Wonder Woods Forest School and Outdoor Nursery

Wonder Wood Forest School And Outdoor Learning | Forest School Solihull

Did you know; we are now offering morning sessions in our nursery provision…..

We pride ourselves on our relationships with our families, carers and young people…. So we listened to what people were asking of us….

We are excited to welcome children in February, and begin this exciting journey together….

If you would like further information on what we offer at our Forest school and outdoor nursery, please email;

[email protected]

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Wonder Wood Forest School And Outdoor Learning | Forest School Solihull Wonder Wood Forest School And Outdoor Learning | Forest School Solihull Wonder Woods Forest School is set in beautiful countryside at Broadacre Gardens, Dorridge. Broadacre has been lovingly Cared for by the Woolman family for many years as both a home and a conservation project.

Our role is to nurture wonder, enable children, families and carers to re-connect with nature and themselves, through freedom of play in nature…

Our role is to create an environment which is inclusive, kind and exciting, and a space people can come to simply be….

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Our very own Forest school assistant, helping us show new families around our beautiful site today…

It was lovely to spend the morning chatting about our new nursery provision and having this one to help, was an absolutely wonderful bonus… and he welcomed people with such kindness too ❤️

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I won’t lie… I don’t love Halloween … brings back memories of my gorgeous Nanny Sheila being scared at her door by teenage trick or treaters…. Amazing the childhood memories which never leave us…so instead we are celebrating Autumn and the beauty which comes with the falling leaves, and allowing our selves to shed the troubles we may need to…. Autumn is truly beautiful in my opinion, and the perfect time to re-group and let go…..

Finding this leafy heart shaped puddle was perfect today on our dog walk with our best bud… Happy….🧡

It fairly simple….

Let them be…..

Themselves…. Only then will children find true acceptance and begin to value their individuality and beautiful uniqueness….

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Only left them two minutes to take some of our gang to the toilet…. My wonderful Team member took full advantage of the windfall….

Both my team member and the apples have been the most incredible Constant in the woods over the last few months….

So proud of the Forest School leader she is becoming 💚

It took me 5 years to find our wonderful Emma….but it was SOOOOOOOOO worth the wait…

Building a team is scary when I’ve always been used to doing everything on my own, learning to share some aspects of my business is difficult, but to know I am sharing with someone who both the children and I adore is a very special feeling….

The woods is a more wonderful place with our Emma in it….I am so very grateful for the day our paths crossed

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Always love, always compassion, always kindness…

This is embedded in every single thing we do, to ensure every child we meet, feels nurtured, loved and heard…

Compassion and understanding is pivotal to our connections with the children in our care….

For more information on what we are up to ( and outdoor nursery), you can follow the link in our bio or email for further information. We are always happy to have a chat ❤️

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via Child

My amazing team member Emma is creating some covers…

Weaving Coppice willow through a recycled pallet….. sustainable play at its finest…..

This is two weeks worth of weaving; during our after school club…. As ever no involvement is required. However, these two were very keen to continue with the weaving….

Not only is weaving incredibly therapeutic, it is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, chat and decompress. It has really spoken to the children who enjoy the challenge of creating something collaboratively , this has absorbed them and is also incredibly helpful to us …

Our after school clubs are truly wonderful; they are everything I hoped for, for the children who attend.

A warm, nurturing and safe place to be exactly who we are; no judgement, no pressure, no set goals….

We are totally and utterly ….. “wonderfully wild” when are together in those woods and THAT is precisely as I intended my little woodland to be ❤️

Connection is ALWAYS at the forefront of all we do within our little woodland community….

We ALL need a champion in our lives; no matter how old we grow

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Last night was a very peaceful session…

The weekly access to our woods is really clear to see…the children run free, full of their own ideas and plans…

We start our sessions with a little ,( very informal), catch up as we nibble biscuits and roam to the woods…we sometimes mention any “ jobs” we’ve got planned for OUR week, and they can,( if they wish ), lend a helping hand…

Some did wish to help; help creating little woven screens; guided by our gorgeous Emma ❤️

Those who fancied doing their own thing, did so; creating Dens, taking five minutes to weave some sticks climb trees and chattering to one another.

There is no picture perfect set up ; nature is perfect just as it is, and it is the most wonderful classroom we could ever wish for !

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Our entire ethos is based on connection; the importance of valuing each child’s voice and creating a space they are heard, without judgment….

Connection, is not only about respect, but about understanding; finding solutions together and ensuring the children in our care feel loved.

By building on connections, not only do we begin to build a strong relationship; we also ensure both our adult carers and our children feel they belong in our space and are part of our team…sharing in solutions and helping shape our setting, side by side…

Through connection we nurture the souls of children; and in doing so also nurture our souls too…

When we champion connection; we are showing our children just how much they are valued and loved.

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I just wanted to make it really clear what our current offerings are at present….
Things are changing down in the woods and we are looking forward to welcoming many children both on and off site…
As we begin our journey opening as a fully outdoor nursery, I wanted to be sure everyone is aware of what we currently offer ,( this is open to change as we see needs change and to ensure we are facilitating play in as many areas as we can).
Our ethos is rooted in nurturing children, adolescents and young adults, by enabling them to understand their need for connection…
Connection to nature, to themselves and to those around them…we pride ourselves on building strong relationships with children of ALL ages. We focus on nurturing childrens wellbeing, through kindness, acceptance and understanding of each child as a unique person… caring for the whole person, is our primary role…. Ensuring children are heard at all times …
Our beautiful ethos enables each person to be as wild as they wish, and creating a community where children are free to be exactly who they need to be in that moment.
We plan in the moment and ensure the children are at the centre of every aspect of our sessions/day.
With high adult:child ratios we enable children to be free in an otherwise restrictive world…
At Wonder Woods, simple put, we want children to leave feeling loved, happy, understood, connected, free and heard…
We want people to be free to be “ wonderfully wild

These children definitely hold my heart ❤️… love seeing all their photos soooooo much ❤️

Here our some of our members "Back to School" pics ♥️🥰
They all look very smart 👌 💙💛

“WHATEVER MAKES YOUR SOUL HAPPY, DO THAT “

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“WHATEVER MAKES YOUR SOUL HAPPY, DO THAT “

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On our last summer camp, we had a fairy who came for lunch

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Summer days, swinging from trees, building friendships and making memories

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Of course there is always a rainbow somewhere in our days

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Painting an entire play house, inside and out, decorating, installing furniture and inviting your friends in….

