About

This year we have added an extra evening and morning to the event. Join us and take a little time for yourself.
Friday 15th May - Registration, campfire dinner, night walk followed by fireside entertainment and camping. Arrival from from 3pm.
Saturday 16th May - Registration from 8.30am Workshops start at 9.30 (details of workshops below) You will be able to choose one from each of the three sessions.
Sunday 17th May until noon. Networking opportunities. Forest educators challenge activity and small market
Helpful information will be sent out in advance of the event.

Tickets information
Weekend ticket. Friday night activity, camp and evening meal. Saturday three workshops lunch and refreshments. Saturday night camp, evening meal, campfire games and singing. Sunday morning networking The Forest educators challenge and small market. £130
Day ticket. Three workshops, lunch and refreshments. £60
Friday night Saturday day ticket. £85
Saturday day ticket, Saturday night camp and Sunday morning networking, challenge activity and small market £105

SESSION 1 (9.40 -11.10)

Soap Stone Carving with Mark Clarke Try something different with your groups, no experience necessary. Soap Stone is a wonderful natural material to engage children and adults in a mindful, creative offering. The material is very soft, it can be scratched with a finger nail. It is worked with a wide range of tools, some you may already use, to carve pendants, worry stones or small sculptures, to name a few of the possibilities. In an hour or so you will be able to reveal a wonderful carving from within the beautiful stone. 

Woodland Wellbeing with Jenny Flude is a workshop designed to introduce strategies and activities to promote positive mental health. Give yourself some time and permission to relax in the outdoors. During the course of our workshop we will consider the pathways to nature connection, our relationship with nature and our place in it offering up some mindfulness and grounding activities which you can take away and use for your own wellbeing toolkit or share with others. Activities are likely to include, but are not limited to, mindfulness through sit spots, breathing exercises, guided visualisations, humming, progressive muscle relaxation and crafts for connection using natural materials.

Track & Sign - The Stories Animals Leave Behind with Kirsty Dexter: Slow down and learn how to read the woodland through tracks, trails and signs left behind by wildlife. This hands-on session explores track traps, animal clues and owl pellet investigation, alongside a sensory awareness game that highlights how we notice movement and presence in the woods. The session offers practical, low-cost ideas you can take straight back to your own outdoor practice.

Axe Faffery with Luke Astle: learn the many safe ways to confidently use an axe at Forest School. We will look at various uses from splitting and shaping through to carving. Explore a variety of useful tips and tricks to gain a deeper understanding of this versatile tool. Faff around with a range of heads and handles and get a feeling for what will work for you!

Foraging - Nature Connection wih Bredan of Mycosiauk Join me for a hands on plant n fungi walk and foraging experience, including a quick snack with what we find. I'll talk about how foraging connects us to nature, to the land and ourselves. Covering not just food, but craft, medicine, science and much more.

Investigating the use of practical sessions for Students with SEN needs in science - presenting my current research with Rupert Loch There is a significant shortage of research in the use of Outdoor Learning for academic outcomes however we are all aware of its benefits. This workshop presents my current research into the application of OL to teach science using practical sessions designed to teach individual concepts and explores how our students responded to those sessions. Delegates will take part in sessions used with students and explore how these were used to present and teach unfamiliar concepts and have opportunities to explore how session may be designed to support academic learning.

Bow Drill for everyone with Dave Watson Dispelling the myths of brute force, we will take a look at the Bow Drill friction fire lighting method and learn how to adapt and refine this skill in order to inspire confidence to use this skill in with your learning opportunities.

Viking Rope Making with Claire and Kai Join us to explore the method of making the wood discs that will allow you to make Viking rope from man made or natural fibres. You will make your own length Viking rope and learn how to teach others.

It's all in the reflection with  Leigh Errington. Reflection is fundamental to learning. It provides opportunities for learners to understand what they have enjoyed, achieved and struggled with and what changes can be made in the future to achieve a better outcome. It helps develop self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. All the good stuff. The aim of this workshop is for participants to try (and share) a variety of activities that could be used or adapted to grow their own reflective practices. Sing it, say it, move it, do it. It’s all in the reflection.

Edge Revival -  Bracken Van Ryssen  A hands-on workshop where you'll learn to transform your dull, worn-out tools into sharp,
session-ready essentials. Whether you're working with bushcraft knives, axes, or loppers, I will guide you through sharpening techniques, proper maintenance, and edge restoration.
You'll also learn how to care for wooden tool handles, keeping them strong and weather-resistant.

SESSION 2 (11.40 -13.10)

Soap Stone Carving Try something different with your groups, no experience necessary. Soap Stone is a wonderful natural material to engage children and adults in a mindful, creative offering. The material is very soft, it can be scratched with a finger nail. It is worked with a wide range of tools, some you may already use, to carve pendants, worry stones or small sculptures, to name a few of the possibilities. In an hour or so you will be able to reveal a wonderful carving from within the beautiful stone. 

Axe Faffery with Luke Astle: Learn how to handle an axe safely and efficiently and gain an understanding of the tools potential and limitations. Gain an understanding of different axe grips, tricks, techniques and skills to enable you to become more confident and able with the best all round tool of the woods. You will leave with a new or improved skillset and an expensive shopping list.

Tarps and Knots Made Simple with Simon Perkins A practial session to practice some useful basic knots and use them to put up a range of simple tarp shapes. Hands on, fun and time to play.

