LONDON, April 21 (Xinhua) -- An innovative children's kindergarten in London that uses forests as its classrooms was named Saturday as one of the winners of a prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise.
Little Forest Folk, London's first full outdoor forest nurseries, immerse children in nature to inspire creative learning at five outdoor locations in the British capital.
Away from the high-rise cosmopolitan skyline of London, the children learn in traditional forests, even sheltering under the natural canopies of tress when it rains.
Teachers find that more often than not the children want to engage in rainy day play, capturing water in containers, looking at rain flow and jumping in puddles.
A total of 230 of the coveted awards were announced to mark the 92nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is the most prestigious business award in the country, with winners recognised as being among the best in Britain and able to use an esteemed emblem to highlight their success.
Announcing its success, Little Forest Folk said: "We are absolutely delighted we have been given the royal seal of approval. The Prime Minister recommended to the Queen and she agreed that Little Forest Folk is an organisation which excels in innovation. As a result, she has awarded us with a Queen's Awards for Enterprise in Innovation. This is the highest official UK award for a British organisation so we are incredibly proud and honored to have been recognised."
The nurseries connect children back to nature, inspiring them to live a naturally healthy lifestyle that builds resilience, confidence, independence and self-motivation.
"We want to offer this generation the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful outdoors childhood that many of us were fortunate enough to have experienced but that children in London are sadly now missing out on. Our nurseries are situated in magical sites where children's imaginations are free to run wild." said Little Forest Folk.
Other award winners include a fifth generation family bed manufacturing business and a small software developer whose technology helps pilots fly safely around Europe.
Winners include businesses leading the way in a broad range of industries -- from agricultural technology and sustainable goods production, to innovative software and healthcare.
A reception will be held this summer at Buckingham Palace for award winners.