Julia Packwood on Let Nature Lead the Way!

Julia Packwood shares practical strategies for connecting young children with nature in any Early Years setting, whatever the space or budget.
· May 15, 2026

Julia Packwood is the founder of Nurturing Wild Ltd, an Early Years education specialist in nature-based outdoor play. She is a consultant and trainer with over 20 years spent in education as a primary school teacher and senior leader, and is a qualified Forest School leader.

She brings her wealth of experience, passion and knowledge of outdoor learning together with her own experiences as a mum to her mission of inspiring parents and educators to get outside with their children and reconnect with nature. Julia has extensive knowledge about learning through outdoor play and connecting children with nature.

In this session, Julia Packwood explores why connecting children with nature matters more than ever and how any setting can make it happen, whatever their space or budget.

In this episode you’ll:

  • Discover why children today are spending 50% less time outdoors than just one generation ago, and what that means for their physical and mental health
  • Learn why there’s an important difference between having an outdoor area and genuinely connecting children with nature
  • Find out how the forest school ethos supports holistic, child-led learning and how to bring elements of it into any setting, even without access to woodland
  • Explore practical, low-cost ideas for inviting nature into your outdoor space, from homemade bird feeders to mini beast habitats
  • Understand how to get staff and parents on board, including how to identify the outdoor champions already within your team

Watch the episode to discover how to audit your outdoor provision, make the most of your local environment, and build children’s curiosity, resilience, and wellbeing through everyday nature connection.

Get your FREE Outdoor Nature Play Checklist direct from Julia – practical, ready-to-use ideas for busy educators who want to bring more nature connection into your outdoor space and spark a sense of wonder for the children in your setting:

Get your FREE Outdoor Nature Play Checklist here

Episode Links:

http://www.nurturingwild.com
https://www.instagram.com/nurturingwild/
https://www.facebook.com/nurturingwild
https://forestschoolassociation.org/
https://amzn.to/47s28ZR – Alison Clark – Slow Pedagogy

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