Foraging - Nature Connection wih Bredan of Mycosiauk Join me for a hands on plant n fungi walk and foraging experience, including a quick snack with what we find. I'll talk about how foraging connects us to nature, to the land and ourselves. Covering not just food, but craft, medicine, science and much more.

Investigating the use of practical sessions for Students with SEN needs in science - presenting my current research with Rupert Loch  There is a significant shortage of research in the use of Outdoor Learning for academic outcomes however we are all aware of its benefits. This workshop presents my current research into the application of OL to teach science using practical sessions designed to teach individual concepts and explores how our students responded to those sessions. Delegates will take part in sessions used with students and explore how these were used to present and teach unfamiliar concepts and have opportunities to explore how session may be designed to support academic learning.

Bow Drill for everyone with Dave Watson Dispelling the myths of brute force, we will take a look at the Bow Drill friction fire lighting method and learn how to adapt and refine this skill in order to inspire confidence to use this skill in with your learning opportunities.

Games, games games with Bethan Painter  Enjoy playing some old favourites, adding to your repertoire and reflecting on the learning benefits of woodland games.

Natural Cordage with Claire and Kai Learn how to use natural fibres to make cordage for use in other projects. A variety of fibres will be on display and available for use.

It's all in the reflection with  Leigh Errington. Reflection is fundamental to learning. It provides opportunities for learners to understand what they have enjoyed, achieved and struggled with and what changes can be made in the future to achieve a better outcome. It helps develop self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. All the good stuff. The aim of this workshop is for participants to try (and share) a variety of activities that could be used or adapted to grow their own reflective practices. Sing it, say it, move it, do it. It’s all in the reflection.

Edge Revival -  with Bracken Van Ryssen  A hands-on workshop where you'll learn to transform your dull, worn-out tools into sharp,
session-ready essentials. Whether you're working with bushcraft knives, axes, or loppers, I will guide you through sharpening techniques, proper maintenance, and edge restoration.
You'll also learn how to care for wooden tool handles, keeping them strong and weather-resistant.

SESSION 3 (14.30 – 16.00)

Soap Stone Carving Try something different with your groups, no experience necessary. Soap Stone is a wonderful natural material to engage children and adults in a mindful, creative offering. The material is very soft, it can be scratched with a finger nail. It is worked with a wide range of tools, some you may already use, to carve pendants, worry stones or small sculptures, to name a few of the possibilities. In an hour or so you will be able to reveal a wonderful carving from within the beautiful stone. 

Woodland Wellbeing with Jenny Flude is a workshop designed to introduce strategies and activities to promote positive mental health. Give yourself some time and permission to relax in the outdoors. During the course of our workshop we will consider the pathways to nature connection, our relationship with nature and our place in it offering up some mindfulness and grounding activities which you can take away and use for your own wellbeing toolkit or share with others. 

Track & Sign - The Stories Animals Leave Behind Slow down and learn how to read the woodland through tracks, trails and signs left behind by wildlife. This hands-on session explores track traps, animal clues and owl pellet investigation, alongside a sensory awareness game that highlights how we notice movement and presence in the woods. The session offers practical, low-cost ideas you can take straight back to your own outdoor practice.

Hazel whistles and bird callers with Luke Astle: Make a hazel whistle, and then go on to make a bird caller or warbler. The time should allow you to make a few versions as long as you are confident with a knife. Great fun for you, exceptionally annoying for everyone else so we can run this session last to save everyone's ears from the delightful sounds of high pitched 'birdsong'.

Living a book with Simon Perkins I'll share my experience of engaging children in reading. I strongly believe in living the learning and I'll focus on a children's novel called Hatchet by Gary Paulson. This is suitable for anyone who wants to use books in the woods but especially teachers. Hatchet is a ks2 text.

Foraging - Nature Connection wih Bredan of Mycosiauk Join me for a hands on plant n fungi walk and foraging experience, including a quick snack with what we find. I'll talk about how foraging connects us to nature, to the land and ourselves. Covering not just food, but craft, medicine, science and much more.

Use of ‘Dangerous toys’ in sessions with Rupert Loch There is an understandable reticence over the inclusion of projectiles such as spears, darts and arrows, boomerangs and catapults in Forest School sessions. This workshop will guide practitioners towards and approach that is both safe and manageable as well as being suitable for working with groups of young people. The session will include the use of Atlatl and Darts and both returning and hunting boomerangs. Practitioners will be guided towards the identification of risk and its management with regard to the ‘range’ and assisted in the creation of appropriate risk assessments.

Bow Drill for everyone with Dave Watson Dispelling the myths of brute force, we will take a look at the Bow Drill friction fire lighting method and learn how to adapt and refine this skill in order to inspire confidence to use this skill in with your learning opportunities.

Viking Rope Making with Claire and Kai Join us to explore the method of making the wood discs that will allow you to make Viking rope from man made or natural fibres. You will make your own length Viking rope and learn how to teach others.

It's all in the reflection with  Leigh Errington. Reflection is fundamental to learning. It provides opportunities for learners to understand what they have enjoyed, achieved and struggled with and what changes can be made in the future to achieve a better outcome. It helps develop self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. All the good stuff. The aim of this workshop is for participants to try (and share) a variety of activities that could be used or adapted to grow their own reflective practices. Sing it, say it, move it, do it. It’s all in the reflection.

Terms and Conditions

Date

Location

Get directions

Park Farm Training Centre (W3W Worms.spilling.pelting)
Ibstock, Leicestershire LE67 6PD

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