Natural Thinkers

Natural Thinkers offers both face-to-face training and, if required, virtual support.

If you want to join the programme, please contact our Communication and Language Leads: 

• Jo Gordon – jgordon3@lambeth.gov.uk, 07545862479
• Jacqui McDermid – jmcdermid@lambeth.gov.uk, 07525061850

Using outdoor learning to develop children’s: 

• well-being
• involvement
• and communication and language.

The training is for all practitioners who work with young children in the LEAP wards.

Practitioners will need to attend one whole day and two two-hour sessions of training.  

The whole day session will include:

• Morning: Exploring the aims of the service, research about the benefits of outdoor learning and the 10 commitments.
• Afternoon: A practical session giving ideas around autumn and winter to implement with children 0-3 years old.

This will then be followed up with the two (predominantly practical) two-hour sessions:

• First session focusing on spring seasonal activities.
• Second session focusing on summer seasonal activities.

There will also be:

• In-between support visits for settings.
• Monitoring and evaluation tools which practitioners will need to use and will be guided through on the training to demonstrate the impact on children's learning.

Once the training has been completed settings will receive an accreditation visit to become a Natural Thinkers setting. Funding will be available for each setting to purchase resources to embed the service, which they will receive on completion of an action plan.

Making it REAL, Sharing REAL with Parents, Speech and Language Therapy Evelina Award, Doorstep Library.

• Italian Day Nursery (November 2021)
• Brixton and Tulse Hill Better Start Area (October 2021)
• St John’s Angell Town Primary School Nursery (July 2021)
• Hitherfield Primary School Nursery (June 2021)
• Bunnies on the Green (December 2019)
• The Nursery at Stockwell Primary School (October 2019)
• Holmewood Nursery School (November 2019)
• St Stephen's Early Years Foundation Stage (June 2019)
• Henry Fawcett Children's Centre (May 2019)
• The Nest Preschool (May 2019)
• Stockwell Children's Centre (May 2019)
• Rosebuds Preschool (April 2019)