About our outdoor classes
Nature Babies is a unique parent and baby class offering the opportunity for parents to connect with themselves, their babies, their community and nature. Classes provide focus on the parents wellbeing as research shows a babies wellbeing is significantly impacted by that of their parents. Nature Babies provides a natural environment for you to draw upon your senses to provide you with a relaxed and calming class that supports you in nurturing your bond and connection with your beautiful baby.
The key components of our outdoor classes are Mindfulness, Baby wearing, Forest Bathing, Movement Practices, Nature Art Creation, Gratitude Practice, Journaling, Stillness, Community Connection and Expanding Your Senses.
Classes run in on selceted Monday afternoons from Spring to Autumn and are suitable for all ages.
An Introduction To Nurture in Nature
Nature Babies is about simplicity and enjoying the beautiful moments of love and connection that your surroundings and guide provide for you and your baby.
Studies show that spending just 15 minutes immersing yourself in a forest or ‘Forest Bathing’ can reduce blood pressure and stress levels while improving concentration.
Baby Wearing
Although classes have been designed around baby wearing or carrying to promote the element of touch and connection between parent and baby, our location is pushchair friendly therefore baby wearing is not essential.
Benefits of Baby Wearing
- A great way to bond with your baby
- Research shows it can decrease the risk of postpartum depression
- It can promote baby’s digestion, help with colic and reflux, and help prevent flat head syndrome
- It’s a form of tummy time as babies are using muscles to help balance themselves
- Supports babies cognitive and social development
Journaling
Nature Babies promotes journaling and gratitude practice as a tool to reduce stress, strengthen emotional functions and boost mood. This can be done through creative art, writing, and we have even recorded loving words and video journals for when the babies are older to look back on their special time in nature.
Mindfulness & Relaxation
Nature Babies promotes mindfulness techniques as a way to help you and your baby relax.
Benefits include:
- Become more self-aware
- Feel calmer and less stressed
- Feel more able to choose how to respond to your thoughts and feelings
- Cope with difficult or unhelpful thoughts
- Be kinder towards yourself
- Research suggests mindfulness can help manage mild depression and some anxiety.
Somatic / Embodied Movement
“The body remembers what the mind forgets”
The body can store trapped emotions which can result in anxiety. Tree Babies promotes simple movement and connection with the senses to help you feel more grounded and energetic.
Awareness Of Senses
Nature Babies promotes the use of connected and conscious breathing techniques. By drawing on your use of senses to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, it can help calm your body and aid relaxation.
Nature Mandala
A form of nature art where the group gathers items to create a symmetrical, circular pattern.
Nature Babies follows the Forest Code ‘Leave No Trace’ therefore, we do not pick plants or flowers.
STEPS TO CREATE A MANDALA
- Gather materials from the forest floor to make the mandala. Try to collect lots of the same sized, shaped object.
- Return to the group.
- Choose something for the centrepiece and then as a group build the pattern around it.
Our Locations
More details coming soon…
More information about the Nurture in Nature course
Suitable for parents with their babies from 0 – approx 18 months (older babies are more than welcome)
Course content:
- Nurturing Touch
- Guided Relaxation
- Awakening the Senses
- Embodied Movement
- The Practice of Forest Bathing
- Gratitude Journaling
- Nature Mandalas
- Herbal Tea
Your course includes:
A guided hour in nature and a variety of nature based activities.
PLUS you will receive a complimentary welcome gift pack, Nurturing Journal and workbook, Journal prompts, special treats and online resources.
So just come as you are and enjoy the sessions.
