Free to Learn

Free to Learn woodland education group encourages children to be fully immersed in nature in all weathers throughout the year. Our magnificent ancient woodland site in Staplecross allows children to spend a whole day far away from the busy world outside.

Children are free to roam, free to explore, free to feel, free to question and ultimately Free to learn.

Participants are dropped off and left with our qualified and experienced staff team. We aim to create a safe and secure environment in which we can empower and entrust participants to explore and push their own physical and emotional capabilities.

Free to Learn brings together traditional nature based indigenous teachings from around the world and makes them accessible and relevant. We aim to facilitate deeper emotional connections with the natural world, with one another and with ourselves. We want to give back what has been lost, a relationship with this beautiful, complex wonderfully unfathomable world.

This group is available to both home educated and school children aged 7 - 16 years. Due to the nature of the wilderness site and the activities offered participants must have a certain level of physical capability. Students must also be able to spend the day away from parents, we can offer support with this and younger children will be considered – please contact us to discuss individual needs further. 

Sessions are 10am – 3.30pm every Monday (term time only). Regular attendance is very important, so all spaces are booked up and paid for in advance termly. These groups are very popular. Contact us to discuss how your child can join.

Learning will include:

• Natural History: Learning about the natural world around us in hands on, interactive and fun ways. Increasing knowledge. understanding and connection with nature.

• Conservation, woodland management and sustainability: Participants will engage in ongoing environmental education, gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of ecology and bio diversity. They will learn woodland management and conservation skills, including tree felling and habitat creation. We will also explore the challenges we face including climate change and pollution: we aim to help children understand these issues more fully and give them a platform to think about what we can all do to help.

• Advanced Bushcraft, woodcraft and primitive living skills: Traditional fire lighting skills, foraging, campfire cooking, natural medicine making, primitive tool making, green woodworking, survival skills, shelters and woodland structure creation, natural cordage and woodcraft.

• Nature connection and Community development: Throughout the course we will explore a range of nature connection activities including mindfulness and basic nature philosophy, to help create close and trusting relationships within the group and with the wider environment. We aim to create a Community in which all individuals feel valued and supported socially and emotionally. We will also encourage all participants to review, reflect, and share their own learning journey regularly.

• Natures Cycle: Throughout the years cycle we celebrate seasonal changes, bringing our attention towards what is happening externally in nature and internally for us individually. We do this by working with the land in seasonally appropriate ways and celebrating traditional seasonal ceremonies. These celebrations are taken predominantly from the Celtic calendar which relates more directly to our own land, but we also explore and learn about seasonal celebrations from around the world

• Storytelling: Sharing stories together is important. Staff will share nature-based stories from around the world, helping to expand on our learning journey and connection with nature and our ancestry. Children will be encouraged and supported to share their own stories. This can work in a variety of ways, such as traditional storytelling, writing, film making, photography, or singing and performing.

• Overnight camps: Students are given the opportunity to wild camp in the woodland in natural shelters, hammocks or tents.

• John Muir Award: Participants can work towards an accredited John Muir Conservation award.

Advanced booking is essential due to limited numbers.