Home Ed FAMILY Explorers

🌳 Home Ed FAMILY Explorers 🌳
A monthly, woodland adventure for home-educating families of all ages.
Adventure • Friendship • Freedom • Nature • Confidence

🌿 What is Home Ed FAMILY Explorers?
Home Ed FAMILY Explorers is for home-educating families who want to spend quality time together outdoors, making new friends and learning through exploration and real-life experiences.
There isn't a set lesson plan that every child/ family must follow. Instead, we are encouraged to explore, discover, create, play and follow our own interests, with experienced Forest School leaders providing optional activities and guidance throughout the day.

🔥 What might we get up to?
Every session will be different, depending on the season, the woodland and, most importantly, the children’s interests.
Activities and experiences may include:
• 🔥 Fire lighting and campfire cooking
• 🌲 Den building
• 🪓 Safe and experience-appropriate tool use
• 🌿 Woodland exploration
• 🍂 Nature crafts
• 🫐 Foraging
• 🪢 Rope work
• 🧭 Survival skills
• 💦 Mud and water play
• 🌳 Free play and child-led exploration
Children will also have opportunities to develop problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, resilience and independence through hands-on experiences.

🧭 Child-led, with plenty of opportunity to learn
We believe children learn enormously when they are given the freedom to choose, explore, experiment and take appropriate risks.
Home Ed FAMILY Explorers combines child-led Forest School with optional leader-led experiences.
Children/ families don't have to take part in every activity. They can choose what interests them, spend time developing their own ideas and return to activities when they're ready.
Our role is to provide a safe environment, introduce new experiences, offer encouragement and challenge, and give people the space to discover what they can do.

💚 Why Forest School?
Forest School provides children with opportunities to learn in ways that simply aren't possible or as enriching as indoors.
A child choosing to carefully balance across a fallen tree is developing physical confidence.
A group choosing to work together to build a den is developing communication and teamwork.
Learning to use a tool safely develops concentration, responsibility and independence.
Working out how to light a fire develops patience, problem-solving and perseverance.
Exploring the woodland encourages curiosity and connection with nature.
And sitting around the campfire with friends?
That's simply one of the joys of being outdoors together.

🎒 What should we bring?
Home Ed FAMILY Explorers takes place outdoors, whatever the weather, so attendees need to come prepared to explore, get muddy and enjoy the elements!
Please bring:
• A packed lunch
• Plenty of drinking water
• Waterproof coat and trousers
• Warm layers
• Sturdy, suitable footwear
• Spare clothes
• Hat and gloves during colder weather
• Any personal items your child may need during the day (just not electronics)

Keeping plastic bags or buckets in the car will help to keep muddiness contained for your journey home.

Our only seating is a log circle so if adults prefer to bring a camping chair, please do so.

Sessions will run in all weather conditions unless high wind gusts make it unsafe to use the woodland.

A campfire snack will be provided during the day for all family members.

Families can eat their packed lunch and snacks when they are hungry rather than having to wait for a set lunchtime.

There’s a toilet and hand-washing facility available in the woodland. Fresh water is limited so we ask that hand wash is only used before eating and any cleaning in between is used with wet wipes.
________________________________________
📅 Session Information

First session: Wednesday 23rd September 2026
 

Frequency: Monthly.
 

Time: 10am – 2pm

Location: Skitters Woods, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan
Exact location and arrival information will be provided following booking confirmation.

Age: All ages


Price:    £20 family of two  (adult & child)

              £25 family of three (adult & 2 children OR 2 adults & 1 child)

              £30 family of four (adult & three children OR 2 adults and 2 children)

             £35 family of five (adult & four children OR 2 adults and three children)