Oak apples forest school

26/08/2026

And that’s a wrap on Holiday Camp 2026! ☀️🎨🎭

It has been absolutely fantastic working alongside Nurturing Creativity CIC once again. Is it even work when you enjoy yourself this much, surrounded by such wonderful people who genuinely want to make the summer holidays an amazing experience for every child? 💛

We’ve had so many laughs, adventures and memorable moments, and the children have been absolutely on top form throughout the whole summer! 🌈🙌

One of the most rewarding parts is hearing how thankful the children are that we’re there each holiday, providing that familiar safety net of routine, friendship and support. 🫶 Sometimes, having a familiar face and somewhere they know they belong makes all the difference.

We’ve packed so much into the summer, created some brilliant memories and, most importantly, had a fantastic time along the way! 🎉✨

It’s also been brilliant working alongside some amazing local organisations and businesses within our community. Working together to support children and families and create opportunities for them is what it’s all about. 🤝💚

A huge thank you to everyone who has been part of the summer, and especially to the children for bringing their energy, laughter and personalities every single day! 🥰

A huge thank you to Jacob, Rory, Harvey and Lacey for being such fantastic assistants throughout the summer! 🙌💛 You’ve brought so much energy, enthusiasm and laughter to camp and have been a brilliant help every step of the way. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you on the team. Thank you for all your hard work! 🌟👏

And with that… I’m officially over and out until the beginning of next term! 📚✏️

Time for a little rest and recharge before we do it all again! 🌻💤

Healthy Holidays Calderdale
Nurturing Creativity CIC
northernartsfactory_

26/08/2026

💜 You’ve caught us purple-handed! 💜

Today we got a little creative with nature and had a go at natural fabric dyeing using blackberries! 🌿🎨

The children had lots of fun picking the blackberries before getting stuck in and smashing them into water to create our very own natural dye. 💦

We then took pieces of fabric and tied them in lots of different ways before dipping them into our blackberry mixture. The exciting part came when we untied them to reveal the colours and patterns we had created! 🤩🧵✨

There were definitely some very messy hands involved 😂💜, but that’s all part of the fun! The children loved experimenting, getting creative and seeing how nature can be used to make beautiful colours.

And I think you’ll agree, the finished results look absolutely lovely! 🌈💜
Nurturing Creativity CIC
Healthy Holidays Calderdale

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25/08/2026

🌱🍎 Waste not, want not! 🍑🔥

This has definitely been the motto of the day as we reach the end of our holiday camp! With lots of delicious food left to enjoy, we’ve been thinking creatively about how we can make sure nothing goes to waste. 💚

Our peaches had become a little wrinkly, so rather than letting them go to waste, the children helped turn them into a delicious stewed peach pudding for lunch! 🍑🥄 They enjoyed it with yoghurt and gave it a big thumbs up! 😋

We also had plenty of apples to use up, and the children were very enthusiastic about having a fire today! 🔥🍎 So, we combined the two and toasted apples over the fire. There was something rather special about enjoying food that the children had helped prepare themselves, especially when it involved a little outdoor cooking! 🌳✨

Throughout the day, the children have shown fantastic determination, enthusiasm and responsibility, particularly when it came to learning and following our fire safety rules. They listened carefully, worked together and demonstrated just how much they’ve learned about staying safe around fire. 👏🧯🔥

It’s been a wonderfully tasty day, full of creativity, outdoor learning and, most importantly, plenty of happy faces and full tummies! ❤️😊

Waste not, want not… and definitely make the most of those slightly wrinkly peaches! 🍑😉

Nurturing Creativity CIC
Healthy Holidays Calderdale

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24/08/2026

🌿🌳 Adventuring into a New Space! 🌳🌿

Today marked Day One of Week Six of Nurturing Creativity CIC Holiday Camp, and what a brilliant day it was! 🎨✨

We had the chance to explore a brand-new Forest School space at Moorside Community School, and the children certainly made the most of it! 🌲🪵 We spent the day digging, climbing, swinging and planting, discovering all the wonderful things the space had to offer. 🪴🪨🪢

And then came the highlight… we made our very own swamp! 🐸💦🌿 There was plenty of splashing, squelching, muddy fun and laughter. It was absolutely glorious! 😂💚

It was also lovely to see a couple of familiar faces from previous holiday camps, alongside some brand-new faces I hadn’t met before. One of the best parts of holiday camp is watching children meet new friends, build confidence and have a go at things they might not normally get the chance to try. 🌟

A fantastic first day in a new Forest School space, filled with exploration, creativity, connection and plenty of mud! 🌱💚

