Forest School: EYFS/Early Years activities, Displays and ideas

🌳 Step into the magical world of our 'Forest School' resources, designed to connect children with nature and inspire outdoor learning year-round! Explore mindfulness with Woodland Mindfulness Activity Cards and Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt Sheets, encouraging sensory awareness of sights, sounds, and more. Unleash creativity using natural items with Outdoor Maths Shape Challenge Cards, Pattern Cards, and our unique 'My Outdoor Art' Frame, alongside seasonal number and letter cards made with natural materials.

Discover Woodland Wildlife & Life Cycles

Delve into learning about Woodland Birds with egg match puzzles and fact cards for species like robins and blue tits, including detailed body part posters. Discover the wonders of Woodland Trees and Plants with fact cards and leaf match puzzles, and explore diverse Woodland Animals and Minibeasts through fact cards and scavenger hunts. Witness transformations with engaging Life Cycle resources for butterflies, ants, and frogs.

Mud Kitchen Fun & Seasonal Exploration

Get messy and learn in our dedicated Mud Kitchen section, featuring word cards, ingredient challenge cards, and even templates for 'My Mud Kitchen Recipe Book'. Incorporate outdoor movement with Weather Movement/Activity Challenge Cards and Three Little Pigs Activity/Movement Challenge Cards. Decorate your outdoor learning space with nature-themed Display Lettering for every season. Our resources allow you to explore 'Forest School' Through the Seasons, with specific 'Woodland Wildlife Walk' and 'Draw & Write' activities for Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. All this and much more awaits to foster a deep appreciation for the natural world! 🌲

Please scroll down to browse our Forest School activity ideas, printable educational materials, planning inspiration, display resources and much more! If you’re looking for Preschool, Nursery, Childminder, Reception, SEND or Home School Education resources for 0-7 year olds, you’ve come to the right place! Our interactive and engaging EYFS and KS1 learning resources are lovingly made (including original hand drawn images) by early years teaching and learning experts; a husband and wife team. We hope it helps! 😊

Please note that both Editable (docx file) and non-editable (pdf file) versions are available for all ‘Forest School’ resources. (Editable files require Microsoft Word to work at optimum level and Non-Editable files require a pdf viewer.)

Click on the thumbnail images below for further details…

FEATURED RESOURCES

- ‘UK Birds’, ‘Minibeasts’ & ‘Autumn’ Clip Art Packs on our NEW Clip Art page!

Year Round ‘Forest School’ Resources

- Mindfulness/Senses

- Using natural items

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Birds

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Trees

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Plants

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Animals

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Minibeasts

- Learning about woodland wildlife - Life Cycles

- Mud Kitchen

- Weather Calendars (more themes here)

- Movement Activity Challenges (perfect for the outdoors…more here)

- Display Lettering (Outdoor/Nature themed)

‘Forest School’ - Through the Seasons

• Click on the following topic covers for ‘Forest School’ resources within each season…

‘Forest School’ related topics

Related Special dates

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Squirrel Appreciation Day is celebrated annually on January 21st. This unofficial but charming observance was created by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator in North Carolina, USA, in 2001. Its purpose is simply to encourage people to recognise and appreciate these common, often overlooked, and sometimes cheeky creatures that share our environments.

The main educational thrust of Squirrel Appreciation Day, particularly for EYFS and KS1 children, is to foster an appreciation for local wildlife and the natural world around us. It encourages observation skills, gentle respect for animals, and an understanding of the roles different creatures play in ecosystems (like squirrels' role in seed dispersal, however accidental!). It's also a fun opportunity to learn about animal behaviour, habitats, and what animals need to survive.

Activities for EYFS and KS1 Practitioners and Parents:

Here are some engaging and age-appropriate activities to celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day:

• Squirrel Observation Walk: Take children on a walk in a local park, woodland, or even your garden. Encourage them to look for squirrels. Discuss what they observe: How do they move? What are they doing? What are they eating? Where do they live? (Always observe from a distance, without disturbing them).

• Create a "Squirrel Snack Station" (Responsibly!): If appropriate for your setting and local wildlife, you could put out a small amount of squirrel-friendly food (unsalted nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds; sunflower seeds; corn kernels – avoid peanuts, bread, and human processed foods). Emphasise that this is a treat, not their main food source, and that we are being kind to animals.

• Squirrel Habitat Building: Use natural materials found outdoors (twigs, leaves, bark) or craft materials (cardboard tubes, paper, felt) to build miniature "nests" or "dreys" (squirrel homes) to understand what squirrels need for shelter.

• Nut Sorting and Hiding Game: Provide a collection of different types of nuts (e.g., acorns, chestnuts if available, or just different sized craft "nuts"). Children can sort them by size, shape, or colour. Then, play a game where one child "hides" the nuts around the room/garden like a squirrel, and others try to "find" them.

• Squirrel Craft Activities:

  • Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets: Use brown paper bags to make squirrel puppets, adding ears, bushy tails, and drawn faces.

  • Pinecone Squirrels: Decorate pinecones with googly eyes and felt ears to create little squirrels.

  • Squirrel Handprints/Footprints: Make squirrel art using handprints or footprints with brown paint, adding a tail and features once dry.

• Read Squirrel Stories: Find and read children's books featuring squirrels. Many popular books have squirrels as characters (e.g., "The Squirrels Who Squabbled" by Rachel Bright, "Nuts in Space" by Elys Dolan, or classic Beatrix Potter stories). Discuss the squirrels' actions and personalities in the stories.

• Movement Game: "Hide Your Nuts!": Designate a "nut" (e.g., a beanbag or soft ball). One child is the "squirrel" and pretends to bury the "nut." Other children watch and try to remember where it was hidden. Then, they take turns trying to "find" the hidden nut. This helps with memory and observation.

• Discuss Squirrel Safety: Talk about how squirrels are wild animals and that we should observe them from a distance. Explain why we shouldn't try to touch them or feed them human food.

Further Resources: As Squirrel Appreciation Day is an informal observance, there isn't one official UK website. However, you can find more information and ideas by searching online for "Squirrel Appreciation Day activities" or by looking at wildlife conservation websites in the UK such as:

• The Wildlife Trusts: www.wildlifetrusts.org

• RSPCA: www.rspca.org.uk

National Badger Day

National Badger Day is celebrated annually on October 6th in the United Kingdom to raise awareness about badgers, their importance to the ecosystem, and the conservation efforts needed to protect them. This day is dedicated to appreciating the European badger (Meles meles), one of the UK's most iconic wild animals, and to educating the public about the threats they face.

Objectives of National Badger Day:

1. Raise Awareness of Badger Conservation: Highlight the importance of protecting badgers, whose habitats and populations are often threatened by habitat loss, road traffic, and culling.

2. Educate About Badger Habits and Ecology: Inform the public about the behavior, habitat, and ecological role of badgers, including their contribution to maintaining healthy ecosystems.

3. Promote Legal Protection: Advocate for stronger protections for badgers under the law, including their protection under the UK’s Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which makes it illegal to harm badgers or interfere with their setts (burrows).

4. Support Badger Groups: Encourage people to support or join local wildlife groups and badger conservation efforts, such as the Badger Trust, which works to protect and promote badger welfare.

National Badger Day often includes events such as talks, educational workshops, nature walks, and fundraising activities aimed at supporting badger-friendly initiatives and conservation projects. It serves as an opportunity to celebrate this species while addressing the challenges it faces in the wild.

‘HABITATS’ RELATED TOPICS/THEMES…

(More ‘Habitats’ resources coming soon!)

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