A summaryOur 2-day Holiday Forest Fun session for 5-12 year olds, is a child-centred, outdoors session focussing on play, exploration & supported risk-taking, following the Forest School ethos. A Forest School programme will typically including games, craft activities, tool use, den-building and a campfire, depending upon the children's interests.
Each day will run from 9am – 3pm, outside in Moorfield School's wonderful, wooded school grounds. Participants will need to bring a packed lunch (no nuts please!) & drinks bottle and to wear weather-appropriate clothing (including a coat) & sturdy footwear. There is a toilet which we are able to use and which does not require access to the main school building.
Tickets cost £64 per child for a 2-day programme (equivalent to £32/day).
- Please contact us if you wish us to consider accepting a child outside the specified age group e.g. a sibling or friend of a slightly different age.
- If your child has additional needs, please include this on your booking form and contact us to discuss any support required. Unfortunately we are unable to offer 1:1 support, but are happy to discuss options with you. PLEASE include any useful details on your booking form; the more we know, the better we can support your child.
Each session is led by an experienced and qualified Forest School Leader (& First Aider), who will be supported by other experienced local Forest School staff as appropriate, plus potentially a teenager for additional support & fun! All adults are enhance DBS-checked. We will identify the staff for your dates, but we may wish/have to change staffing due to illness or other reasons.
Useful informationMeeting point
Please drop your child off just inside the school gates at 9am and collect from the same place at 3pm. Please don't ring the buzzer, as the school's holiday club will have to answer. We will need to sign your child in and out, so please do not drop them off or collect them without having done this with the Forest School Leader.
What to wear & bring
The session will be entirely outdoors, within Moorfield's private school grounds.
Children need to come appropriately dressed for potentially wet and/or cold weather, even in the summer i.e. wearing layered clothing, comfy socks, sturdy shoes/boots, a (sun?) hat, gloves and even waterproof coat and trousers. We will remain outside for the full session, but in case of very cold or wet weather we put up shelters, play active games and provide a cup of hot chocolate. We normally have a campfire on the final day.
Children need to bring a packed lunch (without nuts please) and drinks bottle (not just a can or carton; this isn't enough) in a named bag. They will need to take all their rubbish home with them.
There is no need to bring any other personal belongings, which may get lost or ruined in the woods. Children must not take photos or recordings of other children.
Medication & sun cream
If your child uses an inhaler or has need of an epipen or other medication, it is essential that that you have told us about it on the booking form and that they bring it with them to the woods. We will be unable to take children to Forest School if they do not have their medication.
Children need to be able to administer their own medication. If they need their medication, they should tell an adult leader who will supervise it and record it on the Practitioner Form. Staff will only administer medication in specific, agreed circumstances eg when the child is too young to administer it themselves or when the participant is unable to administer it due to a severe condition eg anaphylactic shock, acute asthma attack.
Children need to be able to apply their own suncream. Staff will only administer it in specific agreed circumstances.
Hygiene
There are toilet facilities available for use at the school, so no 'wild wees' will be required! For hygiene purposes we will have soap and water for children to use before eating. Children are asked not to share their lunches with any other participants.
Behaviour
Our staff are experienced in working with children of this age group in outdoor settings and we will work hard to ensure that our Forest School is a positive experience for everyone. We outline our boundaries and rules at the beginning of each session, with the children playing an active part in this process. We expect good behaviour, where children respect each other, the leaders and the environment. If we have any behavioural issues including children falling out or excluding each other, we deal with them quickly and support them to try and help them resolve the issues themselves. We do not tolerate violence, swearing or bullying. We will record any significant or recurring behavioural issues on our Practitioner Report Form. If we consider it necessary, we will raise any issues with the parent/carer at the end of the session, so that we can tackle them together.