We have worked with a range of babyroom educators, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and an advisory group made up of specialists in babies and the outdoors to develop a range of resources that support babies engagement with nature and, at the same time, enhances nature itself.
Recommended plants for urban settings
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have provided us with a list of recommended plants for urban nursery settings. These have been chosen because of the ways in which they can offer babies opportunities for sensory engagement. You can download a full list, which includes:
- Lambs ear, known for its tactile qualities due to its soft, fur-like leaves
- Star jasmine, a climber with a sweet fragrant scent
- Alliums, which are vibrant colours with long stems
- Perennial herbs like rosemary and thyme, which are edible
- Lavender (e.g. Imperial Gem), which will attract butterflies, moths and bees that babies can watch and listen to.
Nature books for babies
We’ve curated a list of recommended books for babies and toddlers that encourage conversations about the natural world and children’s outdoor experiences. These include:
- A is for Ant
- Let’s Go Outside
- Listen to the Birds
Auditing your space
We’ve developed a simple audit you can use to assess your outdoor space to get you thinking about how you could enhance the outdoor environment. It encourages you to think about how you engage babies with nature and how you could enhance nature in your setting.
Ideas for nature engaging and nature enhancing practices with babies
This poster provides suggestions of nature engaging and nature enhancing experiences for babies. It considers how to:
- be attentive to babies and to nature
- be responsive to babies and to nature
- nurture babies and nature
- question what counts as nature and who belongs there.
Why being outdoors matters to babies and toddlers
Practitioners told us it would be helpful to have a poster they could display or give out to parents about why being outdoors matters for babies and toddlers. This poster provides some easily digestible information on why going outdoors is important, including a list of references. Great to read yourself or for ECEC settings to display or hand out to parents.
Babies Outdoors 