The observations we can take from this I could literally write about forever,( and have in my journal 💚)….

But mostly i observed pure joy through child centred play…

Pure joy by enabling children to feel at home, heard and safe, to create and express freely…

“ children see magic because they look for it”

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My daughter may have Down's syndrome but I wouldn't change her for the world

Please have a read … these two have such a beautiful bond, watching them together is ❤️

My daughter may have Down's syndrome but I wouldn't change her for the world ‘I’m so sorry, we have some really bad news,’ the doctor said, before confirming her diagnosis. I really wish he hadn’t used those words.

I love these morning SO much ❤️

And this wonderful process too…

Team work really did make the dream work…

From concept, to design, to construction to completion….this little team, worked SO hard to create this ship……complete with password…

This was a joy to watch and even more joyous when I was invited in to be part of THEIR world….

Their sheer joy was infectious and we ALL left the woods feeling like a close knit little team….

“Unity is strength….when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved”

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If you’ve been following me a while you will know we are ALL about the process..

If you or your child attend our sessions, you won’t leave with beautiful perfectly crafted items,( unless that’s what you have chosen to create yourself)….

But you will leave with a full heart…

Our sessions “theme” is ALWAYS…. Relationship building…. We work really hard to create a team, starting from the moment we meet in the mornings.,..

We play games, facilitate collaboration with the children to better understand what is guiding them in that moment…

We often hear, “ am I allowed to …?” Children who are new to the woods are often so surprised at what they are “ allowed” to do, because ultimately we set very few boundaries…

The truth is children don’t need these endless boundaries, they can set their personal boundaries, and for those who find this difficult,( because some children do find the lack of structure difficult), we model what freedom looks like, stay close for reassurance and help them grow their woodland wings….no matter how long that takes.

process over product EVERY time….we just have to learn to trust it implicitly…

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THIS is why we believe so strongly in mixed age groups in our woods….

Children of ALL ages have endless lessons to show one another…. To share the woods with these gorgeous children has reignited my passion and made me realise I cannot give up on this dream…

Our dream of inclusion through, love kindness and understanding…nurturing little souls in our natural space, where they can lead the way….

I have a million photos of our last few days in the woods….And I have looked over and over and over…. They bring me so much joy, and make me realise THEY are the reason not to let vandals stop my dreams…

This space is theirs , it is their safe place and I won’t let the actions of a few unravel the community we are creating…

Thank you for the love , kindness and many many messages, calls and offers of help…I have felt completely overwhelmed by the amount of support I received… that in itself has been incredibly thought provoking ❤️

Now I’ve been in the woods, I have a clearer head, and can find my way through…

I am having a chilled day with my children today but will be in touch very very soon …

In the meantime watch out for a HUGE amount of photos coming your way…. I don’t know if I can do reels I find them so time consuming and I don’t love being on my phone, so I hope those who wish to see my content do.

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Make the world more inclusive

Great article by inclusive sports academy about making the word more inclusive…. ❤️

Make the world more inclusive We give a few tips on how to make the world more inclusive!

Devastated….

I don’t know if this word even begins to describe how my family and I felt on Friday evening. When we arrived to set up for our open day,( which consequently had to be cancelled), we discovered my site had once again been completely destroyed…

The last few times it has happened I rationalised and decided, that the pandemic had caused so much upset I didn’t want to cause anymore, by involving the childrens parents…but I knew who they were.

This time I just feel completely gutted, I stood and sobbed underneath the woodland that brings joy to so many children …

I realised that’s the saddest part, that the action of a few could potentially jeopardise the impact our sessions have for families who desperately NEED it….

Our woodland is a place where my families and I find sanctuary, where my families find a little bit of peace away from what is becoming a pretty difficult world to be part of…

For some SEND children, change is a very very difficult concept… yes the seasons change but for some children the need to see similarities in places is an essential aspect of our groups….

I cannot fathom why anyone would enter someone’s home, their private garden and anothers place of work and actively pull apart, storage, break locks, cut down young trees, cut my Christmas tree which I planted with my first ever Forest school group, break resources and ransack my first aid kits…. Not to mention destroy bark and break glass over the forest floor….it’s taken us all weekend to get this sorted… a weekend which was meant to spent showing new families around …. Building new relationships…

This time it feels Incredibly personal…. I stood and cried that one of my school leavers had asked to create a valentines tree, every hand drawn wooden heart completely destroyed….that part really hurts.

Someone in our local community is responsible , and that makes me feel incredibly sad and pretty disappointed…

I try not to be negative on here and have spent the weekend soul searching and trying to understand why… but ultimately….

THIS IS NOT OK!!!!!

Mindless vandalism IS NOT OK EVER!!!!

May you never be the reason 👇❤️

These two…..

Their friendship has been beautiful to watch and I’m grateful they invited me in to be part of their little gang, week after week…..

They’ve made me smile until my face hurt and taught me so much about nurturing and building relationships with different children in different ways….

They definitely have my heart… and they know it too… Their teacher next year is a very lucky lady ❤️

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