The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast 1KHO 619: Ungoverned by Four Walls, | Jess Warner and Adele Hopper, TimberNook Australia
Nov 13, 2025
Jess Warner and Adele Hopper, co-founders of TimberNook Australia, explore the transformative power of outdoor, child-led play. They share how stepping outside clinical settings improves self-regulation and inspires joyful learning. The duo emphasizes the importance of mixed-age neighborhood play, fostering community bonds, and allowing kids to transition from cautious observers to adventurous risk-takers. With practical tips on starting similar programs, they highlight nature’s role in nurturing creativity and emotional growth, creating calmer environments for families.
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Nature Improves Adult And Child Regulation
- Being outdoors massively improved Adele's own regulation and ability to co-regulate with children.
- Nature provided richer sensory inputs than any indoor 'sensory bin' could deliver.
Child-Led Play Drives Deep Learning
- TimberNook centers on child-led, intrinsically motivated play rather than adult-directed activities.
- Standing back lets children self-organize, problem-solve, and demonstrate literacy, science and math naturally.
Unstructured Time Builds Executive Function
- Long, unhurried outdoor play builds executive function and interoception as children make their own choices.
- Children learn self-care (toileting, eating) by listening to bodily cues rather than following adult-timed routines.