Day One of Week Six: completed! ✅🎉
Bring on the rest of the week! 🌳✨

Healthy Holidays Calderdale
🌿🌳🐸💦🪵🌱

16/08/2026

🌿✨ What an incredible three days at Stage on the Lake! ✨🌿

We’ve had the most amazing time working alongside Seeds of Hope for culturedale, bringing Forest School to the festival and welcoming people of all ages to explore, play, create and reconnect with nature. 🌳🔥🍃

We’ve whittled, splashed in mud, explored, relaxed in hammocks, laughed, played and got wonderfully muddy! 🪵💦😂

My cup is truly full after meeting so many amazing people. It has been especially lovely seeing grandparents, parents and children all joining in together, sharing memories and making new ones. 💚

It was also fantastic working alongside Vicky from ARTventurers Halifax and Bradford West. She’s such an inspiration, and it was brilliant sharing the festival space with her. 🎨✨

And we even had a very cute puppy come to visit us! 🐶🌿 Definitely one of our favourite visitors!

A huge THANK YOU to every family who came along and got stuck in, and a special shout-out to the paramedics who joined us today and decided to have a go at Forest School too! 🚑🌳😂

This was our very first festival as a Forest School, and what a way to start! We really hope it won’t be our last.

What an amazing few days, an amazing bunch of people and an amazing vibe! 💚🌿✨

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16/08/2026

🌿💚 A Very Special Thank You to Alice! 💚🌿

I couldn’t let the last three days go by without giving a very special shout-out to Alice, who has been absolutely incredible as my Forest School assistant! 🌳✨

Alice has worked her magic over the past three days, and we have had such a laugh while working together. 😂💚 We’ve bounced ideas off each other, supported families, encouraged creativity and created a really lovely atmosphere for everyone who came along.

She has been amazing at getting stuck in with the families, helping children and adults explore their imaginations, and taking role-play and creativity to a whole new level! 🧚‍♀️🌿🪵🎭

It has been such a joy having her alongside me. She has brought so much energy, enthusiasm and creativity to the Forest School space, and I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better person to share these three days with.

Alice, you have been an absolute star! ⭐️

Thank you for all your hard work, the laughs, the creativity and for being such an amazing person to work with. Here’s to more adventures, more mud, more laughter and hopefully doing it all again very soon! 🌳💚🔥

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15/08/2026

🌿 Forest School at Shibden Park 🌿

What a brilliant day with Seeds of Hope festival for CultureDale! 🌳✨

Today we’ve been busy making bird nests, clay faces and woven God’s Eyes, before heading off to explore everything forest school has to offer.

🪢 Hammocks
🌿 Rope swing
⚖️ Slack line
🌳 Tree climbing
🪵 Mud kitchen
🐦 Nature crafts
🎨 Plenty of creativity and muddy hands!

The children have been absolutely amazing, and it’s been so lovely chatting with parents too. There’s been so much exploring, creating, climbing, playing and simply enjoying being outdoors. 💚

And the best bit… we’re back TOMORROW! 🎉

🌲 FREE Forest School session for children at Shibden Park
📅 Tomorrow
🎟️ FREE to join

Come along, get outdoors, make something, climb something, get muddy and have some woodland fun! 🌿

Bring your little adventurers and come join us! 🥾🍃

15/08/2026

Love it when our little worlds collide! Vicky is amazing at arts and crafts! If anyone is free tomorrow we will both be there! ARTventurers Halifax and Bradford West 💚❤️💚❤️CultureDale

Always so lovely to be working alongside this beauty! The lovely Kaomi at Oak apples forest school.
We have had such a beautiful day at the Seeds of Hope Festival with CultureDale
Looking forward to tomorrow already.

14/08/2026

What a fantastic day with seeds of hope at stageatthelake, Shibden park! 🌿🌳💚

We’ve had such a wonderful time today with our pop-up Forest School activities, getting creative, getting stuck in and enjoying everything the great outdoors has to offer! 🍄🎨🐝

From whittling wooden mushrooms 🍄 and creating beautiful clay crafts 🏺, to making adorable pine cone bumble bees 🐝🌲, there’s been plenty of imagination, creativity and woodland fun.

We’ve also had lots of time to simply slow down and enjoy the surroundings, with people chilling out on the hammocks 🌳💤 and having a go on the slack lines! 🌿🤸

It’s been especially lovely chatting with so many wonderful people throughout the day, and such a joy to spot families who come along to our other sessions and see them again here at Shibdon Park. 🥰💚 Those familiar faces really do make our day!

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by, got creative with us, had a chat or simply came to enjoy the atmosphere. 🌱✨

And the best part? We’re back tomorrow and Sunday! 🎉🌳

So if you’re at Stage at the Lake, come and find us, say hello and join in with some good old-fashioned outdoor fun! 🍄🐝🌿

We can’t wait to see what the next couple of days bring! 💚

CultureDale

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