Welcome to
The Practical Forest School
We provide forest school programmes and events to schools as well as independent afterschool clubs and birthday parties in and around Horsham, West Sussex.
We believe in the power of being outdoors. We believe that children should be free to play because play is learning. We believe that a stick can be anything, and that life skills like risk taking can be developed in a child-led environment.
We offer both forest school sessions and curriculum-led outdoor learning where children can get away from their desks. Let’s bring the National Curriculum to life and help kids understand their natural world.
We love the lightbulb moments when a child suddenly realises they can light a fire, or jump a stream, or walk a slackline… when they’re proud of the stick man, the carving, the leaf art that they’ve made.
We can bring those experiences to your school, either through curriculum-based sessions (think: meteorology, the natural world, habitats, history, science, biology) or through child-led free play sessions through afterschool clubs.
Afterschool Clubs
Our blog
Find out what’s happening in the forest school world, get ideas for outdoor activities to use with your own groups, download printables and learning resources and follow along with our journey as we create outdoor learning experiences for children in Sussex!
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Global Nature Awareness Days (Free Printable)
Download our free printable of dates to remember in the environmental calendar!
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How to make easy campfire bread on a stick
Wondering how to make campfire bread on a stick? We have a super simple, 3-ingredient recipe that works every time. What is damper bread? Proper damper bread is an Australian unleavened bread traditionally made on the coals of the fire by Indigenous and Aboriginal people, and the early settlers. Today, damper bread in the UK…
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Year of Outdoor Activities Printable (Free Download)
Do you draw a blank when you think about what kinds of activities to make available for children as part of their outdoor learning? Me too. I read all the books, I spend hours on Pinterest, and I still wonder what sort of activities the kids might be interested in doing. Forest school is child-led…
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What to Wear for Forest School in All Seasons
Forest schools run in all weathers – we’re certainly outdoors with the children come rain or shine! Here’s a parent’s guide to the forest school clothing that we recommend for activities throughout the year. Note: What to wear for forest school depends on where you are going and where you are in the world. The…
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Outdoors Winter Scavenger Hunt Printable
Get this beautiful outdoors winter scavenger hunt printable. You can use it with your primary school children, your family, or your Forest School setting.
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11 Forest School Recipes for Winter
This article contains affiliate links at no cost to you. The nights are drawing in, and we’re huddling around the fire circle in the dark these days. It’s cold and what would be better than a snack cooked on the fire? Our forest school sessions are around two hours long so that’s plenty of time…
