appreciate being able to visit the woodland.

One of the hidden benefits of spending time in the woods is that the trees create their own natural cooling system. While paved surfaces and buildings can quickly heat up in the sunshine, the woodland provides natural shade and cooler temperatures, creating a more comfortable environment for children to play, explore and learn. On colder days we often notice the opposite too, with the trees providing shelter from wind and frost. Nature has a remarkable way of helping to moderate the weather.

Although water is always a magnet for children and something they are keen to explore (often in depth 🤣), the warmer temperatures made splashing and guddling even more appealing.

These small crustacean beasties are an important part of the woodland ecosystem and sparked lots of discussion about what they eat and why they might choose the burn as their home.

Children also noticed unusual growths on some beech leaves. These are known as midge galls and are formed when tiny insects lay their eggs in developing leaves. They provided another opportunity to look closely at the natural world, share ideas and think about how we might learn more.

Perhaps most importantly, the children experienced something that cannot easily be recreated indoors: the cool shade of the trees on a hot day, the refreshing water of the burn around their feet, and the excitement of discovering living things in their natural habitat.

This week reminded us that nature is often the best teacher. The shade of the trees kept us cool, the burn invited exploration, and children’s curiosity did the rest.

Notice Something New

On your next walk, challenge your family to find one thing they’ve never noticed before.

The best discoveries often start with a simple question:

“What is that?”

P.S. We’d love to hear what you discover! Please share your nature finds with us whether it’s an interesting leaf, a tiny beastie, an unusual flower or something that simply made you stop and wonder.

Training opportunities last week gave our team the opportunity to reflect on the importance of play and all of the learning that can be found within everyday moments. In her role as CVN’s Play Champion, Katie has also been encouraging us to think more deeply about children’s right to play and how the importance of play within children’s learning and development is often overlooked.

One moment from last week that stayed with me was watching one of our wee ones exploring mud and water at the Fairy Tree. She moved back and forward between the mud and the burn, deliberately covering her wellies in mud before stepping back into the water to wash them “all clean”. Again and again, she repeated the process, giggling and laughing, completely absorbed in what she was doing.

To many people, it may have looked like a very simple game, yet she was exploring, experimenting, observing and noticing change. She was balancing on uneven ground, coordinating her movements and making decisions independently as she moved between the mud and the water. Most importantly, her laughter reflected just how much she was enjoying the experience.

Through simple experiences like these, children begin to notice patterns, changes and cause and effect — from discovering that bigger jumps create bigger splashes to observing how rainfall changes the burn from one day to the next.

It is often true that some of the richest learning happens during these child-led moments, where children have time and space to follow their own ideas, test things out and become fully involved in what they are doing. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises play as an important part of childhood, and moments like these remind us why.

Sometimes the smallest moments of play can hold some of the most significant learning.

As you may know, we’ve been working slowly but steadily towards moving to the woods and registering there as a fully outdoor nursery. As you may also know, that process is taking significantly longer than we had anticipated 😞

While we continue to wait for the appropriate permissions to be confirmed, we’ve decided to make progress in other directions.

As a result, we’ve submitted an application to the Care Inspectorate to register as a fully outdoor nursery operating from the Community Centre garden, reflecting the fact that we already spend almost all of our days learning and playing outside.

This won’t result in any significant changes for children and families — they will continue to benefit from our outdoor ethos as before — but it will bring some subtle changes to how we operate behind the scenes. We are looking at this positively as another stepping stone in our journey.

The Care Inspectorate estimate a minimum of 3 months for the registration process, so for now it’s very much business as usual.

Although this represents a detour from our original plan, we see it as an important and positive step forward — one that strengthens our outdoor approach and keeps us moving in the right direction.

As we come to the end of another term, we’ve been noticing the signs of spring and the new growth happening around us.

We’ve experienced typical March lion and lamb weather, with bitterly cold winds alongside some beautiful sunshine while we were tree planting, Easter egg hunting and birch tree tapping to see the sap flowing — a real confirmation that spring is on its way.

