The Duchess of Cambridge went back to nature chopping a log and going on a woodland ramble as she joined children from a Forest Kindergarten in Denmark.
Kate Middleton will join in outdoor activities with the youngsters who are taught part of the year in the open air on the outskirts of Copenhagen.
She took on the challenge of splitting a log after watching five-year-olds complete the task on the second day of her Denmark tour.
Surrounded by children dressed in outdoor onesies, teaching assistant Carla Bro, 21, told Kate to spread her legs and grip the hammer, and laughing she struck the wood.
Kate took just three blows to split the log and was applauded for her efforts by Ms Bro who said afterwards: "She was very good, she had the right stance with both hands.
“She asked how we deal with risky play and how we keep things safe. We have safety rules and we teach the children they should not be afraid of tasks but treat them with respect.”
The Duchess embraced the outdoors dressed for the bitterly cold but sunny conditions in boots, jeans, a polo-neck jumper and jacket.
On her first day visiting babies in Copenhagen, Kate said she is "broody" and joked that Prince William worries about her working with under-ones because she comes home saying "let's have another one."
Prince Louis is the youngest of their royal brood and is set to turn four in April, followed by six-year-old Princess Charlotte and eight-year-old Prince George.
The latest addition to the family is their pet dog, an adorable cocker spaniel bred by Kate's brother James Middleton.
Kate is on a fact finding visit to Denmark to better understand their world leading approach to the early years development of children.
The duchess knelt down to meet the five and six-year-olds when she first arrived at Stenurten, a combined nursery and kindergarten in Copenhagen, and one little boy made her smile when he shouted out "hello Kate".
When one youngster stepped up to split a log Kate told him "you’re so strong" as he whacked the wood and she clapped with he let out a sigh of relief when it finally split.
At the kindergarten, Kate will learn about the Danish use of nature in educating young children which is widely recognised as having huge benefits for their mental health and wellbeing and is something Kate has championed through her own work.
Kate joined other activities and went on a brief woodland walk with a "wing buddy" where a youngster pairs up with an older child to gain comfort and support.
She held the hand of a little girl who also held the hand of Maibritt Iverson, head of Stenurten, and the trio followed pairs of children as they ran into the wooded area and emerged a few minutes later.
At the end of the event a mindfulness session was held to relax the children and the duchess sat with them in a circle around a fire covered by a wood canopy as everyone stared into the flames.
On Tuesday, the Duchess was seen giggling as she zoomed down a slide at the LEGO Foundation PlayLab during her solo trip.
Her two-day visit is also paying tribute to the historic ties Britain shares with Denmark and celebrates the countries' joint jubilees.
This includes the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and the Golden Jubilee of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II, both of which fall in 2022.
Denmark's monarch will greet her guest later along with her daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mary of Denmark at Christian IX's Palace in Copenhagen later.
Kate and Mary, who have met a number of times in the UK and Denmark, will also visit the Danner Crisis Centre.
The shelter helps women and children who have been exposed to domestic violence which is supported by the Mary Foundation, founded by the Crown Princess in 2007.
On her first day of her Danish tour, Kate met health visitors and new parents to highlight the importance of children's social development.
She discussed the universal struggle of parenthood where even the most well-educated can find it difficult to ask for support and praised fathers for taking time off work to spend with their babies.
The Duchess visited Denmark's Children’s Museum in Frederiksberg to learn about the “Understanding Your Baby Project” and spoke about the social and emotional development of young children.
She met two baby boys, both aged eight months, and joked "it makes me very broody."
The Duchess sat at the table of a small art studio with two couples and first-time parents who came with their eight-month-old babies Svend and Aksel.
“William always worries about me meeting under one-year-olds. I come home saying ‘let’s have another one’,” she added.
The Duchess learnt about the Danish system of continued care for families from pregnancy.
She also told how even well-educated mums and dads struggle with feeling "insecure" about their parenting.
