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Forest School

While already having some of the largest outdoor areas of any early years provider in the local area, we are also fortunate to have an on-site Forest area.  No mini-buses required here, so lots more time in the forest!

Our Forest School was officially opened on Tuesday 13th December 2011 by Portsmouth FC's Joel Ward.  Joel was ably assisted in his duties by an unexpected visit from Peppa Pig!  We are grateful to Joel (and Peppa) for sparing us the time to help formally launch this exciting addition to our facilities.

The Forest School opening was featured in The News on Wednesday 4th January 2012.

What is Forest School? A Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning.  The philosophy of Forest Schools is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences.

Forest Garden muddy feet

All Centre users will have the opportunity to enjoy the forest, and our Hive and Nest children have already taken full advantage of this wonderful environment.

Our Deputy Head, Karen Hooper is our Forest School Leader and she has recently successfully completed and been awarded a Level 3 Forest Schools Practitioners qualification.

What do the children learn in the Forest School?

"This spider's web is fascinating" - Henry, age 4.

"The smoke from the fire looks like the clouds" - Bradley, age 4.

"You can't put green wood on the fire or leaves as it will smoke too much" - Freya, age 3.

"The mud feels slimy, squishy and cold, and I love it!" - Shona, age3.

"I love climbing the tree in the forest as I look like Spiderman" - Finley, age 3.

"We need tarpaulin and string to make a shelter" - Joseph, age 4.

"This wood is very dry as it made a big crack sound" - Rosie, age 3.

"We need to put the fire out to stop it spreading and to look after the forest animals" - Tom, age 3.

Forest school session