Guest blog #7

This month’s guest blog is from my delightful friend and colleague, Naomi Charles. We run Gabriels Wellbeing and Education together and have so much in common. Here’s her story.
 
“I have always felt most at home whilst out in nature. It is my healing place; the place that makes me feel most alive. I always knew that I wanted to work in nature but I also loved working with children and loved sharing my passion. I now combine these two passions and I feel like I’ve truly found my purpose. 
 
From a young age I loved observing the seasons, being drawn to collecting parts of nature and smuggling them home. The washing machine would often be found with a conker, a leaf or a flower inside left behind from my collections! After university and travelling around the world, I went into Primary teaching: it’s in my bones, I love watching these wonderful souls grow in so many ways, teaching them skills that they can use for life. I took children to learn in the outdoors as much as I could and could see the difference that being in nature made to their well-being as a whole.  By providing children with a safe space to learn, adapt and grow, they were building resilience, self-confidence and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world they live in. 
 
After having my two beautiful daughters (who unsurprisingly are little nature wildlings), I decided to leave the mainstream school system and follow my dream of working with children fully outdoors. I joined the amazing team at Gabriels Wellbeing and Education back in 2018 and have never looked back!
 
Alongside Lisa and Joanna, I now run a range of successful groups that allow all areas of our community to learn within, about and from nature. We work with children of all ages to develop lifelong social, emotional and behavioural skills that enable them to lead a fulfilling future with meaning and purpose. Love, kindness and well-being is at the heart of everything that we do and I cannot wait to get back to running face-to-face sessions in early April!”
www.gabrielseducation.com