Since the late 1970s, children have lost 12 hours per week in free time, a 25% decrease in play and 50% decrease in unstructured outdoor activities.

- Esther Entin, M.D. All Work And No Play:: Why Your Kids Are More Anxious, Depressed

Nurture in Nature

Nature Den follows the forest school philosophy and provides a nurturing, heart-centered rhythm for children to engage in free sensory play in a natural environment. We help children be more resilient by allowing them to pursue activities they are interested in. With this learner-driven approach, children lead their own adventures and become more competent and confident as they grow.

Supporting autonomy and choice, together with reflection during Circle Time, builds responsibility and empathy. Our focus on strengths also helps to develop intrinsic motivation and therefore resilience.

From Ego to Eco

As children explore connections between themselves and nature through their play and interactions, smelling the flowers and climbing trees, children engage in the beauty of the world around them and develop compassion for the non-human, mindfulness, and a sense of belonging.

We are big on relationship-building skills, because we believe that the company that we keep is the biggest factor to our quality of life. This has been supported by happiness research.

What children get up to in 60 seconds

A Social Enterprise

Every child is deserving of attention and care to help them reach their full potential.

Our Social And Community Focus

By embracing forest school principles, we honor the community at large, consider the ecosystem and the bigger picture. This ethos is integral to our community-building learning theory at Nature Den. Forest School Scholarships are available for those in need, or on a merit basis. Provisions for children with a blue CHAS card will be automatic (no application required, just let us know by dropping us a message!).

Every Forest School we create is intended to be for the community around it, and we are happy to share our skills and knowledge for the community to grow. We welcome inquiries on how to set up a forest school around you, be it in Singapore or the region.

We aim to foster more Forest School communities all around the world so that future families and children can enjoy the green spaces near them and thrive better, together. We are inclusive as the first approved therapeutic forest school in Asia and our team is trained to work with neuro-typical as well as neuro-diverse learners.

Spiritual (nature-connectedness)

NatureDen’s forest school program is designed to promote nature-connectedness which correlates with personal well-being. Based on research, nature-connectedness increases with contact and place connection. This means repeatedly going back to the same nature space, getting to know it, engaging with it (e.g., climbing the trees), developing ownership of it and feeling free and safe to move around in the space, and claiming the space as one’s own (knowing the nooks and crannies).
Physical

NatureDen helps children grow into happy, healthy, independent and well-rounded people. The forest school way of learning helps nurture natural curiosity, creativity and physical activity. Use of tools encourages the development of fine motor skills and mind-body coordination. Often, the physical development in children is noticeable even after only a few sessions.
Intellectual

If a child’s sensory and movement needs are not met, they will find it hard to concentrate. A child whose sensory needs are nourished will be alert and ready to learn. At NatureDen, children seek out whatever their bodies need and this can look like a child playing with mud, or a child balancing on a log. After their their sensory and movement needs are satisfied, they are ready to learn and grow their intellect!
While playing together at NatureDen, children may need problem solving skills or make up rules for games together, which also stimulates their intellectual development.
Communication (and language)

At NatureDen, children are encouraged to take turns to talk and listen to one another. Children often chat and sing happily with a friend. Story telling and songs provide opportunities to develop speech and language. Making speeches or singing songs with actions can help young children learn the meaning of words through verbal and non-verbal communication.
Children are given communication tools to help them assert themselves in a calm manner, and to resolve conflicts, a much valued skillset.
Emotional

Children learn about building social bonds and developing compassion for the nonhuman at NatureDen. Being free to choose their activities increases their intrinsic motivation which in turn helps them develop perseverance and resilience. Children build self-esteem from helping others and grow confidence from taking on bite-size tasks and succeeding in them. They are given opportunities to express their feelings and to recognize them in others which develops empathy.
Often, children whose behaviors are deemed problematic by adult have underpinning fears and anxiety.
Emotional regulation takes the whole of childhood to learn. The part of the brain that regulates emotion continues to grow till we are in our 20s. The first step to managing emotions is to be aware of them. We help children identify, manage and use their feelings in a helpful manner.
Social

Friendships provide opportunities to learn from each other and refine social skills. At NatureDen, as children play, they find out about rules for getting along with others and acceptable social behavior. Having fun with a friend helps the child develop good self-esteem. We value diversity and encourage behaviors that take care of one another. They learn to be supportive of others and build strong bonds.