Northern Ireland Forest School Association

22/10/2026

Don’t miss out on these brilliant upcoming Forest School events with Mid Ulster District Council 🌳

🌳 Get Active NI Community Forest School Experience 🌳

Looking for a fun outdoor adventure this October? 🍂

Join us at Dungannon Park for a FREE Community Forest School Experience, packed with hands-on activities that help children build confidence, learn new skills and connect with nature. 🌿

𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯𝟭 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
🕚 11am-12pm | P1-P5 (with parent/guardian)
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=iwXXq7E6i0ai8xnBNQQLY11AdqTd2sFIqVdCxdi4V_VUQVdMOEZXSFRHVTEwNU9BMFhZSEQyRFczNS4u&route=shorturl

🕑 2pm-3pm | P6-Year 10
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=iwXXq7E6i0ai8xnBNQQLY11AdqTd2sFIqVdCxdi4V_VUOE1UNzZPQUxNWUZQWkxVQkw1QzJBTVJZVS4u&route=shorturl

Limited spaces available | Booking essential via forms linked above

📧 [email protected]
📞 028 8772 8690

Funded by Sport NI and the London Marathon Foundation through Get Active NI. More dates and locations coming Spring 2027.

22/10/2026

The benefits of children connecting with nature are well evidenced. So why are so many children still missing out?

A major new evidence briefing from Natural England, published this September confirms just that, and raises an urgent question.

The research identifies four key barriers stopping children from accessing nature:

🏗️ Lack of green space near schools and homes
😟 Low nature confidence - children feel unsafe or unsure outdoors
🎭 Nature not feeling ‘for them’ - cultural and social barriers
🏫 Poor outdoor facilities in schools - no nature space, no provision

At NIFSA, we’ve been working to break down every one of these barriers across Northern Ireland since 2008. Through trained Forest School Leaders, funded programmes and our work in schools across every council area, we are building nature confidence, one child at a time.

Outdoor education needs to be in the Northern Ireland curriculum, for every child.

📋 Please sign our petition: change.org/NIFSACurriculumReview

www.forestschoolsni.com

Source: Natural England TIN240 - Included Outside: Engaging Children and Young People in Nature, September 2026

21/10/2026

We returned to Broadbridge PS for Sessions 3 & 4 with the P1s... and here's what we got up to:

🍂 Session 3: Autumn Hedgerow Foraging, S’mores & Wood-Cookie Characters

The children explored the hedgerow in full autumn colour, foraged along the way and finished with everyone’s favourite - s’mores around the fire. Then, we got creative making their very own wood-cookie characters.

🕷️ Session 4: Spider Cookies & Clay Heads

A little twist on the plan today - recent hedge flaying had cleared the local Elder supply, so whittling was swapped for something just as wonderful. The children made spider cookies and clay heads using natural materials, because in Forest School, nature always finds a way. 😄

Funded by RAPID PEACEPLUS.

www.forestschoolsni.com

20/10/2026

The Princess of Wales is calling for nature to be at the heart of children's development.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmly0n4nzq5qo

We've been saying the same thing in Northern Ireland since 2008. Nature builds curiosity, creativity, emotional wellbeing and resilience. Forest School delivers all of it, in every school, for every child.

Northern Ireland's children deserve this too. 🌿

📋 Sign the petition: change.org/NIFSACurriculumReview

The Princess of Wales launches a project encouraging a greater emphasis on children learning from nature.

19/10/2026

19/10/2026

A Forest School Trip with Artigarvan Primary School to Gortin Glen, and what a day it was! 🏔️

Here’s how the adventure unfolded…

🌲 Forest walk: exploring one of Northern Ireland’s most beautiful woodland settings
🏕️ Den building: teamwork, creativity and some seriously impressive shelters
🎮 Wide games: energy, laughter and healthy competition
🧙 Tree Trolls: clay art bringing the woodland characters to life 🌿
🔍 Exploration:
discovering what lives, grows and hides in the Glen
🧶 Wool braiding: calm, focused and creative
😊 Chill time: because every adventurer needs a moment to breathe

Would you like to find out more about what we do, and how we could work with your school? Get in touch.

Funded by RAPID PEACEPLUS.

16/10/2026

Fire, s'mores and bubble wands at St. Mary's PS Altinure 🪵 🫧

The children couldn't wait to light their fires, and the smiles said it all.

New skills, sharp focus and pure concentration were required for the whittling bubble wands.

We made full use of the beautiful outdoor learning area down in the woods. This is exactly what a Forest School day should look like.

Find out more about the courses we could offer your school here: www.forestschoolsni.com

15/10/2026

How did we spend a full day in the woods with St. Mary's PS Altinure as part of their Forest School Training? Let’s find out… 🌳🪵🔥

A brilliant group of educators who gave everything to the day, and the conversations were just as valuable as the activities. 💚

We explored risky play in the wild, unpacking what it means, why it matters and how to embrace it confidently and safely in a Forest School setting.

We also looked at ways of developing den building to facilitate teaching across the school curriculum, connecting outdoor learning directly to what happens in the classroom.

This is the kind of CPD that changes how teachers think. 🌳

Explore our courses here: www.forestschoolsni.com/course