Downs Banks Brook is a beautiful babbling stream that runs the length of Downs Banks. Keep your eyes open and you may see the fantastic blue flash of a kingfisher.
Early Years (2-4)
Early Years (2-4)
In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has reduced the access and use of outdoors for many young children.
A number of factors are blamed, including increased fear amongst adults in relation to children’s safety, anxieties about the threat of abduction, and technological advances leading to an overwhelming prominence of more sedentary indoor activities, such as television and computer games. However, the developmental needs of young children have remained constant and the outdoor environment continues to be essential to their health, development and well-being. Therefore, regular opportunities for sustained periods of play in a rich and stimulating outdoor environment offer a wide range of benefits to babies, toddlers and young children.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum, which covers children aged birth to the end of the Reception year, became statutory in September 2008 and places strong emphasis on the importance and value of daily outdoor experiences for children’s learning and development.
Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. It gives them contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness.
And, of course, the outdoor environment offers more space than indoors and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.
While many of these experiences will take place on-site, outdoor learning may also take place within the local community, for example a walk to the bakery, or past the building site on the way to the park. These off-site ‘expeditions’ offer both children and adults a catalyst for play and conversations. Ultimately, play and learning that flow seamlessly between indoors and outdoors make the most efficient use of resources and build on interests and enthusiasms. Forest Schools are growing in popularity across the UK and are increasingly offered as part of the early years curriculum in schools and settings.
Finally, parental involvement in children’s learning is particularly important in the early years as parents and carers are the child’s first educators. Early years settings, including children’s centres, are increasingly involving parents in developing and using their outdoor areas and in supporting other outdoor learning opportunities.
Suitable Venues
Ancient common once owned by King Harold and William the Conqueror
Holmwood Common is at the heart of the local community and is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by all. It’s just off the A24 (south of Dorking), so why not break a car journey south to the coast with a stop? Stretch your legs and explore...
A horticultural tour around the temperate world with a collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias, Blue Tibetan poppies, giant Himalayan lilies and Chatham Island forget-me-nots. Stroll through the woodland to the coastal viewpoint or relax in the water garden.
Corrieshalloch may mean ‘Ugly Hollow’ in Gaelic, but there is nothing ugly about Corrieshalloch Gorge National Nature Reserve, a deep tree-shrouded chasm and beauty spot that cuts through a Highland wilderness rich in flora and fauna. Corrieshalloch is a slot gorge, or box-canyon, that was cut as far back as 2.6million years ago by Ice Age glacial meltwater.
For fantastic family fun and excitement, enjoy a day at one of the UK's biggest bird gardens, discover a beautiful natural setting of woodland, river and water gardens that are inhabited by over 500 birds, flamingos, pelicans, colourful parrots to laughing kookaburras and magical owls.
Pembrokeshire's very edge from here on it's sea and islands.
The Marloes Peninsula combines dramatic coastal scenery and safe bathing on golden sands. You can look out for seabirds and seals and the remains of ancient peoples.
A vast sandy beach, high cliffs and dramatic coves
Godrevy's awe-inspiring expanse of sandy beach leads on to wildlife rich headlands and the dramatic coves of the North Cliffs and Western Hill.
Set at the far end of St Ives Bay, Godrevy beach is popular for surfers, families, walkers, nature watchers and those who simply want to sit and admire the view.
The estate is split into four main elements:
Threave House, a restored Scottish baronial-style house;
Threave Garden, made up of landscaped gardens and themed 'rooms';
Threave Sculpture Garden, containing over 30 works by Scottish sculptors; and
Threave Nature Reserve, featuring landscape ranging from wetlands to woodlands.
A visit here offers a unique nature experience. Walk through two acres of sand dunes only fifty metres from the sea and gain first hand experience of some of the county's most stunning wildlife.
A picturesque walk from wooded glen to hilltop rath
Lisnabreeny takes in wooded glen, estate and green field to the summit of the Castlereagh hills on the edge of east Belfast.
The path hugs the sides of Cregagh glen as it climbs through pools of sunlight cast by the trees. You’ll hear the waterfall, but also keep an eye out for the carpets of bluebell and wood anemone in spring.
Cotswold countryside within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
This beautiful Cotswold countryside, which we manage jointly with Gloucestershire County Council, boasts a wide variety of habitats and plants. The limestone grassland is extremely rich in plants, which in turn support a large variety of insects, especially butterflies.
Whitnash Brook forms the eastern limit of the built up area of Leamington and Sydenham. It contains a diverse mixture of habitats including the brook, marshy grassland and swamp, woodland, grassland, tall herb and scrub. The site attracts many birds both during the breeding season and at other times of the year and is attractive to many invertebrates.
An extraordinarily beautiful dune landscape
Murlough National Nature Reserve is a fragile 6000 year old sand dune system owned by the National Trust and managed as Ireland’s first Nature Reserve since 1967. It is an excellent area for walking and bird watching due to its spectacular location at the edge of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains.
Daffern's Wood was declared the first Local Nature Reserve in North Warwickshire on 29th April 2013.
Daffern's Wood is an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland dating back to 1600 and is irreplaceable. Ancient woodlands are an important habitat for many rare and threatened species of animals and plants. We need to conserve what remains for future generations.
A beautiful sprawling wilderness to explore for retreat and adventure
The New Forest Northern Commons comprise of five commons that we care for. Each one is a unique landscape of woodland, heathland, mire and grassland, shaped by man and nature since the Bronze Age.
Abbey Green Park is one of four green spaces in North Warwickshire dedicated as Local Nature Reserves.
Abbey Green LNR is situated within the larger Abbey Green Park along its northern boundary. A series of backwater channels connecting to the River Anker intersect the site.
Tŷ Mawr Country Park lies on the banks of the River Dee in the beautiful Vale of Llangollen, part of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is located adjacent to Cefn Viaduct, built by Thomas Brassey in 1848 to carry the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway across the valley of the River Dee.
By offering a variety of experiences in the outdoors - from Family Forest Days to Forest School Leadership and from targeted Forest Schools to courses and special events- we engage a wide variety of people, to re-connect them to nature, and infuse them with our passion for the world around us.
Formerly unimproved grazed farmland, this reserve has survived whilst the surrounding area has been built on. With areas of planted woodland, hazel coppice and elm thickets, there is a variety of bird life.
Bishop's fish pond amidst stunning heathland and abundant wildlife
Frensham Little Pond and Great Pond were originally created in the 13th century, to supply fish to the Bishop of Winchester and his court, whilst visiting Farnham Castle. Today the pond and surrounding area is a sanctuary for wildlife with always something new to see.
Faskally Wood is an extensive woodland area within Tay Forest Park on the banks of Loch Dunmore, approximately one mile north west of Pitlochry.
Explore Marwell Zoo and get closer to the wonders of the natural world
- 100s of animals – including giraffes, tigers & penguins
- 140 acre park, train and 3 adventure playgrounds
Rockcliffe is one of Scotland's prettiest stretches of coastline. It is perfect for exploring, with a network of paths giving access to most of the area, including the important Dark Age trading post of Mote of Mark.
School visits can be arranged with the Ranger Service.
A small, mature, mixed broadleaf and conifer woodland oasis in the northern residential suburbs of Warwick, probably originally planted as a shooting wood in the 1920s. Tree species include sweet chestnut, oak, Scots pine and larch with some holly, ash, beech, silver birch and younger elm trees.
Pages
Featured Provider
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
Login/Sign Up
Latest News
Schoolboy Falls From 60ft Cliff on School Trip
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.