The objective of the Powerstock Primary Forest School is to place the children in the heart of the countryside they are so privileged to live in.  With regular time spent in a variety of local open access woods, they will grow to appreciate their environment, learning to identify wildlife, differentiate between trees and develop an understanding of how natural materials perform for different tasks. They will also develop their problem solving, collaboration and communication skills and progress to building camp fires, safely using axes and knives, enjoy getting muddy, and ultimately explore the world around them with confidence.

The creation of a formal forest school programme, where the children can learn to explore the countryside, and develop their own confidence and knowledge base, will enable them to share this with their families now, and develop countryside custodians for generations to come.

Our Forest School programme will cover the following over time:

• Walking in the natural environment
• Using our bodies to work, plan, play and keep warm and safe in an active way outdoors
• Native tree identification
• Local plant knowledge
• Local wildlife knowledge
• Life cycles / season cycles of our local environment
• Knot tying
• Shelter building
• Natural craft activities
• Mapping work
• Identifying, planning and preparing for minor risks
• Basic child-friendly first aid
• Understanding the basic needs of our bodies and how we can look after them in a natural environment
• Understanding and developing basic tool knowledge and skills as appropriate