Wood Mouse Forest School

​Weekly outdoor sessions for toddlers and pre-schoolers in our beautiful woodland near Petersfield.

• For 2-5 year olds, accompanied by a parent, grandparent or guardian.
• 10am to 12 noon, during term time.​
• Booking is essential.
• We can only accommodate younger non-mobile siblings i.e. babies in slings/all-terrain buggies. For safety reasons, we cannot accommodate under 2s who are crawling/toddling unless supervised by an additional adult. 

​Forest School allows all children to learn and develop through playing regularly in the natural environment. They will have opportunities to learn new skills and time to explore the woodland and build relationships. 

​​Forest School happens over time. If children attend regularly it develops their motivation, stamina, motor skills, balance and coordination. It also supports emotional and social development and increases confidence. Playing regularly in nature supports children's immune systems.

​The activities will change with the seasons. You will experience . . .

• Fire lighting and camp fire cooking 
• Games, stories and songs
• Mud play and imaginative play in nature
• Using simple woodcraft tools
• Den building and rope swings
• Natural art and creative play 

Typical routine at Wood Mouse Forest School:

• Meet the Forest School Leader at the Centre and walk to the woods often collecting something in a bucket on the way.
• Gather around the fire circle for a 'hello song' and to talk about what activities are on offer today and how to stay safe.
• Children, with support from grown-ups, mallet in flags to mark out hazards and boundaries in the woods.
• Children choose what activities they would like to do - there is always a mud kitchen, water play, swing and bug hunting on offer. Plus there will be different craft activities each week. There is usually the opportunity to cook toast on a campfire.
• Towards the end of the sessions, we gather around the campfire for a story and some songs. Then we help tidy up and go home!

​All safely managed by our qualified and experienced Forest School Instructor. Forest School is child-led, which means we follow the children's interests and let them choose what activities they do. If they come up with their own activity ideas, that's great! If they don't want to sit with the group at circle time, that's ok.

AUTUMN term 2023 - sold out

In the Autumn Term, we will be running 12 Forest School sessions on Wednesday mornings, 10am - 12noon between 6th September and 20th December. There will be no session during half-term term (25th November) and there will be a few other weeks that sessions won't run when our leader needs time off for a medical treatment, which we will confirm the dates of nearer the time. 

The cost is £114 for the term with £57 due at the time of booking and £57 due in October. 

sold out

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If you wish to join Wood Mouse Forest School in the future, please join our waiting list to be the first to hear about available places. ​

join the waiting list

​"Love the 'real-ness' of the course...  She has done things she would never have done otherwise."

"Thank you so much for all the brilliant experiences you have provided.... it was a firm highlight of our week!​"

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Contact Us

EMAIL
courses@sustainability-centre.org 
PHONE
​01730 823166

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​Extra Information

Food
Do bring a snack and a packed lunch to eat after the session or head to our Beech cafe on site for lunch.

Leave No Trace
Remember we leave no trace in the woods so bring as little packaging in your snacks as possible. Also please bring a bag to take all of your rubbish away.
 
Our Grounds are Always Open to the Public
On arrival please come to the main reception to register. Wood Mouse Forest School takes place in a dedicated area in the woods. 

Dogs
Dogs may not be brought along to courses unless there is a Guide Dog, Hearing Dog or similar. 

Access
​Please let us know if you have any special requirements. We will do our very best to make courses accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.  

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Terms & Conditions

Photography and
​Filming Consent ​

Age Limits
All children must be aged between 2 and 5.

Adult to Child Ratio
A parent/carer must attend with participants throughout all sessions.

Younger Siblings
We can only accommodate younger non-mobile siblings i.e. babies in slings/all-terrain buggies. For safety reasons, we cannot accommodate under 2s who are crawling/toddling unless supervised by an additional adult. 

Clothing
Please wear appropriate clothing for all weather conditions. Closed foot wear and covered legs and arms will be required for both parents/carers and children. We recommend a change of clothing.

Dogs
No dogs can attend.

Cancellation and
​Refunds Policy

​More Than 1 Month Notice
If you cancel your Forest School place with more than 1 month notice before the start of the 1st session of the term we will refund your fees. An administration fee of £25 will be payable in all cases. 

Less Than 1 Month Notice
If you cancel a booking within 1 month of the start of Forest School term we will not normally give refunds or transfer bookings. In exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or hospitalisation customers may be eligible for a 50% refund. Customers would need to apply in writing to courses@sustainability-centre.org before the start of the course. An admin fee of £25 is payable.

Course Cancellations
In the very unlikely event that The Sustainability Centre has to cancel a Forest School session, or has to cancel your booking for any other reason, we will refund your fees in full.

In accordance with our child protection policy and the Data Protection Act 1998 we will not permit photographs, video or other images of young people to be taken without the consent of the parents/carers.

Photographs and films of children engaged in educational activities at the Sustainability Centre are very useful for us to celebrate the work that we do. They help us to engage other schools and groups to come and benefit from our wonderful site.

We of course respect the right for people to decline in having their photograph taken. Before we use any images or film for professional purposes, the Sustainability Centre must have received a signed completed Photography and Filming Consent Form.

We may use the images on our:-

• Website 
• All social media
• Brochures
• Magazines or occasionally in other relevant publications
• As teaching aids

The images are stored safely in protected files and all images are checked for suitability and appropriateness by our Education Team Data Controller before being used. Only staff from the Sustainability Centre will take photographs. For more detail our Photographing and Videoing Children Policy is available upon request from the Education Team.

​A copy of our Photographing and Videoing Children Policy is also available upon request.

The Sustainability Centre will take all steps to ensure these images are used solely for the purposes they are intended. If you become aware that these images are being used in appropriately you should inform the Sustainability Centre immediately.