Acorn & Ancestors; Community day

Course dates October 31st 2024, 11-4pm Spring Rise Community Gardens, Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX

Price Options

Adults £25-£50, children £5

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About the course

Join us as we gather together to process and eat acorns. We will honour the ancestors and future generations with song and craft as we celebrate the Celtic new year at Samhain.

Who is this course suitable for?

  • This course is suitable for adults and accompanied children, both beginners level and those with more experience in nature connection.

The course will cover

  • Acorn foraging and Oak tree lore
  • Learn how to sow different tree seeds
  • Nature inspired song and story, craft and food for all the family 
  • Create an opportunity to engage more with local community

Your investment

 Adults: £25 – £50 (sliding scale), Children £5

  • Standard fee: £35
  • Supporters fee: £50
  • Supported fee: £25

We are committed to making this work as accessible and inclusive as possible therefore have a number of concessionary spaces reserved for those in financial need, plus one fully funded space. Please enquire at [email protected].

Please pay at the level comfortable to you. We support paying it forward – when you pay more as a supporter, it will directly facilitate someone else to attend via the supported (concessionary) rate. And all additional income will directly help with the planting of Children’s Forests, contributing towards a bright future for all.

Terms & Conditions

To read our refund policy, please see the latest version of our Terms & Conditions here.

About the tutors

Anna Richardson: Anna has been a nature mentor and trained forest school leader for over 20 years, working with children of all ages and mentoring adults in plant lore, foraging, nature connection and bushcraft. The 8 Shields deeply informs Anna’s work and approach.  She is passionate about connecting to nature through creativity and reverence for life and is also a forest school trainer through Circle of Life Rediscovery and has co-authored two books : Learning with Nature and The Children’s Forest and is the founder of the Children’s Forest.

Erica Shorter: Erica has been learning and playing in nature as a Forest School Leader and Nature Connection Mentor for over 10 years. She is happiest wandering barefoot in the forest and brings a flavour of deep nature connection into her work with children and adults. She is informed and inspired by the 8 Shields and is passionate about creating spaces for people to feel deeply connected with nature and their inner landscapes.

Testimonials

Slide 1

“I love everything about Children’s Forest's courses. These immersive nature days are filled with so much enchantment and joy that leave me feeling deeply connected to the more than human world and to my true self as an inseparable part of nature. I particularly adore singing tree songs together, which feels like a beautiful way of reciprocating the many gifts the trees offer us. I've shared with my children and they are now Children's Forests biggest fans!"

Rachel P
Slide 2

"A really wonderful day connecting with trees and learning more about our own indigenous traditions too. I'd highly recommend these workshop for anyone looking for a couple of hours escape - I arrived exhausted and left energised and rejuvenated!"

Lucy R
Slide 3

"I've attended numerous Children’s Forest short courses and each time I leave brimming with inspiration and new knowledge that I can't wait to share with my family and the groups I teach. I've learned so much from the wealth of wisdom they share on tree lore, responsible foraging and some truly connective nature crafts, games and songs that will really enrich my educational groups!"

Sally B
Slide 1

“Thank you so much Children’s Forest, the days you bring feel very special, like a forest school for adults. Beautiful beloved songs sung from the heart, weaving and connecting hearts together, hands on experience with nature from source to creation, gathering in circle and being truly human and releasing all the bliss you have inside can be shared.”

Jo P
Slide 1

"I loved learning how to process and eat the nourishing acorns on the acorn workshop. The Children's Forest course was fun and left me with skills that I will be using for the rest of my life!"

Millie D
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Upcoming courses

October 26-27th 2024, 10-4pm

Forests From Seed: 2-day workshop (for adults)

Standard fee: £85, Supporters fee: £100, Supported / concessionary fee: £65.

Located at our small tree nursery, participants will learn how to set up their own, for a school, forest school, community or even in their garden. We will learn how to respectfully forage, process and germinate tree seeds and also to use the fruits and nuts for food and medicine. We will look at different ways of treating various kinds of seed in order to germinate and grow them into saplings and how to tend the growing trees for optimal health of future forest plantings.

Find out more

December 15th 2024, 11-3pm

Winter Community Celebration

Adults £20-£45 (sliding scale), children £5

Come & celebrate the trees together with us this Winter Solstice at Spring Rise. Fun & crafts for all the family. There will be singing & storytelling around a hearty fire, and tree based crafts galore. Make Christmas tree decorations, wreaths, healing tree salves for gifts and more. Learn how to plant holly seeds which will one day be planted out in the Children's Forests.

Find out more

May 22-25th 2025

Three day Facilitator Training Course ~ Sussex

Standard fee: £500, Supporters fee: £650 (contact us for Concessionary fee). Paying the supporters fee enables us to offer concessionary fees. (payment plans are possible)

The Children’s Forest Facilitator course is an immersive 3-day camp that aims to provide participants with a deep nature immersion experience in a beautiful Sussex woodland while experiencing the four step journey of the Children’s Forest. Our aim is to create a heart centred learning experience that will inspire you to create your own tree planting projects through nature connection practice, practical knowledge and indigenous wisdom.

Find out more