When I was a young child I was free to play outside in the bushes, on the moss, make dens under 'the prickly'. Life was exciting, anything was possible! During my career as a teacher I became saddened as I saw many, many children did not have the opportunity to live this simple pleasure, of being free in nature. 

One day, as I was practising with a reception class for Sports Day, I thought, 'Let's have some fun!'. I said we should do a wheelbarrow race and demonstrated to the children how it was done. I was astounded that only one boy could hold himself up on his forearms! I came from a generation where we could do handstands against the wall, on concrete and make handstand pile ups. I knew I had to help the children.

I learned about Forest School from my good friend, who has now sadly passed away. She talked excitedly of making a raft to carry one person on the training- and she was the one! She was so excited I yearned to try it. Once I looked into it I learned that the Forest School approach had come from Denmark in 1996.

Later I learned that the approach had been invented by a mum in Denmark, Ella Flautau, much like myself, who was watching children play in a child minding group in a woodland and decided, that was the best way for children to learn and grow.

I then went on to train as a leader, developed our nursery to become a Forest School, took Forest School sessions out to local primary schools, became a head and changed my primary school into a Forest School.

We teach children how to use tools, light fires, climb trees safely, put up hammocks and tarpaulins, make swings, play and create in mud, forage, make art from nature, eat nature, cook on a fire, lay on the leaves and lose ones self in the canopy. We play turn taking games, trust games, hide and seek games. We have even done yoga, and held World Music Day in the woods. I have seen children who don't speak in the classroom, invent wonderful games and chat away to their friends in there secret play in the shrubbery, in the woods. Children do not present with ADHD in the woods. You see children grow in confidence, independence and have ideas in the woods. There is then the actual time and opportunity for them to try and test these ideas and make them happen. We wound the National Curriculum around our bespoke curriculum to ensure all subjects were covered- but really learning in the woods goes far, far beyond learning in classrooms. The sky really is the limit!

Children learn to connect with nature, look after nature, see, feel and smell the seasons and in turn develop a responsibility and appreciation for our world.

Come on, dive in, do as we did and enable hundreds of children to laugh and play freely in the woods.

Whatever the weather, rain or shine, with the right kind of clothes, you will have a magical time!