This academic year we have been successfully delivering a term of home schooled sessions. We have been using our world map to travel from one country to another and study different cultures, religion, habitat, dwellings, art and so on and have embedded numeracy, language development, science and the arts within what we have been doing. Students have been using tools, fire, team work,, independent skill development to create and explore during our sessions.  If you are interested to see what we have been doing please have a look at or follow the event links as this will often have weekly updates of our progress: 

Week 1: https://www.facebook.com/glastonburyforestschool/posts/1910239799069674 

Week 2: https://www.facebook.com/glastonburyforestschool/posts/1918406884919632

Week 3: https://www.facebook.com/glastonburyforestschool/posts/1927515597342094

Week 4:  https://www.facebook.com/glastonburyforestschool/posts/1934766723283648

we have 3 more weeks to go and already have returners and new parents/carers interested in Term 2. It's a very exciting time for Glastonbury forest school and we are overjoyed to provide this wonderful experience to the Glastonbury ares.

Well it's been a long time since updating our blog. With the forest school Facebook page doing so well our blog sometimes becomes neglected :(

So, what have we been doing? Well, with the incredible weather of late many of us have been enjoying snow days and time out from school. On our Glastonbury Forest school Facebook page we are always uploading resources and ideas of things to do at home, in the garden or out and about to keep you and your children outdoors, learning and exploring.

The forest school site: we are predominately delivering sessions at the Godney Road site at present. This is because there is a good amount of willow copse and our current intake of students have a love of den building. Here we have two separate copse areas, one we use in the wetter months and the area that is furthest away we set up for our summer school sessions. We currently have sheep residing on the field within the copse which always makes for some musical and comical experiences during the sessions as they often appear to be joining in with the children's conversations or vice versa! 

We are really looking forward to the Easter workshops this holiday which are now almost fully booked so if you are considering booking a place for your child please click on the 'book a place' button above and this will take you to our online booking form.

We are  branching out (excuse the pun) as Kelly our Forest school practitioner is now also consulting pre- schools, nurseries, primary schools and organised groups on the benefits of outdoor learning and how to transform their outdoor spaces. She has also developed a fantastic range of teaching aids and resource packs for schools, pre-schools and organised groups which include task / lesson plans, embed the curriculum, and allow for differentiation.  If this is something that may interest you please get in touch via email to: glastonburyforestschool@gmail.com 

It's been a very busy so far with the students at Forest school really taking ownership for the forest school area. They have cleared space, made eco urinals, a swing, 3 fire pits, 2 dens and a shelter! We have made walking staffs, built fires, cooked, made clay faces, talked about the 'green man' the levels, the local plant life and trees, been bug and amphibian spotting, played games, made journey sticks, visited ham wall, we've discussed tribes and communities and told stories around the fires. Tool use has been: bow saw, loppers, knife, hand drill, bush hook, shovel. Here are some photos of what we have been doing

What a fantastic group! Well done to everybody who took part in this months Saturday club - everybody worked really well together to create an industrious team - give yourselves a pat on the back! We took a walk down the lane and carried the necessary equipment over to the forest school area. Those who had attended previously helped to introduce the newbies to Health and Safety issues including: Reens, tool carrying, safe tool use, tree house policy, fire safety and fire building. There was time to explore and create a couple of 'student lead' activities where attendees took it on board to clear the base of the tree house of dead grasses and play a game of hide and seek. The Planned forest school activities included: tree knowledge and identification,  wood collection, use of lopper, use of bow saw, fire building, maintaining the fire, making hot chocolate drinks, planting vegetable seeds in preparation for the forest school veggie patch, knowledge of a variety of techniques for seedlings including greenhouses and propagators, tree house safety. Attendees has the opportunity for free play at the end. An enjoyable day was had by all!

​Quote of the day 'Do you know the best thing about all of this? It's that we are working so well as a team...'

An incredible week based a 3 different locations:

​Four Acre Meadow: The tree house, caravan, hot chocolates from the storm kettle, fire, willow cutting and planting, willow weaving, crystal finding and cracking, bug find, bow saw, loppers, snips, wood/ bucket pulley, mega puddles, shelter build!

​Willow copse: 6 acres of land with 2 willow areas, fungus find, den build, swing making, snips and loppers.

​Overleigh Arboretum: A variety of different trees, a round house, a 3 course meal made on the fire, clay faces, bow saw and snips