Books

Forest School sessions have risen in popularity in recent years, with many nurseries and pre-schools offering them as part of their regular programme of activities. This new title in the best-selling 100 ideas series is filled with easy-to-implement ideas for introducing Forest School activities and concepts into each day, without putting pressure on the practitioners’ time or the setting’s budget. 100 Ideas for Early Years Practitioners: Forest School promotes the use of natural resources and the environment, as well as encouraging and instigating child-led learning and play.

Jamie Victoria Barnes, creator of The Childcare Guru, uses her wealth of knowledge to present an invaluable resource filled with activities that spark creativity and encourage development and learning in a natural environment, perfect for helping young children enjoy a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Eat an apple from a tree… make a daisy chain… go on a walk barefoot… 50 Things to Do Before You’re 11 ¾ is an illustrated adventure handbook full of National Trust-inspired activities that provide fun throughout the year. Inspired by the Trust’s #50Things media campaign and with bite-sized text and artwork from Skulduggery Pleasant illustrator Tom Percival, the book has an eye-catching design and is also part-scrapbook/part-field guide.

Discover the treasures and pleasures of our natural world with 52 fun activities following the seasons.

Tracey Maciver’s new book has arrived. Jam packed with lots of Activities, games and challenges to do outside (although many could be done anywhere!). This book is aimed to inspire you when working with children and groups outside the classroom. Suitable for teachers, playworkers, outdoor practitioners, Forest School leaders, early years practitioners, Scout and guide leaders, group facilitators and team building and nature awareness event organisers.

The book is laid out with lots of sensible and practical advice about running sessions outside. The games and activities are presented like a recipe, so you can see at a glance what you need, if you need to prepare anything in advance, who the activity is suitable for and how to adapt it for different ages, abilities and group sizes.

Don’t go outside the classroom without it!

Tracey Maciver’s new book has arrived. Jam packed with lots of Activities, games and challenges to do outside (although many could be done anywhere!). This book is aimed to inspire you when working with children and groups outside the classroom. Suitable for teachers, playworkers, outdoor practitioners, Forest School leaders, early years practitioners, Scout and guide leaders, group facilitators and team building and nature awareness event organisers.

In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children’s cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging ways to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults.

This easy-to-read series provides an introduction to some of the most important early years philosophies and shows how they can be incorporated into your setting.

Forest School continues to grow and develop, both in the UK and internationally. Literature and research in the field tend to document this growth, while this book takes a novel approach to the Forest school conversation, taking a critical look at the various tensions and difficulties that surround Forest School practice.

This book explains what ‘Forest School’ really means and combines theory with practice on the importance of play and risk. It is an invaluable training manual for those studying to be a Forest School leader or practitioner and includes case studies from professionals. It covers the history of forest schools; the first steps needed to be taken to embark upon Forest School; how to involve colleagues and parents; how a variety of settings organise their Forest School sessions; the equipment and training needed and first aid and risk management; and how to gain support from LAs and funding

The only series showing clearly how to plan for outdoor learning. Dedicated activities to develop specific skills and aspects of literacy. Links to all four British early years curriculum frameworks. This title provides practitioners with practical planning for how to develop and enhance the outdoor area to facilitate literacy learning. The activities throughout the book are low cost and easy to set up, aiming to reassure practitioners and give them confidence to plan more literacy learning experiences outdoors.

Juliet Robertson offers tips and tricks to help any teacher develop variety in their teaching. One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it and this book will give you the confidence to do it. It contains a wealth of ideas from cheat sheets to activities that allow teachers and parents to encourage outdoor learning and improve student participation. There is no need for expensive tools or complicated technologies; all you need is your coat and a passion for learning – oh, and you’d better bring the kids too

Although the benefits of learning outside are well documented and more and more teachers are heading out (post-pandemic) to teach their classes, outdoor activities often decline as children progress through their education. There are many reasons for this: lack of time in the curriculum, lack of training, lack of teacher confidence, or simply lack of inspiration. Educating Outside contains a bank of outdoor learning ideas that can be used to enhance and enrich your classes’ learning experiences across the curriculum; including in science, history, geography, art and design, English and maths.

This updated edition of the seminal 2003 text on outdoor play in early years provision taps into the major issues around nutrition, exercise and mental wellbeing in this field. Focusing on the importance of outdoor play from birth to age five, Exercising Muscles and Minds, Second Edition aids practitioners in planning for learning outside throughout the year.

A guide to exploring the great outdoors for kids ages 6 to 12

In today’s hectic world, many of us are looking for ways to slow down, take time out, and calm our busy minds. The benefits of doing this are well documented for overworked adults. However, there’s an increasing focus on how much children can gain from regular, quiet, meditative practice. An absorbing pastime like whittling in a peaceful woodland setting offers exactly that. With an emphasis on safety and adult supervision, this book presents a range of simple and fun projects that children can make and enjoy hours of play with afterwards projects such as a kazoo, mini furniture, duck call, whimmy diddle, rhythm sticks and elder wand.

This is the first-ever Forest School-themed activity card deck. Beautifully designed and packed with ideas, this handy reference tool created for families, forest school leaders, kids teachers, and anyone else who wants to try forest school, offers 48 games, crafts and skill-building activities to inspire outdoor fun and build a lasting relationship with nature. It complements Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton’s previous books (Play the Forest School Way and A Year of Forest School), containing activities from those books in a simplified, pocket-sized format.

Learn how to light a fire without matches, build a shelter to sleep in, cook on a fire, hunt for bugs and much more. From essential bushcraft basics and Stone Age survival skills to joyful outdoor play, this book is packed with ideas to bring your little ones closer to nature and all its magical offerings.

Forest School’s innovative outdoor approach offers specific benefits to learners with autism, including increased social skills, raised self-esteem and improved sensory function. This guide raises autism awareness amongst practitioners by providing practical and easy-to-follow advice for adapting Forest School activities for those with autism.

Outdoor learning continues to play an essential role in early years education, and this new edition of a bestselling book explores how the Forest School approach can be easily and effectively incorporated into early years practice.

Never go back to mundane marshmallows ever again!

This cookbook covers everything, from how to build and use different types of outdoor ovens, stoves and equipment right through to a range of different meals to keep anyone full and ready for adventure.

Forest School expert Dr Sara Knight provides a practical all-ages guide to Forest School, grounded in the latest research, that encourages practitioners to take an innovative approach to outdoor play and learning.

Handy size planning template book. Have all your planning sheets in one place, easy to look back for progress and events, cross reference with your Risk Assessments to ensure your staying up to date with requirements

Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a Forest School leader or anyone else looking after children, this invaluable guide to nature-based play is full of ideas to get kids outdoors, learning about and connecting with nature, developing new skills and having fun. These new Forest School crafts, games and survival activities are all themed around the elements of earth, air, fire and water, with an underlying message of sustainability and wonder at the amazing web of life.

Are you curious about the world? Do you ask ‘why’ until you are told to stop, then keep asking? Yes? Then you think like an explorer. This is such a powerful habit that people who manage to hold onto it into adulthood often achieve extraordinary things. They break world records, discover new species and get written about in books like this.