Sustainability at Nest

Nest Nursery sustainability and environmental stewardship April 2026

Unique Child

Children develop through a deep connection to the world around them. At Nest we foster from babies a deep connection to nature through indoor and outdoor play opportunities.

Every child develops along their own neurological pathway shaped by experiences, environment and relationships. We use real objects from nature to provide learning experiences, encourage plenty of outdoor play opportunities in all weathers, exploring changes in the environment and real hands-on experience that every child can explore at their own pace and in their own way.

Positive Relationships

Developing strong relationships is the first thing we focus on at Nest. Young children develop relationships with familiar adults and their peers in the early years which creates security.

Security enables children to proceed into new situations with a balance of confidence and caution, showing an interest and respect towards people they meet. This disposition fosters our strong values of acceptance, diversity and inclusion.

Enabling Environments

At Nest we place value on the natural and human environment by encouraging responsibility for looking after our things (including living things) and tidying up. We have access to rich outdoor experiences to support environmental awareness and overall development.

We regularly visit the local allotment, playground and woods. We participate in Forest School weekly with an emphasis on taking care of our natural world. Through a deep connection, children become advocates and ambassadors for the environment.

We extend this to the indoors by using recycled materials in the environment and art projects, including the regular use of a recycling bin for different materials that children become aware of and use independently.

Learning and Development

At Nest, learning is holistic and interconnected. Aspects of sustainability are woven through the curriculum. Children's learning is underpinned by the Characteristics of Effective Learning to become curious, flexible, critical and creative with positive attitudes towards learning new ways of doing things and enabling them to adjust.

These are life skills children grow with to enable them to address potential future challenges. Children learn a breadth of vocabulary around sustainability and the environment such as recycling, waste, re use, grow, change, seasons, charity, food bank, environment.

Nest is committed to supporting positive changes in the environment and the community.