Learning In Nature Ltd

For those who are new here, let’s introduce you to Gaye Amus🌿
Gaye Amus is an environmental educator, TEDx speaker and consultant based in Helsinki, Finland. Founder of the social enterprise Learning In Nature she is currently training educators internationally, contributing in conferences, giving seminars and consultation in nature pedagogy and outdoor education. She is a co-author of the book “Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual” (2018) and author of “Come Out and Play: A Learning Journey Towards Nature Pedagogy” (2022) which depicts her experiences as well as her personal journey in Finland and provides practical information for parents and teachers on why and how to go outdoors with children.

For more information, check:
https://www.learninginnature.com/about

Gaye Amus on Helsingissä asuva ympäristökasvattaja, TedX puhuja ja konsultti. Gaye Amus on perustanut sosiaalinen yrityksen Learning in Nature Oy:n ja hän kouluttaa kasvattajia ja opettajia Suomessa sekä kansainvälisellä kentällä. Gaye pitää kursseja, osallistuu seminaareihin ja konferensseihin eri maissa, ja tarjoaa konsultaatiota liittyen luonto- ja ulkoilmapedagogiikkaan. Gaye on yksi kirjoittajista kirjassa “Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual” (Huolenpito maapallosta, ihmisistä ja reilu jako kasvatuksessa: Lapset Permakulttuurissa Käsikirja) Hänen uusin kirjansa on julkaistu turkiksi vuonna 2022: ”Tule ulos leikkimään- oppimismatka kohti luontopedagogiikkaa”.

Today marks the autumn equinox,signaling the end of summer & the beginning of the journey toward winter. It’s that beautiful month when high temperatures give way to gentle breezes and nature transforms into a kaleidoscope of color—where green meets orange, & yellow blends with crimson; a time when nature seeks its equilibrium & invites us to find our own balance as well.This beautiful month—which encompasses the autumn equinox and hosts September 23rd, the day when night and day are of equal length—offers a wonderful opportunity for new beginnings & finding balance.If you are ready to invite balance into your life with the autumn equinox,we have some inspiring suggestions as you welcome the season itself. September 23rd is regarded as a significant date across many cultures,observed in various ways.This is because the day signals a seasonal transition & is viewed in many traditions as a symbol of balance. If you wish to find your own balance & initiate an inner transformation on this meaningful day, here are a few equinox-inspired suggestions for you:

🌱 Sow seeds, just like nature
To align yourself with the changing & transforming natural world, celebrate this seasonal shift alongside nature itself. Just as nature sows its own seeds, you too should embrace new beginnings.

🌖 Find balance
Draw inspiration from the balance of the autumn equinox. Observe how night and day, light and darkness, presence and absence, happiness and sorrow, black and white—in short, everything—operate in balance with their opposites; then, establish this same balance within your inner world & your own life. Achieving balance in your life means finding an equilibrium between work,family, social life & personal time. You can view this period as an opportunity to identify areas where you lack balance & make adjustments where necessary.

🥀Clear out your living spaces
Falling leaves, withering flowers...nature is actually speaking to us in silence.With the arrival of a new season, just as you cleanse yourself of thoughts & beliefs that no longer serve you, you can begin to let go of possessions,relationships or habits that have run their course.

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Inspired by Janet Millington & Carolyn Nuttall (may she rest in peace) the seeds of Children In Permaculture & of a new book was planted 10 years ago. Trained also by Janet & Carolyn, Gaye and Lusi continue the path on bringing permaculture to education.
A 32 hour Children In Permaculture Practitioners course over 13 sessions will be taking place online starting from October 2026. This in depth course which will give participants a toolbox of ways to engage children in permaculture using a holistic,creative approach. It is for people who have attended the CiP 2 day training course as well as the 14 day Permaculture Designers Course.

🌱Trainers: Gaye Amus & Lusi Alderslowe
🌱Dates: Tuesday evenings 27th October 2026- 9th February 2027 (with breaks)
🌱Place: Online-with outdoor tasks
🌱Time: Tuesdays 17.30-19.30 UTC/GMT

This internationally recognised course followed by a portflio done separately, enables the participants to become a Children In Permaculture Practitioner.

Read more & register from
www.permaculturechildren.org/practitioners

The trainers:
Gaye Amus (Finland) Gaye Amus
Gaye Amus is an environmental educator specialised in early childhood education, based in Helsinki, Finland. Founder of the social enterprise Learning In Nature she is currently training educators internationally, contributing in conferences, giving seminars and consultation in nature pedagogy and outdoor education. She pioneered & co-founded the Children in Permaculture project & is a co-author of the book “Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual” (2018).

Lusi Alderslowe (Scotland) Lusi Alderslowe
Permaculture Educator, Children in Permaculture Trainer, Senior Tutor for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, and co-author of ‘Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: the Children in Permaculture Manual’. Lusi has been doing permaculture with children for over 20 years in various settings including co-founding an outdoor playgroup, designing and co-creating food forests in schools, leading forest school programmes, outdoor maths projects, & teacher training.