We’ve seen our children continue to grow in confidence, independence and curiosity over the past several weeks. They’ve been working together, exploring numbers and mark making through play, and learning about personal space and how to stay safe while using tools. This is what our curriculum is all about: real experiences, time to explore, and space to learn through the natural world.

Behind the scenes, our own journey continues too. Not everything grows quickly — and our plans to become a fully outdoor nursery have sadly reminded us of that. But moments like our recent visit from Learning through Landscapes have given us the chance to pause and reflect. We received some lovely feedback about the calm, supportive environment and the very quality interactions between staff and children — something we are really proud of.

We are now heading into the Easter break with a forecast of storms and even snow! Thankfully, the signs of spring are already here — and we know there is always more growing to come 🌱

Whatever the weather this weekend, see what signs of spring you can spot — buds on trees, birds, or even changes in the sky. You might also notice numbers, patterns or opportunities for mark making along the way.

We had a brilliant time in the woods today tapping birch trees

After learning how to spot birch trees by their shiny white bark, we carefully used tools to make a small hole and add a tap. The children remembered how to keep safe by giving each other space while tools were being used.

Then came the best part… watching the sap slowly drip out! We collected it in cups and of course had a little taste – fresh from the tree… and it got a big thumbs up.

A lovely reminder that nature is the best teacher – full of curiosity, wonder and hands-on learning

TeamCVN had a wonderful morning out in the woodland, working alongside the amazing volunteers from the Development Trust. Staff and children worked together to plant trees in an area that had recently been cleared.

It’s great to support our children to learn how to care for their environment, be part of their community, and understand how small actions can help things grow.

Last weekend it felt as though spring had finally arrived. The sun was shining, the air felt warmer, and it was easy to imagine that winter had quietly slipped away for another year. But this week the weather reminded us that winter isn’t quite ready to retire just yet. Wind and rain returned, puddles formed, and the woodland quickly became thick with mud once again.

For the children, this changing weather creates endless opportunities for exploration. Wet ground invites experimentation as mud becomes something to mould, shape, squash and transform. Children quickly discover that the materials around them behave differently depending on the conditions.

Wet ground invites experimentation as mud becomes something to mould, shape, squash and transform. As they play, children discover that the materials around them behave differently depending on the conditions — wetter, stickier, heavier or smoother.

Outdoors itself becomes part of the play. Children notice textures, surfaces and patterns as they move through the space, experimenting with how materials interact with the natural environment around them. In places like our woodland, learning often begins with the environment itself, inviting children to explore, test ideas and gradually come to understand the landscape around them.

When the wind arrived later in the week it brought a completely different set of possibilities. Gusts became something to play with, investigate and even measure, turning the weather itself into part of the learning experience.

Weeks like this are a reminder that nature doesn’t present children with neatly planned activities. Instead it offers possibilities. Wind, water, mud and natural materials all invite children to explore, experiment and test their ideas.

And one this was very clear, Spring may be on its way — but winter clearly wanted to remind us it wasn’t quite finished yet!

Next time it rains try catching a raindrop on your tongue and see what it tastes like!

It’s usual for me to reflect on children’s learning, but this week it feels right to think about adult learning too — and what children gain from seeing it in action.

I spent the early part of the week with colleagues undertaking a peer review. This was challenging for everyone involved: those being reviewed, and those carrying out the review. It required openness, thoughtful questioning, and honest professional dialogue. In doing this work, it became clear that those of us completing the review learned just as much as those being reviewed.

Later in the week, Katie reached the final stages of her Forest Leader Level 8 qualification and was assessed by her course tutor. Being observed is always stressful, but with the support of the children and our staff team, she absolutely aced the assessment, and we are incredibly proud of her.

Both experiences show that meaningful learning often involves challenge and uncertainty.

When adults are willing to keep learning and push themselves despite this, children benefit in two ways: through strengthened practice, and by seeing learning modelled as something positive, worthwhile, and exciting.

As we head towards the half-term break, it feels like a good moment to recognise the value of adults continuing to learn, even when it feels hard. When children see this, they learn that learning is something to enjoy, not something to fear.

Choose one small thing to learn alongside your child this week — tying a knot, learning a new word, fixing something simple, or following a new recipe. Let your child see you practise, make mistakes, and keep going.