Examples of Woodland Learning Activities
-
Den Building
-
Storytelling and story trails
-
Maths journeys
-
Play
-
Low ropes
-
Making whistles
-
Making charcoal and pencils
-
Collecting materials and fire lighting
-
Sculpture
-
Tree planting
-
Making benches
-
Mask making and acting
-
Dressing up
-
Fairy/elf hunting
-
Sensory games
-
Dream catchers and weaving
-
Mini beast hunts
-
Tree identification
-
games (keys)
-
Path building
-
Willow sculptures and structures.
Schools , Nurseries and Centres worked with in 2006/7
(more than one advisory visit)
Brookfield School, Swindon
Covingham Infants, Swindon
Shaw Ridge, Swindon
Mountford Manor, Swindon
Goddard Park, Swindon
St Thomas Moore, Kidlington
Nyland School, Swindon
St Lawrence Cof E, Lechlade
Poplars Nursery, Wanborough
Nursteed School, Devizes
Windmill Hill Nursery, Swindon
Shrivenham Cof E, Shrivenham
The Chalet School, Swindon
Buckland C of E School, Buckland
Lethbridge School, Swindon
Clifton Hampden School, Clifton Hampden
Chilseldon Primary School, Chiseldon
North Kidlington, Kidlington
Robert-Le-Kyng Family Centre, Swindon
Bibury C of E Primary School, Bibury
Artsmad, Swindon
Back - on - Track, Oxford
Woodland Learning
Forest School and Woodland Education
Forest School is an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults, regular opportunities to achieve, and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a local woodland environment. This can be a part of delivering the core curriculum, at an after school or holiday club, as an “alternative” curriculum, for family learning or adult training and development.
Woodland Learning can deliver Forest School as the ultimate woodland learning experience and can help others work towards this goal through taster sessions and support whist they achieve 
their own qualifications. All these involve learning practical woodland craft skills, woodland and wildlife understanding and woodland games and activities.
Woodland Learning works in close partnership with schools to raise funds for and deliver a full Forest School or Woodland Learning program. The program is tailored to suit each school and funding package but the following examples from 2006/7 give some idea of possibilities. They include working directly with the children and staff training and development.
Examples:
Mountford Manor Primary School, Walcot, Swindon.
This school received funding of £7,850.00 from The Ernest Cooke Trust and contributed £1,000.00 to a year long project. The school is very fortunate to have a small woodland in it’s school grounds and most of the activities centre around that wood.
- Every class has 3 days a year of curriculum based hands-on woodland learning delivered by Woodland Learning in partnership with teachers and TA’s.
- Many of the lessons are literacy based.
- Some staff attend Forest School Leader courses and are supported to complete their portfolios.
- All children and staff have access to waterproof jackets and trousers for going to the wood in.
- Some classes have visited Stanton Park for their woodland learning experience as well as using the school wood.
- The school now owns the tools and equipment needed to for the children to use the wood for learning.
- All woodland learning visits are risk assessed.
- A Forest School after school club runs all year for older children.
- The Nursery are supported to run their own Forest School.
- Family learning events are held in the wood. They are so popular that parents have asked for an overnight woodland camp.
- All staff receive occasional training at staff meetings.
Nyland School, Nythe, Swindon
This special needs school received £9,750.00 from Awards for All for each class of pupils to visit Stanton Park for Forest School throughout the year. The school grounds have great potential and are being developed as part of the project. The children taking part often find classroom learning difficult and most have excelled outside in learning and behaviour.
- Each class has a 6 week block of Forest School sessions at school developing the grounds or at Stanton Park.
- The children are given reward points which they can accumulate to get a party invite.
- The school has all it’s own tools and equipment needed for the grounds development and Forest School.
- All the pupils have waterproofs, wellies and overalls to use.
- At Stanton Park Forest School takes place in a specially designated small wood.
- All staff attended a development day at Stanton Park where the learned more about Forest School and built the main structure for a shelter in the wood. This was based on a round-house design. The day was led Woodland Learning and Chris Park of Acorn Education.
- All school Governors have attended a presentation about Forest School.
- Two School grounds family days will take place.
Staff will be funded to attend Forest School training. - The project is part of the school’s Eco-Schools award bid.
- The school were the winners of the Swindon Quality of Life awards.
Shaw Ridge Primary School, Swindon
Shaw Ridge School had a Woodland Learning trip to Stanton Park for 60 year 3 pupils. They took part in workshops related to The Jabberwocky poem. The visit was coordinated by Woodland Learning with workshops led by teachers, Woodland Learning and Swindon Ranger Service. The workshops were making clay monster faces on trees and writing about them, making sculptures and fire making and den building. The visit was paid for by parents donations.
Brookfield School, West Swindon
Woodland Learning led a sculpture day at the school, where there is a lovely wood. The pupils worked in small teams to make Andy Goldsworthy style sculptures using natural materials. They then used the experience to verbally recount what they had done and as an inspiration for writing.
Please contact Ruth Parsons directly to discuss what you would like to do. Ruth will happily visit each school or nursery to give advice free of charge. Woodland Learning charges £200.00 a day plus expenses for Forest School and Woodland Learning projects.