With her passion for nature, Nienke brings nature to life for children

Nature is my great passion. As a mother of three children, Maartje, Cato, and Jelte, and working as a kindergarten teacher, it's wonderful to relax in nature. Here I find peace, inspiration, and wonder. I have been married to my husband Daniel for seven years. As a big animal lover, I have a few furry kids: Pleuntje the dachshund and recently added guinea pigs Soof and Lobke. Six years ago, we consciously decided to live energy-neutral.

My love for nature actually began in my childhood. I used to walk around with a doll pram full of snails, and not just the pram was full, my face was too. I have always loved being outdoors, and nature continues to fascinate me. As a mother and teacher, I find it valuable to teach children respect, interest, and wonder for nature.

At IVN, the Institute for Nature Education and Sustainability, I volunteer in the Scharrelkids working group. In this group, we organize forest and ditch excursions for elementary school children to stimulate their love and wonder for nature. These excursions are a valuable addition to regular elementary education.

Initially, I gave the excursions myself. At home, I have a little one-year-old, so I could no longer combine giving excursions with motherhood. Therefore, I have adjusted my role in the volunteer work, and I am happy to contribute ideas to the working group.

As a mother, I also involve my oldest child in volunteering: together, we help the animal protection organization with the toad migration.

Once, I read on a chocolate bar wrapper that doing two hours of volunteer work per week makes you happier. That got me thinking, and I quickly knew I wanted to do something with my passion for nature and animals. After some research, I found IVN, where my love for education and nature comes together. Teaching nature knowledge to children is close to my heart, and I find satisfaction in it.

What really motivates me to volunteer is the enthusiasm and wonder I see in children when they discover nature. Not all parents have the time or interest to let their children experience nature, so I happily share my own passion and knowledge with them. It is important that children learn how to take responsibility for their environment and care for it. I want to show children what they can discover in their own garden or schoolyard; there is life everywhere. When we find insects outside, children are often hesitant, for example, if they see a woodlouse. But by patiently observing with them and showing how the creature reacts, fear turns into excitement and wonder. "Wow, it rolls up!"

The shared enthusiasm and wonder children have for nature deeply touch me. For example, during one of our forest excursions, the children discovered a salamander, something they had never seen before: "Nature is really so beautiful!" It was fantastic to see the happy faces! That moment of wonder confirms to me that children naturally have a strong bond with nature and that nature is a wonderful teacher.

As a teacher, I can contribute well to the Scharrelkids working group, especially regarding what is possible within elementary education. In my work, I incorporate much of what I have learned in IVN courses. I believe it is important to teach children respect and understanding for nature, and IVN provides valuable support in this. With nature education, children's perception of nature and animals changes. The "snail lesson" I once gave is a great example of this. I collected snails and brought them to school. By getting used to the snails, enthusiasm arose. The children saw letters in the snail trails, made snail shells, and held snail races. It was amazing to see how their perception changed. Through my volunteer work at IVN, I have grown in my role as a teacher. It has strengthened me in how I can use nature in children's learning and development.