Children’s Forest Journey; a 6-month Online course
About the course
Planting trees in the ground and hope in hearts
Start your journey here to share in the principles and practices of the Children’s Forest and how to bring nature connection into the planting and tending of forests for the future generations.
The Children’s Forest Journey is a 6-month programme to offer nature-based education leaders practical, creative tools and a framework to initiate and plant Children’s Forest projects with your groups in your local areas. You will be guided through the Four Step Journey and given guidance, mentorship and resources that will support your nature programs. Learn how planting trees can deepen connection and a sense of belonging for the children, as we restore our forests ecosystems and our experience of ourselves a beneficial, caretaking key stone species.
Transform the Vision of a healthy world for the future generations into Reality
Who is this course suitable for?
This course is designed for people working with groups of children in a nature-connection setting.If you work with children in other settings and would like to incorporate more nature connection, this course will provide guidance, inspiration and resources. Children’s Forest is an ideal project for communities with access to land who would like to plant a forest for the future and and build community based around earth stewardship.
What you will gain?
- Guest Speakers, inculding Jon Young -founder of the 8 Shields model – a nature-connection framework focused on deepening relationships with nature, self, and community, based on from indigenous mentoring techniques. Discover more about Jon’s work here.
- Guest speaker Philip Carr-Gomm – former chief druid of OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids).
- Consider what are the gifts of human beings as a key stone species
- How to plant trees in a meaningful and connective way through a head, heart and hands approach to restore both our culture and our environment.
- How tending our relationship with ourselves, each other and the land restores our world.
- Connect with a global network of Forest School & outdoor educators
- How to uplift and restore heritage knowledge of the trees, plants and animals through skills such as foraging and tracking in the landscape.
- How planting native fruit and nut species is important for food sovereignty, ecological restoration, and biodiversity.
- Tools for developing nature connection practices for yourself and groups.
- Explore how our imagination holds a vital key to responsible action and creative solutions.
- The power of song, story and the creative arts to develop future generational thinking.
- How to work with schools through curriculum objectives within the context of a Children’s Forest project.
- Children’s Forest as a bridge between landowners and nature deprived communities.
- Bring the richness of ecology into Forest School practice and education through the ongoing tending of Children’s Forest.
- Meet guest speakers offering expertise and experience
- The Forest from Seed project – how to gather and plant native tree seeds: developing reciprocal relationship with nature.
The final date for registration is May 15th
6 monthly sessions:
SESSION 1:
Saturday May 23rd 4.30-6pm(BST) / 12:30 pm EDT
Introduction to the core practices and principles and the origins and vision of the Children’s forest approach. We will explore the needs Childrens Forest meets, our role as a beneficial species in our eco systems, and how planting and tending trees for the future can activate our human gifts. We will look at how the Forest from Seed practices can be woven into an applied cycle of sacred reciprocity. We will orient to the course and connect as a community, ready to journey alongside one another into October.
SESSION 2:
Saturday June 6th 4.30-6pm / 12:30 pm EDT
We will be exploring the theory and practice of Step 1- FOREST EXPERIENCE: Giving children a sense of belonging to nature through Forest School, ancestral skills and core connection practices to develop heart connection with the forest. This leads into a desire to create, enjoy and protect healthy thriving forests.
We will share resources and practices to support this step, in our own nature connection practice and the children we work with as well as resources for seasonal celebrations, stories, songs etc.
SESSION 3:
Saturday July 11th 4.30-6pm / 12:30 pm EDT
We will consider the concepts and application of Step 2: IMAGINATION: Supporting children to dream into a healthy natural world for the future generations. We envision through the creative arts of story and song, art and poetry. As we connect with this deeply human attribute of imagination and its importance in orientating us in the world and our lives, we look at the practical application and embodiment.
We will share ideas, resources, practices, session plans and seasonal reflections and celebrations.
SESSION 4:
Saturday Aug 1st 4.30-6pm / 12:30 pm EDT
Step 3- PLANTING: Taking positive, purposeful and practical action towards a bright future, the children plant the trees with their wishes and love for the earth and the children yet to come. This step is our opportunity to act in alignment with our connection and imagination, honouring our human gifts for the eco systems we live within.
