Forest School Playgroups
What is Forest School?
“Let Nature be your teacher.”
William Wordsworth
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Forest School is focused on the holistic development of a child. We do this by providing conditions which allow the child to lead their learning by giving them an environment which supports play, exploration and risk management.
Saplings / Winter Saplings
Sapling sessions are our Pre-school Forest School Playgroup for all children 0-5 years, carers and their siblings if they are lucky enough for an inset day!
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The session is set up as activities and experiences set up around the woodland. Children are encouraged to explore and play with what inspires them!
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For consistency we keep some stations the same week in and out - the sand/mud pit, a playdough activity, the mud kitchen and the swings. Other stations we base on the interests of the children and what they have engaged with in previous sessions, seasonal activities or themed around popular books and stories.
At the end of the session we always have time to reflect and come together and toast marshmallows together as a group.
Saplings
We have strived to create an inclusive community where Dads, Grandads, Grandmas, Mothers, Foster carers, Aunties or Family friends can bring the lucky child in their life along and feel welcomed and supported in the woodland.
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Sessions run every Monday & Friday 10-12, term time and some holidays too! During the first half term of the year we will be running Winter Saplings instead, which is cheaper and shorter!
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We run sessions in all kinds of weather, except high winds and thunderstorms! During the winter months our campfire is lit to keep you toasty and warm and we serve warm drinks and often have a group cooking activity with veg from our allotments - its sometimes amazing what foods children will try in the woods but wouldn't touch at home!
Saplings
Sapling sessions are run from a private woodland on Park Lane, Kippax. LS25 7AP.
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There is parking close by and easy access into the woodland and suitable for prams for the main paths
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There are toilets and a nappy changing table
Saplings POP up!
Saplings forest school is now available to book on Thursdays. This will be 5 minutes away from our Kippax site and will be a pop up play session from 12.30-2pm. We are aiming to reach more of our community and offering alternative dates and sites may relieve some of the summer booking pressure we face at Kippax.
The session will be slightly shorter in length and will be £8 per session. The session will include all of our forest activities and will finish with stories and marshmallows
Obviously we promise to fill your hearts with wholesome outdoor adventures of the pop up variety
Saplings Timetable:
Adventurers
Adventurers is our second Forest School Playgroup, designed as a follow on from Saplings - for the more independent explorers, those comfortable in a larger space, the car is a further walk, the hills are larger, the natural resources are abundant!
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We aim to build on that confidence and creativity in a natural environment we began in Saplings
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These sessions are a smaller groups and have a group activity - group cooking, foraging, natural resource art, clay, hapa zoma, stories, time to explore, build dens and of course finishing the session with time for reflection and marshmallows together around the fire.
Adventurers
As with Saplings, we strive for an inclusive community where Dads, Grandads, Grandmas, Mothers, Foster carers, Aunties or Family friends can bring the child along and feel welcomed and supported in the woodland.
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Sessions run every Monday, 9.30 - 11.30, term time only.
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We run sessions in all kinds of weather, except high winds and thunderstorms! During the winter months our campfire is lit to keep you toasty and warm and we serve warm drinks and often have a group cooking activity with veg from our allotments - its sometimes amazing what foods children will try in the woods but wouldn't touch at home!
Adventurers
Adventurer sessions are run in the woodland at Yorkshire Gateway Hotel
Junction 42 Selby Fork A1(M)
South Milford
Nr Leeds
LS25 5LF
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The site is larger than our Kippax site and not appropriate for prams. There is a large car park and the woodland is a few minutes walk from the cars. There are toilets on site.
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UPDATE: Adventurers is on hold for the time being as the hotel is closed to house asylum seekers, we hope to have the site accessible again soon - email us if you'd like to be notified when Adventurers is back!