The Secret Garden nursery, which is due to open next September, will be based at an orchard on the ancient site of Monimail Tower in Fife, north of Edinburgh.
The project is led by former nursery teacher Cathy Bache, who left her job two years ago to become a childminder so that she could develop her ideas on children and the outdoors by caring for them from her garden.
She said, 'The 17 children that I look after with another childminder haven't been inside my house for a year and a half, apart from to use the toilet. They arrive each day at my garden, kitted out in all-weather gear, and we spend the day playing in the sandpit and tree house and visiting the nearby woods and farm. We collect natural objects, talk about them and the day ends with lots of bouncing on the trampoline.
'Working with children outdoors is an amazing journey. They see what many adults don't see. It's a peaceful, calm and relaxed environment; it's about good, wholesome play, and there's rarely an argument because there's lots of space.'
The Secret Garden nursery, which is a ten-minute walk from Ms Bache's house, is surrounded by 12 foot-high stone walls. She has been awarded 10,000 from the lottery-based Awards for All scheme to develop a business plan for the nursery, but the cost of the entire project is estimated at between Pounds 150,000 and 200,000. 'In order to register the nursery with the Care Commission there needs to be a physical building with adequate heating and lighting,' she said.
Ms Bache, who is also a qualified drama and primary school teacher, said she gained her inspiration from Norway, where she lived for four years. She said, 'Being outdoors is embedded in their culture in Norway and they don't have an issue with the weather. They just dress appropriately.'
Ms Bache said that the local community is 'hugely supportive' of the venture and she has formed close links with the local primary school.