Onneksi olkoon Taina Laaksoharju Taina Laaksoharju ! Eilen oli julkaisutilaisuus Lapinlahden Lähteellä Lapinlahden Lähde . Pro Lapinlahti mielenterveysseuran Lasten Luontolähde -projektissa on nyt julkaistu uusi opas sekä vinkkikortit lapsen luontosuhteen tukemiseen. Opas on tehty tueksi ja inspiraation lähteeksi kaikille kasvattajille erityisesti lapsen arkielämää ja vapaa-aikaa ajatellen. Opas perehdyttää luonnon tarjoumien havaitsemiseen ja turhien esteiden poistamiseen. Pro Lapinlahti mielenterveysseura ry Kaupunkiluontokeskus
Oppaan on kirjoittanut maa- ja metsätieteiden tohtori (MMT) Taina Laaksoharju, jolla on pitkä ura työn sekä tutkimuksen kautta lasten luontotoiminnan parissa.
Oppaassa on lisäksi kolmen asiantuntijan tärkeät puheenvuorot: Anna Lehtonen Anna Lehtonen Jyväskylän Yliopistosta kirjoittaa empatiasta kohti hyvinvointia ja monilajista , Anna Haukka Anna Haukka Suomen ympäristöopisto SYKLI Oy :stä Suomen ympäristöopisto SYKLI luonnonkirjon kunnioittamisesta kohti planetaarisesti kestävää elämää, sekä Minna Saarela Helsingin Yliopistosta lasten monilajisista suhteista. Oppaan kauniin taiton on tehnyt Jennifer Ramirez Uudly.comista. Hanke on saanut rahoituksen ympäristöministeriön ympäristökasvatuksen ja -valistuksen valtionavustuksesta. Avustuksen on myöntänyt Keski-Suomen elinvoimakeskus Tanja Tuulinen.

Congratulations to Taina Laaksoharju!The “Children’s Nature Source” project by the Pro Lapinlahti Mental Health Association has released a new guide and a set of cards in Finnish designed to support children’s connection to nature. The guide serves as a source of support & inspiration for all educators, focusing particularly on children’s daily lives and leisure time.It introduces readers to recognizing the opportunities nature offers and removing unnecessary barriers.The guide was written by Taina Laaksoharju (D.Sc. in Agriculture and Forestry),who has a long career in both professional practice and research related to children’s nature-based activities.
She has also wrote these kind words in her book “I also thank Gaye Amus the founder of Learning In Nature who helped me see how highly Finnish expertise in nature-based education is valued internationally as well.”


https://lapinlahdenlahde.fi/projekti/lastenluontolahde

Today is Entrepreneur's Day in Finland, a day to pause and celebrate accomplishments and how hardships were overcome. Thanks to ”sisu”, a Finnish concept which means stoic determination or extraordinary grit, the inner strength that comes in the face of extreme adversity. Sisu represents an unyielding mindset to finish what you started, even when the odds are stacked against you.

 And in 12 years here is what has taken place through the social enterprise Learning In Nature with the Finnish Sisu. 

🌿Reaching and training over 2200 Educators worldwide to connect children to nature.

🌿 Empowering adults and children from “I can’t” to “I can”. 

🌿Coordinating and taking part in Erasmus projects that are based on nature being inclusive, supportive for wellbeing, providing solutions to climate change and enabling adults & children to be outdoors. 

🌿Giving interviews to radios and newspapers bringing awareness to the importance of taking children outdoors. 

🌿Change in the ECE curriculum in Türkiye for children to be outdoors at least 1.5 hours every day.

🌿On January 2026, the founder of Learning In Nature, Gaye Amus Gaye Amus was given the Environmental Contribution award at the 8th Women Entrepreneurs Support Summit in Türkiye for impact. 

As Gaye Amus quotes, 
“Get in touch with your inner Sisu…and root your strength in the earth.”

Happy Entrepreneur's Day
Hyvää Yrittäjän Päivä

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We are happy to announce that Learning In Nature will be organising an international nature-based study visit in November 2026 in Finland.The program will be taking place in Helsinki from 16-20th November with environmental educator & outdoor education expert Gaye Amus Gaye Amus

In this visit the focus will be on outdoor learning in early childhood and it will include visits to two kindergartens, a nature centre and an hour workshop on outdoor learning for primary school teachers.

The Helsinki nature-based study visit program is as follows:

Helsinki Study Visit
🌲Arrival on Monday,16th November
🌲Nature-based kindergarten visit and Helsinki City Tour Tuesday, 17th November,
🌲 Nature School visit. 1 hour seminar on nature education and 1 hour workshop outdoors, Wednesday 18th November
🌲 Helsinki Municipality Kindergarten forest group visit & seminar on Finnish Education System on Thursday 19th November
🌲Return on Friday, 20th November.

The one hour workshop in the nature school is intented for participants to see how a bridge between kindergartens and primary schools can be created for children to continue to go outdoors.

🌲The international nature-based study visit is a 4 day programme for kindergarten & primary teachers, directors,policy makers,special needs teachers, social workers and those who would like to engage children in nature and outdoor learning.Composed of both indoor & outdoor sessions participants will learn how to spend times with children in nature & experience the basics of nature pedagogy.

