Family Sessions

Who

These sessions are for any child age 0-10 years old accompanied by an adult.
We aim to be fully inclusive as we possibly can, so if your child has any learning needs, physical disability or behavioural issues please let us know before hand and we will work with you to make their experience as smooth running as possible.

What to wear

The wood can be muddy, even in the Summer, so you will need old clothes, waterproofs and outdoor shoes/ boots for you and your child. Wellington boots are best, whatever the time of year as even if it’s not raining it can still be wet and muddy on site.
Please wear: Old clothes, layers are best, a hat, gloves and scarf if cold and sun hats in the Summer,
DO NOT wear: Sandals, flip-flops, shorts, short sleeves.
We recommend arms and legs are covered, even in the Summer, this helps protect you and your child from scratches, bites and sunburn.

What to bring

We advise that you always bring waterproof as the weather can quickly change. Anything your child may need such as a drink, nappies, although we do not encourage hand washing a packet of tissues or wipes maybe handy to have. You may wish to put a towel on your child’s car seat for your journey home!

Parking

There is no parking on the school grounds, parking is all on the surrounding roads, park up and walk to the school gate where you will be met by a member of the team.

Buggies

Can be brought into the woods but most people find baby carriers/ slings easier once on site.

Weather

The session will go ahead even if pouring with rain, our ethos is there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. The only time we cancel a session is due to thunder and lightening, or high winds are forecast. We will attempt to contact you should we have to cancel.

Toilet

We have a portable toilet in a tent on site. If there is any reason you or your child cannot use our toilet in the tent please let a member of the team know and we can take you to the school toilets, however, these are approximately a 5 minute walk from the Forest School site, so please allow plenty of time.

What happens at a family session

We will take overall responsibility for the running of the sessions and ensuring everyone is well and happy. At family sessions parents will be responsible for their own children. Forest school rules and expectations are explained at the start of a session and it is your responsibility to ensure that your child understands and adheres to them.

You will be met at the gate by a member of the Forest Fun Club team, once everyone is in the gate will be locked. Therefore please arrive promptly as we will be unable to return to the gate to let you in if you are late.
We will all travel to the Forest School site together across the school field. Once we arrive we will briefly sit down at base camp and run through our Forest School rules and explain all the opportunities on offer.
During a session children will be encouraged to explore and play through activities specifically designed to further their interest in the natural world. Children will be playing and exploring the site, mud painting, den building, bug collecting and identification, playing, woodland games, forest art, making a leaf kebab, tree climbing, making a dandelion crown, making an insect house, potion making, bark rubbings, making a trail, tool work, collecting wood for the camp fire. There will always be a craft on offer such as making a bird feeder or planting a seed.
You will be able to help yourself to hot chocolate for you and your child and there will be a campfire at every session, your child will be invited to toast a marshmallow during the session with a member of the Forest Fun Club team
Sessions conclude with a story around the campfire before we all make our way back to the gate and if we have time, we go and say hello to the chickens on our way there.

What’s included

Our session charge includes all activity resources, marshmallows for the children and hot chocolate. (If there is enough time all adults can toast a marshmallow too!)

How much does it cost

£12 for a single child family
£15 for a two-child family
£18 for a three-child family
£21 for a four-child family
Babies under 1 year old come for free if they are accompanying an older sibling.
Family tickets are for siblings only.

Cancellation

If for any reason you need to change your booking to a different session please email us and we’ll do our best to help.
If you need to cancel your booking please do let us know as soon as possible, by email. The sooner we know the more likely it is we can fill your spot and offer a refund. If you let us know at least a week in advance of your session we will give you a full refund via Paypal (less any Paypal fees incurred).
Less than a week in advance, and we will need to find someone else to fill you spot before we issue any refund.
If we need to cancel a session due to severe weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances, we will offer you an alternative session but if you would prefer to be issued a refund we will offer a full refund via Paypal. We cancel sessions very rarely and only when it is too dangerous to be in the woods – a little bit of rain won’t put us off!

Booking

You can book individual or several sessions. Bookings can be made through our online booking system.

All places need to be pre booked and paid for prior to the session. We ask you book and pay for all children once they reach their first birthday. This is so we can plan the resources accordingly and ensure we don’t exceed the capacity of the site. If you are a child minder, or would like to bring more than four children please get in touch to discuss further discounts.

You can check our booking pages to see if there are spaces at the last minute. You are able to book a slot right up until 30 minutes before a family session starts.