Woodfield Forest School

Our belief at Woodfield is that Forest School is an inspirational learning opportunity which offers all children regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning experiences in our onsite woodland area. Forest School is a specialised approach that sits within and compliments the wider context of outdoor learning. All children at Woodfield access Forest School each year throughout their time with us. We go out in all weathers, rain or shine!

Our Forest School has a permanent hose pipe and water butt to supply our water for cooking in the kitchen and for filling the mud pit. We have a swing, balancing bars, a throne, reading area, zip wire (for the puppets) and a lovely willow shelter. The Forest School puppets come out with us each visit to play and help us explore and have fun. Moley is our special helper who looks after the Forest School keys.

We have many lovely activities such as badge designing, shelter making, creating mud pies in our fitted mud kitchen, making mud constructions, hide and seek with the puppets and the children always particularly enjoy melting marshmallows in the fire and using our Kelly Kettle to make hot chocolate.

Some may think we are just playing outside . . . however the skills the children are experiencing are endless; they are developing physically, socially, cognitively, linguistically, emotionally and spiritually. But most of all Forest School allows the children to foster a relationship with, and love of, nature which we hope they will take forward with them into the future.

Every year, some of the Forest School sessions link to what the children have been learning about in other subjects in class. For more information about what children are learning in Forest School this year, please have a look at our year group guides below.