Registration until 9th of October.
For more info check our website news & events page, profile or story!
http://www.learninginnature.com/events-content/naturebased-study-visit-helsinki-november-2026

Feedback from previous participants:
“I would definitely recommend the study visit to other teachers, as it provides very good examples on nature-based learning.”

“The best part of the study visit was the inspiration of the facilitator Gaye! and the Finnish environment and all places we visited. Thanks for the amazing experience."

We warmly welcome outdoor learning enthusiasts to !

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A gathering focused on the future of education took place at Şirince Village, in İzmir, Türkiye hosted by the BBOM Izmir Education Cooperative Başka Bir Okul Mümkün İzmir and Renkli Orman Schools Renkli Orman Okulları , in collaboration with the European Democratic Education Community (EUDEC) eudec.official

Gaye Amus Gaye Amus delivered one of the keynote speeches on "Eco-Democracy," while Büşra Eroğlu Büşra Sözbilir Eroğlu and Müzeyyen Kardaş Koçak Müzeyyen Kardaş Koçak from the Learning In Nature team ran a workshop on "Democracy in Nature-Based Education."

At the EUDEC conference European Democratic Education Conference , held from July 30 to August 6, teachers, students, families, researchers, and school communities dedicated to democratic education came together. A wide range of sessions—covering everything from sharing experiences and current research to the inner workings of democratic schools and children's decision-making processes—offered opportunities to observe practices from different countries, reflect on shared questions, and forge new connections. It was inspiring to see people from diverse cultures uniting around the themes of children's rights, participation, and free learning. It was a joy to see so many individuals from our network—people who had previously participated in Learning in Nature training courses—gathering there. Highlights included a presentation by Esra Fırat from Kayseri about her nature based kindergarten Patika Anaokulu & Patika Dil Kişisel Gelişim Kursu and a workshop led by Elizabeth Brouwer (Liz Brouwer) on games that foster connection in nature. It was also incredibly valuable to meet with many teachers—part of the Learning in Nature network and others in Türkiye who connect children with nature—and to feel that the transformation toward democratic education is being built collaboratively across so many parts of the world.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the event and shared their experiences.

Gaye Amus Gaye Amus is one of the keynote speakers at the European Democratic Education Conference . The conference is being held for the first time in Türkiye, offering a fantastic opportunity to gather at an international event featuring experts from around the world, along with a variety of workshops and presentations.

Location: Kayserkaya, Şirince / İzmir, Türkiye
Dates: July 30 – August 6, 2026

Participating to the conference from Helsinki- Finland, Gaye Amus, environmental educator and founder of the social enterprise Learning In Nature, will deliver a speech called "It's All About Connections" on August 1st.

EUDEC’s primary goal is to share and develop educational models that center on children's rights to self-directed learning, free-play and democratic participation.

This summer is particularly exciting because the EUDEC 2026 Conference is taking place in Şirince, İzmir organized by BBOM (Another School Is Possible Cooperative). We look forward to coming together amidst the beautiful nature of Kayserkaya with anyone interested in democratic education practices and those striving to build egalitarian relationships with children in schools.

There are always incredible and amazing people at EUDEC conferences, and Gaye Amus is also one of them.

See you in Izmir!
Registration link: www.eudec2026.org 

A 32 hour Children In Permaculture Practitioners course over 13 sessions will be taking place online starting from October 2026. This in depth course which will give participants a toolbox of ways to engage children in permaculture using a holistic, creative approach which involves children in the whole process as a partner in their learning. It is for people who have attended the CiP two day training course as well as the 14 day Permaculture Designers Course.

🌱Trainers: Gaye Amus & Lusi Alderslowe
🌱Dates: Tuesday evenings 27th October 2026- 9th February 2027 (with breaks)
🌱Place: Online-with outdoor tasks
🌱Time: Tuesdays 17.30-19.30 UTC/GMT

This internationally recognised course followed by a portflio done separately, enables the participants to become a Children In Permaculture Practitioner. It is also a pre-requisite to the next stage of becoming a CIP trainer.

Early bird price until end of July.
Read more from our website or register from
www.permaculturechildren.org/practitioners

The trainers:

Gaye Amus (Finland) Gaye Amus
Gaye Amus is an environmental educator specialised in early childhood education, based in Helsinki, Finland. Founder of the social enterprise Learning In Nature she is currently training educators internationally, contributing in conferences, giving seminars and consultation in nature pedagogy and outdoor education. She pioneered & co-founded the Children in Permaculture project & is a co-author of the book “Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual” (2018).

Lusi Alderslowe (Scotland) Lusi Alderslowe
Permaculture Educator, Children in Permaculture Trainer, Senior Tutor for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, and co-author of ‘Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: the Children in Permaculture Manual’. Lusi has been doing permaculture with children for over 20 years in various settings including co-founding an outdoor playgroup, designing and co-creating food forests in schools, leading forest school programmes, outdoor maths projects, & teacher training.

👉🏽Link also in profile 🍂