Croeso! Outdoor, nature-led childcare in MonmouthOutdoor childcare, Monmouth
I’m Lucy, a nature nanny for little ones in and around Monmouth. One-to-one or as a nanny share, we spend our days outside: building dens, hunting minibeasts, telling stories under the trees and coming home happily muddy.
Childcare with the sky for a ceiling. Little ones spend their days exploring, building, making and wondering outdoors, in every weather, with Lucy right beside them.
A day with Nature Nanny
No two days are ever the same. Every one is packed with curiosity, creativity, laughter and plenty of mud.
Morning
A big hello, waterproofs zipped and wellies on. We look at the sky, pick a path and off we go.
Mid-morning
Rolling logs, peering under leaves and counting legs. Woodlice, beetles and the odd very surprised worm.
Snack time
A snack and a sit-down on the roots of a big old tree, listening out for birds and swapping discoveries.
Late morning
Sticks, branches and teamwork. Learning to lift, balance and take managed risks, with Lucy close by.
After lunch
Leaf crowns, mud faces, petal potions and pinecone creatures. The woods make the best art cupboard.
Afternoon
Cosy time with a story, a song, or a tale we make up together about all the things we found today.
Home time
Pink cheeks, pockets full of treasures, and lots and lots to tell you about.
Meet Lucy
I’m passionate about helping children grow, and about sharing the joy of exploring outdoors and building a real connection with nature.
I’ve worked in childcare for more than eight years, including over four years as a practitioner and deputy manager at KIN, Kids in Nature, the outdoor nature kindergarten at White Castle near Abergavenny, where children spend their days in the Monmouthshire countryside. References are available on request.
Nature Nanny brings that same outdoor magic to your family: one-to-one with your child, or as a nanny share. We embrace all weather, and along the way children build confidence, resilience, friendships and a love for the natural world.
Off duty
When she’s not out exploring with little ones, Lucy is usually running the hills around Monmouth. In August 2024 she ran the Wyedean Ultra to raise money for LATCH, the Welsh children’s cancer charity, training on the steep climbs up the Kymin and through Redbrook.
£750 raised for LATCH
The important bits
Muddy adventures are only fun when everyone feels safe. Lucy is approved by Care Inspectorate Wales, and trained, checked and experienced.
CIW approved nanny
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is the independent regulator of care and childcare in Wales. Lucy is approved by CIW as a home childcare provider, under the Welsh scheme for nannies.
Approval number
Background-checked through the Disclosure and Barring Service, as every nanny should be.
Level 3 paediatric first aid trained, for bumps, scrapes and the unexpected.
A recognised Level 3 childcare qualification.
Knows how to keep children safe, and exactly what to do if something isn’t right.
Trained in Forest School approaches: child-led play and learning, outdoors.
Experience caring for children with special and additional needs.
A full UK driving licence and her own car.
Over four years as a practitioner and deputy manager at KIN Nature Kindergarten, the outdoor nursery at White Castle, near Abergavenny. References available on request.
Happy to help with potty training, at your child’s own pace.
Where it began
Before Nature Nanny, there was KIN, Kids in Nature: Monmouthshire’s first outdoor nursery, out in the fields by the ruins of White Castle.
For more than four years, KIN was Lucy’s classroom, and the whole Monmouthshire countryside was the children’s.
Little ones spent their entire day outdoors there, whatever the weather: making mud pies and potions, building shelters, sitting round the fire circle, and following the seasons across the fields. Lucy began as a practitioner and became deputy manager, helping to lead the team and shape every day.
KIN closed its gate in May 2026, after seven happy years. Everything Lucy learned there now lives on in Nature Nanny, and references are available on request.
Rain, frost, wind or sunshine, the day happened outside. Lucy knows how to keep little ones warm, dry, fed and happy through all of it.
KIN set out to protect “the nature of childhood”. Lucy lets curiosity lead: the beetle, the puddle, the den that needs just one more stick.
Climbing, balancing, building and exploring, with a calm eye on safety: knowing when to step in, and when to let a child find their own way.
As deputy manager, Lucy helped run the setting: routines, safeguarding, and working closely with every family.
“We first got to know Lucy at KIN, where she looked after our daughter.”
Oliver & Elle · read their words
Why outdoors?
Fresh air and muddy knees are only the start. Days outside help little people grow in all sorts of ways.
Climbing a little higher, crossing the wobbly log, and shouting “I did it!”
Cold fingers, a tumble, a den that falls down, and having another go anyway.
Questions about every beetle, puddle, feather and cloud, and time to find the answers.
Sticks become wands, leaves become crowns and mud becomes the finest chocolate cake.
Sharing, taking turns and building something bigger together.
Knowing the trees, the birds and the seasons like old friends.
Care options
Just your child and Lucy. Days shaped around their interests, routines and naps, with the whole outdoors as the playroom.
Two little ones together: siblings, or friends from two families sharing Lucy. A built-in best friend for every adventure, and twice the den-building power.
For little ones aged 1 to 2
A gentle start to big adventures. On Mondays the youngest explorers meet in a small, caring group, finding their feet outdoors at their own pace.
“We trust her completely.”
The families Lucy cares for, in their own words.
We first got to know Lucy at KIN, where she looked after our daughter, so when she set up as a nature nanny we didn’t think twice. Two days a week our little girl comes home with pink cheeks, muddy knees and a head full of stories about dens, minibeasts and puddles. Lucy is kind, calm and endlessly patient, with a real gift for helping little ones feel brave and curious outdoors. We trust her completely, and our daughter adores her.
Lucy is always happy to put new families in touch with families she has cared for.
Ask Lucy for referencesWhat to wear
Warm, dry little explorers are happy little explorers. Here’s a guide for each season, and Lucy will always let you know what’s needed.
On Instagram
Den builds, minibeast finds, story time under the trees and plenty of puddles. Lucy shares little moments from the week on Instagram, so you can see what a day outdoors really looks like.
Get in touch
Write Lucy a little note about your family and the days you’re looking for, and she’ll be in touch for a chat about how Nature Nanny could work for you.
Lucy, there’s something here for you…
Nadolig Llawen
Thank you for every muddy, magical, wonder-filled day. We wanted the whole world to see what we already know: you’re the very best nature nanny there is.
This little corner of the internet is all yours, at naturenanny.wales.
With love from all of us x
