Forest School
Forest School Club (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
4 years to 10 years
Our two-hour after school and saturday morning clubs are designed to help slightly older children unwind and 'unschool' from a busy day or week of indoor instruction. Children are encouraged to play, engage with nature, be physically active, creative, independant and to socialise whilst guided by our passionate and knowledgeable staff.
See our full timetable: here
12 months - 24 months Forest Babies
Introduction
Our Forest Babies Playgroup is a weekly holistic development session delivered through opportunities for outdoor nature play and guided activities for children from 12 months old until ready to join our Accompanied Forest School sessions (18m+). Our playgroups provide an interactive sensory experience that would build self-confidence, encourage curiosity and a deep connection with nature. It is an instructor-led session that gives our Forest Babies the opportunity to take on supported outdoor challenges and explore the Wildlings natural environment with the support of their carer.
Sessions will include the sounds, smells, tastes, touches and beauty of nature, toddlers first arts and crafts using natural materials, gross motor skills development, sensory play with water and mud and edible plants. Activities and play take place in Wildlings new outdoor classroom and adjacent nature play garden.
Details
Duration: 1.5hrs
Group size: up to 12 children (Dempsey)
Ratio: One adult to one child, minimum of one adult to two children, one Forest School staff (Dempsey), one Forest School Leader (mobile sessions)
Cost: $47.50 per child per session
Programme
15 minutes of settling in time
Welcome circle
Welcome with music and songs
Warm-up activity
Physical activity designed to develop fundamental movement skills
Facilitated Experiences
Arts and crafts, movement, and sensory play experiences
Child-led exploration and play
A chance for adults to observe whilst the children play with the materials provided
Session Close
We will clean up or pack up together
The Leader will close the session with a quick re-cap of the day's events with adults invited to input, followed by a story and a minute or two of quiet 'cuddle time' or another mindfulness activity listening to the sounds of the forest
18 months - 3 years Accompanied Forest School
Introduction
Our accompanied Forest School programme for children from 18 months old up until their 4th birthday is designed to develop resilience, confidence, creativity and independence as well as provide all of the wellbeing benefits of spending plenty of time outdoors. Young children are reassured from the presence of their carer which allows them to feel confident to play and explore independently. Children benefit through our carefully designed play experiences inspired by nature, culture and stories. During our time together the children and adults connect with the natural world and develop a curiosity about nature which will last a life-time. Exposure to nature in the early years is crucial to fostering the next generation of caretakers for our planet.
Details
Duration: 1.5hrs
Group size: up to 14 children (Dempsey) 12 children (mobile locations)
Ratio: One adult to one child, minimum of one adult to two children, two Forest School staff (Dempsey), one Forest School Leader (mobile sessions)
Cost: $47.50 per child per session
Programme
15 minutes of settling in time
Welcome circle
Welcome and our Forest School song
Warm-up activity
The Leader will guide a warm-up activity which will vary from week to week..
Facilitated Experiences
The Leader will facilitate site appropriate learning through play experiences, often with a theme, developed based on their observations of the children's interests of preceding sessions.
Child-led exploration and play
Up to one hour of nature playtime in our beautiful nature space
Session Close
We will clean up or pack up together
The Leader will close the session with a quick re-cap of the day's events with adults invited to input, followed by a story and a minute or two of quiet 'cuddle time' or another mindfulness activity listening to the sounds of the forest
Each term we will have at least one session with tools, one campfire cooking session and for terms of at least 10-weeks,
Forest School Club (4-5yrs, 6-7yrs, 8-10yrs)
Introduction
Our Forest School Club takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Our club is targeted at children with an adventurous spirit in need of a place to let off steam after a busy day or week of indoor instruction. We provide traditional outdoor experiences from making bows and arrows to taking care of insects and plants. We provide practical skills such as how to cook on a campfire and build a natural shelter. Like all of our programmes these sessions have a strong influence on the development of emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and social skills.
Our sessions are inspired by the natural world and it's cycles, cultural celebrations and stories. This helps children to develop a strong sense of their place in the world. We work to encourage the next generation of caretakers for our planet to emerge through personal experience of the wonder of nature.
Children attending this programme will be:
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Ready to spend time away from their primary care-givers.
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Able to respect the boundaries that are necessary to ensuring safety in the outdoors.
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Physically able to play outdoors for the duration of the session in the tropical environment.
After spending at least six weeks with a child, staff will use observations to design the outdoor play experiences which will inform future sessions delivered by the session Leader.
Parents are invited to contribute their own skills and cultural knowledge to enrich our sessions as part of our Wildlings Community (on-hold due to Covid-19).
Please view our Safety Policy for how we work to manage and mitigate the hazards that children may be exposed to whilst attending our tropical outdoor programmes.
Details
Duration: 1.5 - 2hrs
Group size: up to 34 children (Dempsey)
Ratio: 1 staff member to 5 children (aged 4-6) and 1 staff to 8 children (aged 7-9), minimum of 2 staff members per session, one trained first aider and one trained Leader minimum.
Cost: $55 per child per session
Programme
Welcome circle & Child-initiated Warm up games
Forest School Experiences
The children will freely choose the experiences on offer that are of interest to them, or make-up and design their own, with the guidance of our passionate and skilled staff.
Snack Time (optional)
For the children who want to take abreak and have a snack. Snacks are provided by parents, although some experiences do involve food.
More Experience time!
Forest School Club time flies by as the children are busy with their own outdoor pursuits
Session Close
The children help to pack up and gather their things. They may choose to change their clothing if their wish.
Children will be encouraged to reflect on their session and the things that they experienced, this may be through photographs, video, circle time or nature journals. Children are never forced to participate.
For younger children the session will close with a story and two minutes of quiet time, breathing or yoga.
Collection
We will bring the children to the gate for collection at 5.30pm. (afternoons), 11am (Saturdays)
Each term of at least 10 weeks duration we will have at least one campfire cooking session and one session involving Forest School tools. We often invite external organisations for 'incursions'.