There are many different types of outdoor learning from bushcraft to gardening. Forest School is run by a qualified forest school leader and ‘offers children and young people the opportunity, over repeated visits, to engage with the rich natural diversity of the woodland environment to help build confidence, sensitivity, resilience and curiosity’ Forest School Training.
Oxfordshire Forest Schools
Here’s a round up of all the forest schools and outdoor nature sessions for children in Oxfordshire with credit for the stunning photos going to Alexandra Tandy Photography An award-winning professional family photographer, Alexandra is renowned for putting children at ease to capture fun and relaxed images. The photographs have been taken at both a Hedgehog Club and Muddy Feet forest school session.
FEATURED
Muddy Feet (Evenley Wood Gardens and Chipping Norton)
Muddy Feet run well established and popular weekly Forest School preschool adventures, which is a fun parent and toddler session as well as family day events through the year.
During the school holidays they also run a Muddy Explorers Club. Children enjoy a full day of action-packed adventure in the woods, engaging with nature and growing skills. Activities include everything from shelter building, fire skills and cooking on the fire to woodland games, natural arts and crafts, bushcraft skills, making bows and arrows from wood.
Willowbrook Farm Forest School sessions incorporate child-led play in a woodland environment, group activities and projects, campfires with singing and stories and wildlife/farm animal walks. The preschool sessions run every Friday with a morning & afternoon session on the farm near Kidlington.
Little Muddy Boots (BCA Zoo near Henley)
Little Muddy Boots garden and nature club provides the perfect opportunity for hands on learning. The ‘stay and play’ style sessions for little ones aged 1-5 years , have different themes each week, developing learning, creativity and a love of the outdoors.
Little Wellies at Oxford City Farm (Oxford) FREE
The session runs in term time on Tuesday morning, 9-11am, outside at the farm. They have a small polytunnel if it rains. There are opportunities to interact with the animals, play with the mud kitchen and explore our playhouse. Our session leader will be on hand to help guide your time on the farm.
Little Wild Things (near Charlbury)
At a Little Wild Things session children will be encouraged to explore and play through specifically designed activities aimed to encourage their interest in the natural world. Activities might include bug hunting, mud painting or den building. Regular sessions run everyday apart from Wednesdays, even including the weekend. Look out for school holiday workshops too on their facebook page.
The Hedgehog Club (Witney)
The Hedgehog Club run regular weekday and school holiday sessions connecting children from 1 to 11 with nature and the outdoors. Term time sessions take place on a Tuesday at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney. For school holiday sessions, look out for the latest details on the Hedgehog Club facebook page.
Secret Adventures (South Oxfordshire)
Secret Adventures run regular expert foraging and wood fired cooking in their beautiful mature woodlands in South Oxfordshire. Walk through the woods with trained herbalist and forager Justine Gens. Learn to identify and forage plants in the woods and open glades. Gather wood from the woodland floor, light a campfire and cook over an open fire. These sessions are suitable for anyone over 6 years old as it does involve some walking sometimes on muddy and uneven terrain.
Forest Tots at Hill End Centre (just outside Oxford)
Forest School style sessions for pre-schoolers at the beautiful Hill End setting take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Treemendously Wild (Shipton-Under-Wychwood)
Treemendously Wild is set up for families and children in a private woodland with a fully qualified forest school leader, providing a safe environment for children of all abilities and backgrounds to learn and develop through child-led play and to greater physical and mental wellbeing.
Path Hill Adventures (Goring Heath)
Path Hill Outdoors is a not for profit organisation delivering exciting outdoor education programmes to schools, youth groups and individuals.
Fat Squirrel Outdoor Co (North Leigh, near Witney)
Fat Squirrel Outdoor Co makes it easy to get active outdoors. Activities have a sense of adventure and are designed for older children and adults. Visit their woodland to throw axes, shoot rifles, complete the woodland challenge or learn to light a fire and toast marshmallow.
Earth Trust Little Acorns Forest School (Little Wittenham near Abingdon)
Forest Acorns offers children an opportunity to explore and experience nature at their own pace. It is a child-led experience, with trained tutors there to support and guide children, but not direct them. This allows each child to lead their own learning while developing a range of life skills, including being able to assess and manage potential risks.
Tiny Wildings (Kingston Bagpuize)
Stay and play nature sessions for 0-5 year olds. Tiny Wildlings is an outdoor playgroup which adopts a forest school ethos, encouraging pre-school aged children to learn through child-led play. We set up invitations to play and encourage the children to explore their interests.
Bramblers Forest School (Benson)
Children can learn to play freely and find wellbeing in outdoor environments, while developing their environmental awareness and practical bushcraft skills. All activities are optional and child-led.
Willowbrook Farm Forest School (Hampton Gay, near Kidlington / North Oxford)
Sessions incorporate child-led play in a woodland environment, group activities and projects, campfires with singing and stories and wildlife/farm walks.
Wild Bee Forest School (Headington, Oxford) – not currently running
The Wild Bee Forest School run two weekly groups for toddlers and pre-schoolers and their parents/carers; one on Thursday mornings at Rock Edge in Headington and one on Friday mornings at Headington Quarry Foundation Stage School’s site in Headington Quarry.
