Tending a Children’s Forest: 2-day Camp

Course dates June 10-11th 2023 TBC. Somewhere in East Sussex

Price Options

Standard fee: £350, Supporters fee. (Contact us for Supported concessionary fee): £450

Contact us

About the course

Over two days we will look at all aspects of tending a Children’s Forest from young trees into the future. This will include developing a growing community around your children’s forest, practical aspects of caring for a young forest, crafts and activities to increase and enhance biodiversity, tracking and recording changes in the environment, supporting connection in children and communities, creating community learning and celebration opportunities.

During this weekend course we will explore tending the land and our role as caretakers – reconnecting us with the positive part humans can play in the health of our ecosystem.  The tending of a newly planted Children’s Forest offers children and their communities a place to develop connections with each other as well as the land and the family of species with which we share the world.  Here we develop heart connection as well as knowledge and ecological understanding.  We will explore the practicalities of looking after the trees; the creation of habitats for wildlife; surveying the site and reporting with advice from ecologists.

Who is this course suitable for?

  • This course is for those who have completed our Facilitator training course and attended a Children’s Forest planting. It will complete your Children’s Forest training and enable you to organise, plant & tend Children’s Forests for your local community and to work as a Children’s Forest facilitator for other projects.

The course will cover

  • Explore the practicalities of looking after the trees; the creation of habitats for wildlife; surveying the site and reporting with advice from ecologists.Create an opportunity to nurture a deep joy and contentment within that will help focus the mind and de-stress your life.
  • You will learn how to develop a growing community around your children’s forest
  • Learn practical aspects of caring for a young forest, crafts and activities to increase and enhance biodiversity, tracking and recording changes in the environment.
  • You will learn ways in which to support connection in children and communities, creating community learning and celebration opportunities.

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.

Pippa James: Pippa has 25 years experience of working with land, designing and making ecological gardens. She has taught Permaculture for over 20 years and has been passionate about inspiring people to develop their own connection to a piece of land to grow food for families and communities. She has created the first Children’s Forest tree nursery, facilitating children to grow native trees from local seed, for planting Children’s Forests. 

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

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