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Stay Safe and We’ll See You In The Woods!

Outdoor Learning Specialist for Forest School and Adult Training

Welcome to The Outdoors Group. We are a Scandinavian inspired forest school setting, our philosophy is based around learner led, project based experiential learning for all. We know that nature is a source of wonder and inspiration for children, and essential for their health and development. Regular contact with nature inspires children to connect with their surroundings and builds a sense of belonging and responsibility. We offer a wide range of activities including; kindergarten, toddler groups, home education groups, holiday clubs, birthday parties, school groups, adult training and team building…there is something for everyone!

Our vision is to provide a daily outdoor adventure bringing people and the outdoors together to; PLAY, EXPLORE, DISCOVER, LEARN. Set in the Devon countryside and led by fun, passionate and practical people.

Forest School

Across our Exeter, Exmouth, Okehampton and Tiverton Forest School sites, we offer a range of Forest School based activities and qualifications for all ages.

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Training

Become a qualified outdoor practitioner and develop your outdoor education career with our range of Forest School Leader and Outdoor Education CPD training courses.

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Education

Inspire your class with a trip to the woods or create a long term outdoor education programme for your school. We also offer outdoor learning intervention and run The Outdoors School, based at Shillingford and Tiverton.

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Activities

We offer fun, engaging adventures for our ages with birthday parties. holiday clubs, workshops and more or transform your working environment with one of our Team Building Days.

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What is Forest School?

Forest School has the aim to connect children to their local environment, to provide a natural space for them to play, discover, explore and learn. Setting children up to succeed is core.

It also gives children the space and time to just be, a frequently rare opportunity in our modern age. The focus is on soft skills, learning to be happy in themselves and within a group. The woodland environment is a great place to learn life’s lessons as the group develops throughout the seasons.

About Us

Creating connections with nature

Since our inception in 2009, our philosophy and practice has developed and evolved in accordance with the needs of our attendees. Exploring life-lessons through practical skills and group engagement, key to our delivery has always been rooted in a holistic approach, addressing social and emotional wellbeing and development to promote rounded, confident and resilient children that are considerate of the community they are a part of and the environment that we all share.

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Testimonials

The Outdoors Group has provided vital alternative provision to children who find a mainstream educational setting challenging. The work that has been undertaken with pupils attending Forest School has played a pivotal role in the development of their social and emotional skills, particularly the development of tolerance and resilience in situations they find challenging in a mainstream school. The pupils have been able to develop and flourish in an outdoor environment.

Claire Norman, Exminster School
The team at The Outdoors have played a crucial part in the development of outdoor learning at Blundell’s Prep. Their support and guidance has enabled us to create an exciting programme for our children to fully explore the outdoors, and they have also been on hand to offer insight and training for all of our staff. In short, they have been fantastic!

Andy Southgate , Blundell's Prep School
All of the The Outdoors activities I have done have allowed our students to make a real connection with the natural environment, and learn skills that have contributed towards a growth in knowledge, confidence and self-esteem.

Steve Foster, St James School, Exeter
The forest school team have worked closely with our school team to make curriculum links. Forest school has already supported our science curriculum, PSHE and maths. Our visit to forest school also provided some fantastic inspiration for writing, especially poetry.

Sarah Padbury , Littleham Primary School

theoutdoorsgroup

🌿 Outdoor Learning Specialist
📍 Exeter, Exmouth, Okehampton, Tiverton, Totnes, Ilfracombe
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$🌿🌿 Home Ed Group FREE TRIAL SESSION! 🌿🌿 On the 5th October we are excited to be offering a free trial session for Home Educators at the beautiful Ilfracombe Forest School, situated just a couple of miles from Combe Martin Bay. The session is running from 9am-3:30pm and there are 15 free spaces available. Please email hello@outdoorsgroup.co.uk by midday on the 4th October to book a trial session space. Aimed at children over 6 years old, our Home Education Groups are a great opportunity for children to spend some time among peers in our beautiful woodlands, getting involved with a whole host of different forest school activities from fire lighting to team games, from campfire cooking to den building, from bug hunts to conservation projects! At our Home Ed groups we adopt a child-led approach, offering a range of activities at each session but ultimately the children are, by and large, in charge of their time. Our leaders focus on building ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork, communication skills, self-confidence and problem solving. For more information about the Ilfracombe site or for more information about the Home Education groups, please pop over to our website! We can't wait to meet the home educators of North Devon - we'll see you there!$