As we settle back into nursery life, the children are quickly finding their rhythm again — sharing snack outdoors, walking familiar woodland paths, and noticing how the world around them has changed over the summer. Autumn is edging in, and the woods are full of treasures: berries shining on branches, acorns scattered underfoot, and of course the first ripe brambles along the path.
The children have been busy tasting the brambles, adding them to snack and lunch, and discovering what else they can do — squashing them into paint, mixing them into playdough, and dyeing their hands deep purple. Such playful experiments help children learn that nature’s harvest provides food, colour, and materials to explore feeding both their bodies and imagination.
Yesterday also brought another discovery: peas ready to pick from the walled garden. The children helped pick them and tasted them at lunch, learning that the food we eat can be gathered directly from plants growing nearby.
This term our planning is guided by Climate Action (SDG 13). For young children, climate action begins with noticing: noticing the weather, noticing what grows around them, noticing how the seasons shape our play and our food. Each small act — from tasting a bramble to shelling a pea — helps children build curiosity and care for the natural world.
Through these early autumn adventures, children are:
• Building sensory awareness — taste, texture, colour, smell.
• Learning how plants grow and change with the seasons.
• Beginning to see that food and materials come from nature, not just shops.
• Discovering that caring means taking only what we need and leaving plenty for birds and animals too 💕
Ideas for Home : These ideas don’t need special ingredients or trips out — they’re just simple ways to notice and explore together:
• Berry colours: If you have fruit at home, squash one on a plate or paper and notice the colour it makes.
• Weather chat: On the walk to nursery or school, ask “Is today a sunglasses day or a wellies day?”
• Noticing plants: Next time you’re outdoors, look for something with berries, flowers, or seeds. Even if you don’t know its name, just noticing the colours and shapes together is enough.
Cambusbarron Village Nursery 