Fire lighting, campfire cooking, tool use, mud play, loose parts play, creative and imaginative play, hammocks, bug hunting, bird watching, rope swing, den building, stories, singing, tree climbing, puddle splashing, kite flying, supported risk taking, woodland exploring, nature caretaking, vegetable growing, and always Child-led/child centred learning.

Following the six core principles of Forest School:
• Qualified Leader – to facilitate children’s learning and inspire curiosity.
• Learner Centred
• Holistic Development
• Long Term – Sessions long enough to allow ‘Flow state’ learning, over at least a six-week period and to cover more than one season.
• Risk Taking – offer opportunities to take supported and appropriate risks.
• Natural Location – creating connection with nature and developing our future caretakers.

Forest School will be open term-time only, 9am to 4pm. You can choose between a morning session (9am to 12pm), afternoon session (1pm to 4pm) or all day (9am to 4pm). Bring a packed lunch for your child.

Morning or afternoon only (3 hours) session: £27
Morning including Lunch session: £35
Full day (7 hours): £60

For children aged 3-5 years.

Please name all your child's items:

• Long Sleeve Top
• Full leg trouser (no shorts due to ticks)
• Socks
• Closed shoes/Boots
• Wellies
• Waterproofs
• Layers for warmth
• Spare clothes, underwear, socks, pants
• Sun Hat
• Suncream
• Water Bottle
• Woolly hat
• Scarf/Snood
• Gloves
• Backpack
• Lunchbox (with cool pack)

Fairthorne Forest School will operate in all weather conditions and children should dress appropriately - parents will be informed in advance of any reason for the Forest School to not operate.

Children should wear full length tops and bottoms whilst at Forest School. This is to reduce the risk of ticks, insect bites, stings, or scratches from plants. On dry days please send your child in wearing closed toe shoes such as trainers, shoes, boots suitable for woodland floors and tree climbing.

Please send your child with a packed lunch for a full day session at Forest School - you can add a lunch session (1 hour) to a morning or afternoon booking.

You can book by the half-term to attend Forest School - please contact the Nursery on 01489 772222 to arrange this.

All children are free to explore with water and mud and will get dirty during their session. So please dress for mess and send in a spare outfit to change into after. Don’t forget fresh socks and underwear!

• During hot weather please bring an additional water bottle, sun hat, and apply sun cream before their session. We will top up throughout, when required.
• In the colder months we ask that your child is dressed in lots of layers and have warm boots, hats, scarves/snoods, and gloves.
• Waterproofs and boots are an essential piece of kit for Forest School, these can be left on site for those unexpected showers.
• We have some spare clothes, boots, and extras available for use but cannot guarantee that we will have the correct size for your child.
Please remember to label all bags, clothing items and bottles with your child’s name or initials to reduce the chance of items getting lost or sent home with the wrong person. Thank You.

Being outdoors helps focus on the following key areas for children's development:

Communication skills, Self-esteem, Community building, Social skills, Resilience, Confidence, Wellbeing, Independence