We will explore planting in different settings and situations, the practical, the ceremonial and everything in between. Resources, guidance and group discussion.
SESSION 5:
Saturday Sept 12th 4.30-6pm / 12:30 pm EDT
Together we will dive into Step 4 – TENDING: As we tend the forest together over the years to come, children develop a long term relationship to the land and experience what it is to be a beneficial species, a steward of the natural world.
This step is the place in which community is built and maintained over time, we will look at the many different connection practices which weave into this, from ecological surveying to ancestral skills sharing. As we tend the eco systems, we support the growing connections with place, people, nature and the future.
We will share plans, resources, experience and hope as we orientate towards this good future together.
SESSION 6:
Saturday Oct 24th 4.30-6pm / 12:30 pm EDT
Final debrief session. Practical next steps, guardianship and planning for Children’s Forest planting, sharing of group experience, wrapping the bundle and looking to the future.
Meet your Mentors
Anna Richardson: Founder & Director
Anna founded the Children’s Forest from her deep passion to connect children to nature through creativity and reverence for life. She has 25 years experience as a nature mentor and forest school leader, working with children of all ages and mentoring adults in plant lore, foraging, nature connection and bushcraft. She has co-authored two books: Learning with Nature and The Children’s Forest.
Pippa Johns: Forest from Seed Director and Permaculture Consultant
Pippa runs the Forest From Seed Project and manages the Tree Nursery where she facilitates children to grow native trees from local seed, for planting Children’s Forests. She has taught Permaculture for over 20 years and is passionate about inspiring people to develop their own connection to land. She has been a tutor for the Permaculture Diploma and developed her own courses in ecological gardening and connection gardening.
Erica Shorter: Children’s Forest facilitator, Program Designer, Planting Co-ordinator
Erica is part of the Heartwood team holding, envisioning and communicating about Children’s Forest. She has worked with children and adults for over 15 years as a nature mentor and forest school educator. She co-ordinates and facilitates planting projects, courses and community events. Children’s Forest meets her passion for healthy, joyful belonging and reciprocal relationship with the living world.
Sally Stevens: FSTI Instructor & Children’s Forest Journey Facilitatordesigner, Nature Connection Mentor
A seasoned early childhood educator and advocate, Sally has always prioritized connecting children to nature. In 2016, she founded the first forest school for Deaf children in the USA in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and soon after, SOL Forest School was founded in the mountains east of Albuquerque, NM. Sally has worked as a FSTI course instructor since 2022. She completed her Children’s Forest training in 2024, and alongside her SOL community, two Children’s Forests have been planted in the high mountain desert to date. Sally is looking forward to facilitating this on-line Journey and feels certain others will be inspired to “plant trees in the ground and hope in the heart”!
Course Fees
UK fee’s (to view US fee’s, please visit www.forestteacher.org)
- Seed (supported fee) £175
This fee level will allow us to meet our costs in bringing together this group of presenters that will guide us through this special 6-month Journey.
- Branch (standard fee) £250
This fee level will allow us to pay our presenters more generously and enable more people to join at the “seed” level.
- Tree (supporters): £350
This fee level will allow us to pay our presenters more generously, enable more people to join at the “seed” level, fund special guest speakers, and plant a Children’s Forest in the USA.
Payment is due in full to complete enrollment. We are committed to making this training as accessible and inclusive as possible therefore please pay at the level comfortable to you. Paying the supporters fee enables us to offer concessionary rates to those in need.
If you have questions about Your Journey? Contact [email protected], [email protected] or Sally at [email protected], [email protected].
Questions about Payments? Contact [email protected]
Terms & Conditions
A non refundable deposit of 20% will secure your place on the course. Please read the current version of our terms & conditions.
“The Children’s Forest Facilitator course has been the most inspirational training I’ve ever been on.
…I feel like I have been physically shifted in my heart after these four days. Your knowledge, your love and your organisation of the days have been so gratefully received.”~ Rosie
