The services we offer

Wood Learn Forest School offer a range of flexible, bespoke activities and courses for children and young people of all ages and abilities. Outlined below are the key services we offer; if you need something that is not listed here please contact us and we will develop something specifically to cater for your requirements. Flexibility is our middle name (well, it's not really, it's actually Forest, but you know what we mean)!

We have two members of staff who bring a vast and varied vault of experience to every ocassion.

For a full list of our publicly bookable events visit http://www.bookwhen.com/woodlearn

For kids

- Forest School programmes - delivered at your school, community group or in public/private forest.

Wood Learn are licensed by the Forestry Commission and The Woodland Trust to use their forests throughout the Isle of Wight. Forest School is a motivational outdoor teaching method which we can design to suit the needs of your students or group. Activities can be curriculum or project based. We will meet with your teachers/leaders to develop the session plans that best suit your desired learning outcomes. Sessions are progressive and encourage student-led learning. A full Forest School programme will consist of a minimum of once weekly sessions, lasting two hours each, throughout the full school year. Long term engagement is the key to the magic of Forest School. Due to the nature of the activities involved we work with a maximum of 12 participants in each group.

- Beach School programmes - similar to Forest School but utilising our beautiful coastline. The programmes are developed in the same way as Forest School and cater for a similar number of children. We also deliver accredited Beach School training for providers.
- Bushcraft after school clubs - delivered at your school or community group premises (outdoor). Our bushcraft clubs are proving very popular and are a great way to introduce participants to essential life skills, traditional survival techniques and the joy of problem solving in an outdoor environment. A typical after school session would last 90 minutes and would be tailored to cater for the age and ability of the participants. Due to the nature of the activities we work with a maximum of 12 participants in each group.
- Arts Award sessions - A four week programme of arts and crafts in the outdoors, using primarily natural materials. The course involves a visit to a gallery and meeting an artist, and culminates in a Discover or Explore Arts Award qualification.
- Children's bushcraft or outdoor art parties - now, this is a different type of birthday treat! Our bushcraft parties take place in a forest or shoreline near to your home. We provide the activities, equipment and hot chocolate - you provide the birthday girl/boy, a maximum of 11 other party guests and any food. The party lasts 2 hours and we fit in whatever bushcraft based activities the birthday boy or girl wants - den building, camp fire cooking, bow making, tracking, treasure hunting or art parties etc. Parents are welcome to join in! All this from just £140!
- Outdoor learning one-off sessions - Periodically we are approached by schools or community groups to do one off sessions to extend and underpin a particular theme in project learning or the curriculum. For example, den building or beach survival after studying a particula r novel. These sessions normally involve a whole class or group, along with teachers and TAs and last up to a half day. We also offer Junior Forester, John Muir Trust Award and CREST Science Award sessions. Prices on application.
- Wild Therapy - We've all heard that time spent in nature is good for mental health and well-being, but it's something many of us struggle to make time for. These sessions are aimed at the needs identified for each individual, working with children and young people with a range of needs, whether Attachment Deficit Disorder, ASD or simply not 'fitting' in a standard classroom. We can work out a programme that meets the individual where they are.

For families

Men with Kids - A monthly men's only session, designed to give men and the boys and girls they care for a space to hang out together. Grandfathers, uncles, big brothers - all are welcome, and no prior skill is required. We introduce basic bushcraft skills - shelter building, fire-making, tool use etc - in a friendly, welcoming environment. Find out more here.
Marooned on an Island / Crashed in a wilderness - family 'survival' sessions. Think Ray Mears, not Bear Grylls - we won't have you eating worms, but we will have you working together as a team to make sure you survive till help arrives (or the three-hour session ends, at least!) £180 for a family of up to 5, or £320 for groups of up to 15. Contact us for more information, or if you have specific requests!

For adults

- Bushcraft and survival skills training for adults and young people - special sessions to give you an overview of the world of bushcraft skills. These one day courses are delivered at our Forest School site in Firestone Copse. We have a maximum of twenty participants. Each day course will give you an introduction to essential skills such as tracking, fire making, shelter building, water purification, cordage and tool use, among other disciplines. These are also run for younger children as weekly two-hour sessions for six weeks. See our Facebook page for upcoming courses.
- Beach School Practitioner Level 3 training for adults - in association with our friends at Forest School Education we are able to offer the Beach School level 3 qualification. Courses run twice a year (during the Easter holiday and October half term break) and take place in Ryde, Isle of Wight. The course consists of two days on-site training followed by three months in which candidates are required to produce a portfolio of supporting research and practical work. The course costs £400 per person and is open to qualifying adults aged over 18.
- Corporate team-building and INSET days - fed up with sitting in a featureless meeting room, staring at endless Powerpoint presentations and then splitting up into small groups to work through meaningless 'bonding' exercises? Yes, it used to drive us mad as well - that's why we have developed a team building day that is not only fun but only works if people 'really' work together. You and your colleagues will be 'stranded' in a forest and have to work together to make shelter, cook something on a campfire, dig a usable latrine, find water and then make it suitable for drinking - among other tasks. This experience is aimed at groups of up to twenty adults and can be tailored to your needs and the abilities of participants. Other challenges and events are also available. Prices start at £120 per hour and vary depending upon the number of participants, length and complexity of the activities.
- Foraging - Bespoke and small beginners-foraging walks and cook-along sessions in the spring and autumn.

For venues/organisations

- Outdoor activity risk assessments - we will visit your premises, or chosen site, and carry out a full risk assessment of the venue, with specific reference to its use for outdoor learning. This is a specialist assessment which covers all aspects of the site including access, other users, onsite structures, trees, vegetation and any animal habitation. An assessment costs £80.
- Environmental impact surveys - to conduct this survey we will visit your premises, or chosen site, speak with the main stakeholders, make an arboreal, flora and fauna survey; assess the potential environmental risks from your proposed use, which includes denudation, compaction, pollution and corruption; make recommendations for future use and management of the site. The cost of this in-depth survey starts at £150.
- Expert advice on how to use your grounds to their full potential for outdoor learning - let us visit your site, or premises, and review your use of the grounds - invariably organisations under use their outdoor resources. Following discussions with stakeholders and a full study of the area we can provide a set of recommendations to give you with the inspiration to make the most of what you have. Our recommendations are couched in immediate, medium and long term time frames. A set of recommendations cost £150. Alternatively you can opt to combine the risk assessment, environmental survey and recommendations in one package and pay just £340!