Muddy Puddle Club CIC

30/08/2026

Fire and Forest School after a heat wave! There's been a lot of rain around this week which feels so welcome after months of no rain fall, constant worry about wildlife and of course, for outdoor educators, lots of risk assessments!

I have lots of messages in the past few weeks from forest school trainees and experienced leaders wondering what is safe. Thats been an easy answer through late June, July and August. No fires.

But now it gets more complicated. Theres a great map that can help and I suggest adding it to your risk assessments. A bit like wind speed limits, maximum cut off points. It says high or above. No fire. Any lower you need to weigh in more factors. Knowing your site well, access to water, proximity to trees and rivers. Wind speed will be very important in coming weeks.

So while it is no longer a simple no, its a complicated maybe, I hope this cool map and a small bit of advice can help.

14/08/2026

I have just been sent this by one of my lovely Level 3 trainees who has been delivering in her school for the last academic year. I love these, remembering the impact that delivering training has on so many children.

18/07/2026

One of the wonderful schools we have been lucky enough to train teachers at in the last couple of years.

Great opportunities for the children at this school

13/07/2026

During the prolonged hot weather we are not having fires at Forest School.

Whilst we are really sad not to be sharing food around the fire in the last week of term with our learners, it just isn't worth the risk of not having a Forest to return to.

Forest School is not only about managing risk in the moment. It is also about teaching children how to make responsible decisions outdoors. If we light fires during extremely dry conditions simply because we believe we can control them, we risk teaching children that fires and barbecues in dry fields or woodland are acceptable as long as there is water nearby.

So, sorry kids (and your adults), no smores this half term... we will make it up in the winter.

26/06/2026

Only one session left for our current Level 3 Forest School Leader cohort. After next week they will be flying off to set up Forest School in their own settings and bringing up the next generation of children to connect with nature and care for our natural world.

Our next course runs every other Friday in the autumn and up to Christmas, ready to get started in the new year.

The first session is 11th September so now is a great time to book ready for the next academic year.

https://www.muddypuddleclub.co.uk/book-training

25/06/2026

Thank you so much for everyone's patience this week with cancelled sessions, slow marking and responses from us when needing help. It's been a very tricky week all around, but as always our focus is on keeping everyone, including ourselves, safe in and out of the woods.

Next week our sessions will return back to normal, but with the caveat that we will need to check sites for any stress to the trees before each session. Please do be patient with us!

16/06/2026

We are back for the summer with our Wild Woods sessions. We keep these sessions limited in number, so book soon especially if you want to attend with friends.

Relax in our woodland, let the kids play and craft, whether you are an old friend, attend every week or are new we can't wait to see you!

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/wild-woods-holiday-sessions-3470749?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

28/04/2026

Wild Woods May half term is on 28th May! 10.30-2.30, a day playing with friends old and new in our beautiful woodland.

***FULLY BOOKED*** 6 hours flat... I think that is a record! I have the summer dates sorted so will list them next week.

Wild Woods Spring half term Holiday!

24/04/2026

Level 3 Forest School training! Every course we run is a little different because, just like Forest School, the learners shape the experience. Today we were super lucky to welcome our amazing friend Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden, as a guest speaker to talk about why the wild is good for our mental health. So lovely to hear her talk about our shared favourite topic and to spend some time in the woods together.

21/04/2026

Our next Level 3 Forest School training is now OPEN for bookings.

This course trains you to be a fully qualified Forest School Leader. You will learn about ecosystems, outdoor play, the connection between human and ecosystem wellbeing, planning and risk assessments. But that's just the basics. We are specialists in diversity and inclusion outdoors, so our course is also a deep dive into how we can improve access for all people, how access to nature can increase wellbeing, how neurodivergent people might experience nature and nature connection differently and how you can support them. Book now to join us!

This course is ideal for teachers and LSA's, early years practitioners, home educators and those looking to spend more time outdoors with learners of all ages.

We have 2 courses planned next academic year - this one and another that starts in February. This one is open for booking, but the dates for the second one can be seen on the booking link . Includes First Aid training in the New Forest, but can be booked without.

https://www.muddypuddleclub.co.uk/book-training