‘Time out in the woods’ with Lucy’s Little Forest School

Lucy’s Little Forest School is located in the magical  Wilderness Wood, Hadlow Down, East Sussex. So near to Heathfield, yet you may not  have discovered this tucked away, Hidden Gem of 60 acres consisting of predominantly chestnut trees.

This is the home for all their woodland based activities for children and adults.  But, Lucy’s is about much more than forest school, whether you’re a Family, School, Adult, or Birthday Party group, they have something for you (and your children) to do in the woods. What’s On.

Lucy, started the eponymous school in 2014 and runs it with the aptly named Wriggly Barkaway.

“I wanted to make the focus ‘time out in the woods’, for both parents and children. There is some structure with what we do but mostly it is just about having an adventure in the woods and inspiring families. I find some parents value the time almost more than their children and some just want come and hang out here without their kids” explained Lucy. Nordic countries and Rudolf Steiner inspired schools have long eschewed the virtue of getting children outside, enjoying nature rather than being confined indoors in a classroom setting. Forest Schools are now becoming increasingly popular in the UK.

During the week there are Forest School sessions for babies to pre-school age children with their parents & carers. Follow this link to see all the sessions if you are interested. They are full right now but taking bookings for Autumn half term activities and forest school for after half term when it is the perfect season for fire building and woodcraft.

You can get in touch with Wriggly on:  information@lucyslittleforestschool.com to find out more.

There is a programme of special events and forest school activities on weekends throughout the year. The trees afford plenty of shelter from wind and rain and with the right clothing it isn’t often the case that they need to cancel anything. Autumn is an amazing time to be in the woods and come December the woods are transformed into a Christmas Woodland Fair.

Schools can also come to the woods for the schools programme which can either be a school day trip or regular visits, there is space for up to 90 children and teachers can access information support materials via the website. Lucy commented “School trips get children from non-rural places like Crawley outside and running about among the trees. They are fascinated by everything around them and the sense of freedom in the wild with out walls.”

If you are looking for something different for your child’s birthday, Lucy loves creating birthday parties in the woods and she has a range of themes from Forest Fairies and Bug Hunts to Castaways, Den Building and Wild Things; these are usually available April to September.

To find out more about Lucy’s Little Forest School go to: www.lucyslittleforestschool.com