EYFS Programmes
We offer sessions lasting for an hour and a half, based on children's favourite storybooks and the changing seasons. All areas of the Early Learning Goals can be covered through these outdoor learning sessions and we are happy to mix and match activities, or change the focus of the sessions, to meet your children's requirements. We are also happy to tailor-make programmes to link with any topics, themes or books.
Each session includes a mixture of fun, creative and educational activities to keep young children engaged whilst they discover our great outdoors.
Core Programmes
Super Senses
A well-known children's story is used to lead the children in to using their senses to carry out fun activities whilst exploring the woodland habitat.
Marvellous Minibeasts
Children will learn how to collect minibeasts from different woodland micro-habitats and they will then look at their similarities and differences.
Woodland Adventure
This whole day programme is aimed at encouraging the children to use their senses to explore a woodland habitat. They will practise listening, looking, smelling and touching before using their senses to find minibeasts that live in woodlands.
Autumn Programmes
Autumn Adventure
Explore Westonbirt Arboretum at one of the most colourful times of the year. Children use their senses to explore seasonal changes and the woodland habitat. They collect evidence of the changes taking place and use these natural materials in craft and art activities.
Leaf Man
Following on from this lovely book, children go on a leaf hunt and look at the variety of leaf sizes, colours and shapes. Learn how to sort, identify and count leaves. Explore leaf patterns and symmetry before making your own Leaf Man and animals.
Terrific Trees
Find out how trees grow and how to find out the age of a tree. Go on a scavenger hunt to find leaves, seeds, bark and other plant parts and use them to explore symmetry and patterns. Learn how useful trees are to humans and nature and use plant parts to make something to take home.
The Great Seed Hunt
Children use their senses to find signs of seasonal change whilst exploring a woodland habitat. They collect a variety of seeds and learn how to sort and count using seeds. .
Winter Programmes
Owl Babies
Children practise using their senses to look for woodland birds. They look at the parts of a bird and learn about the similarities and differences between birds, including their songs. They go on a feather hunt and then use feathers and other natural materials to make nests. They look for natural bird food (minibeasts) before making a bird feeder to take home.
Room on the Broom
Based on this well-loved story, children explore a woodland habitat in a magical way. The children go for a walk in the arboretum to collect a variety of sticks before making their own natural art broomsticks in groups. They have a go at making their own potions and magic wands before creating their own spells.
Stick Man
Children find out about the wide variety of uses that a stick has by reading this very funny story. They learn how to use sticks to lay a trail and build a home for a woodland animal and then make a Stick Man of their own to take home.
Winter Wonderland
Come and explore the real-life winter wonderland that is Westonbirt Arboretum in Winter. Go on a Winter Walk to look for signs of Winter. Make tracks, write in the frost/snow/mud, collect a wide variety of materials and use them to make natural art/crafts.
Spring Programmes
Exciting Eggs
Learn about the different eggs and nests that birds make and have a go at making your own nests out of natural materials. Make Easter headdresses or Easter baskets out of natural materials before going on an Easter egg hunt.
Messy Mud
Children learn about and explore mud in a natural setting. They learn where it comes from and have a go at making their own woodland mud. They learn what mud feels like and some of its properties through playing with mud and using it to make everything from mud faces to painting pictures. They then look at some of the animals that live in the mud and find out why we need to protect trees.
The Bad-tempered Ladybird
Inspired by this popular story, children go on a ladybird hunt. They learn about the lifecycle of ladybirds. They use ladybirds to sort numbers/colours and identify patterns. Children make ladybirds from a variety of natural materials as well as a ladybird home to take back to your setting.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Using the well-loved story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar as a starting point, children find out about the stages in the lifecycle of a butterfly. They then go on a butterfly/
caterpillar hunt and make caterpillars, butterflies or butterfly feeders out of natural materials.
Summer Programmes
A Bee Story
Learn about bees, what they look like and how to tell the different types by their colours. Take a 'bee's eye' view of the World and use your senses to explore colour, taste, smell and touch. Learn how important bees are to us and Nature and make a beeswax candle to take home.
Fantastic Flowers
Children look at how plants grow from seeds, the parts of a plant and their flowers. We go on a flower hunt to find some of our favourite flowers, including tree flowers. The children then use flowers in a craft activity or plant their own seed to take home.
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Go on an exciting adventure using your senses to overcome obstacles, as we re-tell this well-loved story.
Woodland Fairies
Enter the world of the Woodland Fairies. See if you can see some fairies, or find evidence that they are in the woodland. Have a go at making a fairy house/garden/food, making fairy wands and making up spells.