Autumn & Ancestors; Community day

Course dates October 19th 2025, 11-3pm Spring Rise Community Gardens, Emerson College, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JX

Price Options

Suggested donation £10-£20

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About the event

Join us as we gather together to celebrate the season of late autumn. We will honour the ancestors and future generations with song and craft as we celebrate the Celtic new year at Samhain.

Who is this event suitable for?

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

The event 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

Suggested donation: £10-£20

These days are fully funded by the National Lottery Awards for All so that all are welcome. Your donation will support the longevity of Children’s Forest and enable us to plant more trees with children. Thank you.

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 4-5th 2025, 10-4pm

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

Standard fee: £120, Supporters fee: £160. Supported fee: £90

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

Oct 6th - Oct 20, 4-6pm

Greet the Trees; Autumn term offering (for community)

£10 drop-in per adult

During this term we will meet a new native tree each week, close to the tree nursery. We will learn the song of the tree together and gather in gratitude for the fruits and seeds. We will process the tree seeds to prepare them for their winter sleep and enjoy together a story and tea around the fire.

Find out more

Oct 12th 2025, 10-3pm

Autumn Foraging (for adults)

Suggested donation £10-£20

Join us for a peaceful and connective day in the quiet of the woods, walking the land, gathering from the bounty of autumn and learning about our plant kin through story, song, facts and folklore. We will be focusing on the nourishing harvests of autumn and some of the ways we can care for our immune systems at this time and will make a medicine to take home at the end of the day.

Find out more