Calder Valley Woodland School (formerly known as Burn & Brae Wilderness School) is a mentoring programme of natural earth living skills & deep nature connection practices. It is a full day, weekly, long term, year round gathering for home-educated/ flexi schooled young people between the ages of 8-14. A lot of modern culture takes our children away from the meadows, trees and streams and lures the
m inside. The Woodland School is a fully physical and sensory experience. Through whole body learning, we will immerse ourselves in nature to gain the full benefits that nature can provide for us. We aim to preserve skills that teach ecological wisdom and inspire community stewardship and community service. Our goal is to inspire and encourage our young folk to be bold, courageous and spirited young people. Tucked in the valley that the river Calder runs through....Hills cut from a glacier long ago, amongst badger sets, owls in the trees, silent & still, within the Birch, the Oak & the Beech, a handful of humans of all ages come together to set forth on an adventure of discovery of cultural Earth based traditions from around the world including; silent movement, fun awareness games, tracking wild creatures, fire making & tending, storytelling, land navigation, camouflage, creative team challenges, sensory immersion, problem solving, animal form games, wilderness living & survival skills, playing, singing, art, making things, exploring, hiding & sneaking, dreaming & lots more! This is an exciting programme of outdoor experiences: an educational model that has been used by indigenous peoples around the world for thousands of years following a way of educating young people called 'invisible schooling', centering around 'Coyote Mentoring'- where mentors draw students into a deeper connection with the natural world, each other & themselves. It uses natural learning cycles that ignite your child's interests & passions, that encourage children’s unique gifts & interests to emerge. Not only will they learn skills, but also a dynamic aliveness will result that will help them whatever path they wish to follow. There will be a blend of directed activities & child led play. We meet each Tuesday in Hebden Bridge between 9.30 am-3pm throughout all seasons with breaks for the holidays. Bookings are taken on a half termly basis, though we encourage the young people to come for the year, to fully experience what we do over the seasons & to encourage relationships to grow & deepen. Sorry parents, its for kids only- you drop off your young people and we'll guide them into an amazing world of adventure & traditional outdoor skills. Young people can try a Taster Day to see if it is a good fit both for the group & the young person (payment made in advance) and then we ask parents to sign their child up for the remaining sessions in that half term. Payment are made via our online booking system for both the Taster Days and for half termly block of sessions (usually 6-7 sessions, depending on the length of the half term). Cost
Cost We have a sliding scale of £40-£45 per day depending on your family's income and if you are eligible for Working Tax Credit childcare help. The Woodland School has become Ofsted registered so that lack of money is not an obstacle for anyone to come. This means that you can get up to 70% of the costs back for childcare. This is a unique opportunity that the Woodland School offers, as there are not many childcare providers out there for Home-edding working families. We invite you to join us on an adventure to awaken and enliven your child's heart and mind. If your young person is interested in setting forth on this journey, please email [email protected]
