I’ll openly admit that I came late to nature. I’d love to wax lyrical about how close I’ve always been to nature, but it wouldn’t be true. That’s not to say I didn’t spend time outdoors as a child. Many endless summer days were filled with running through fields, paddling in streams and building secret dens. What I mean is that I didn’t really ‘connect’ with nature. Nature was something I spent time in, not something I knew about. I was a tourist. Second child in a single-parent family with a hard-working mother who strived to provide, and a father who was that only in name. I worked hard at school, passed exams, went to university, to teaching, then to leadership level. A good career, a good pension. Marriage, children, more work. I’d stepped on an escalator and kept moving forward. Fast-paced. No time. Burn out.

For some reason, no one wants to own up to a midlife crisis, it conjurors up too many bad jokes. But there is a period in our lives when we are suddenly reawakened. We become more aware of our mortality, have we filled our potential, is this it? I like to see it more as a ‘midway passage’, a time of opportunity, a time to re-evaluate what matters. Approaching the age 40 I felt worn and tired. I worked endless hours and weekends, there was never enough time to do all that had to be done. On top of all that, I had started to lose faith in the education system and especially the academy chain that I worked for. Children became statistics, individualised and personalised learning out of the window, funding cuts hit the pastoral side hard. I no longer felt the system was helping, and working hard for something that you’ve lost faith in was taking its toll. I needed to believe that my hard work was making a difference. I no longer felt it was as too many obstacles were in the way.

Fortunately, I’d married a man who saw the world differently from me. A free spirit who had never worked for anyone. To him, there isn’t one way to live. Careers don’t have to be for life, and life is for living and experiences. Much to the shock of many, I left teaching. I was fortunate that I could join my husband’s successful wedding photography business - a very different direction. Working for ourselves I found I had time. By slowing down and spending time with my own children, I took pleasure in the things they did. The awe and wonder of everything around them. I started to notice more of the natural world around me and really take on the impact it had on me. I felt invigorated by my morning runs, lunchtime walks, and days with less structure and appreciating what was around me.

In all truth, it is impossible to go from so much structure to much less, so I soon found myself involved with our local ‘friends of park’ group. At first utilising the skills that had been my identity for many years, education. I started by helping with children’s groups. I was soon running a range of nature-based events for the community. I became more and more involved and helped the group become a charity. I moved to coordinate all aspects of the charity’s work including volunteer and educational programmes. With the same passion and vigour I’d applied to teaching, I threw myself into charity work, a charity with nature, conservation and community at its core. Seeing the children come alive in the outdoor sessions and their curiosity and interest in the world around them rekindled my love of teaching, or more aptly - facilitating. Through wanting to help nurture the children’s love of nature, I sought to learn more - such as how to recognise trees from their leaves, the names of common wildflowers, to identify the mammals, birds and insects in our park, the list goes on. Each day I continue to learn and am in awe, each and every day.

It’s no surprise that so much research reports vast evidence that exposure and engagement with nature positively impacts health and wellbeing. Energising and motivating us, bringing calm and relief from stress. So in a way, nature saved me. It helped me to slow down and notice and appreciate the things around me. Taking time for myself and realising my role was to help others find this same joy and help them to access the benefits of nature.

2020 - what a year. World wide pandemic. No wedding work. No children’s events to run. After the initial despair and panic, I found I once again had time and I challenged my energy and passion into creating Catkin & co, a small business that creates resources and activities to help families nurture children’s love of nature. Tools to help families connect with what’s around them. Although some of my resources appeal to educators and Forest School Practitioners, my main focus was on creating resources that help the everyday family access nature and make a connection. Families much like my own. And although I may say the resources are for children, they are for families. There are many adults, many like myself who hadn’t engaged and learnt about the natural world as children. I’m helping provide the opportunity for families to learn. Together!

Through social media, I see how the resources are used by families and it brings me so much joy. I received a message from a parent that stated that a set of our discovery cards literally saved their sanity during the last lockdown, that their son struggled not being in school, suffered anxiety and home learning was a battle.

What I hope is that as the world reopens up and life returns to normal, families don’t lose that connection with nature. That busy parents don’t fall back into feeling the need to constantly entertain their children each weekend with costly attractions. Everything has its place, but I hope many have realised that children get as much enjoyment from the simple things they find and do in nature. That time outdoors as a family helps children grow in confidence, take risks, become more resilient, gain empathy for the natural world. So many positive skills and so good for mental health and wellbeing. Through my charity work, I have led nature walks for adults too. These small group walks are to help relieve social isolation and equip people with skills to notice more around them. Through Spring, the Tree Flower walks have been very popular and adults, much older than I, are so grateful to have someone to help them slow down and show them the amazing things in nature they have just never noticed. Being able to help others reconnect with nature brings me so much joy.

education system has allowed me to approach things more holistically. I love to be busy, but now it’s on my own terms. If I could talk to my younger self, the advice would be clear - slow down, notice what is around you, and make time to make real connections with nature and people. And if something is no longer making you happy, don’t stick with it. There are other options. Life is for living, for experiences, for change. Don’t be afraid to take risks and try something new.

Thank you Abi for this fabulous piece, giving us an insight into your journey and business. You can find her business here - she creates fantastic nature resources. I’ve tried a few of them so can 100% vouch for them.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading it as much as I did

Rachel x