Cotswold Outdoor Fun

A fortnightly group for home-educated children aged 10-15 with additional needs who would love to spend more time outdoors.

This group runs year-round but sessions at Westonbirt Arboretum.

The sessions will be participant-led and will focus on the young people’s needs and interests but the kinds of activities they might like to do could include:

Summer 

Making a bug hotel, whittling butter knives and wands, wild art (hapa zome, clay work, natural stained glass windows etc), jewellery making, tree weeding in the Silk Wood Community Woodland, wildlife watching and surveying, taking part in a seasonal scavenger hunt or a plant hunters tree trail, learning to tie knots (to string up a hammock, or make a den, for instance).

Autumn

Coppicing and weaving deer protection fences, using coppice products to whittle (toadstools, a fox, or a Christmas tree etc), making bird feeders, planting trees, using natural materials for autumn art (leaf bunting, natural dyes for printing, making leaf fireworks, creating clay leaf bowls).

No matter the time of year, the young people will be learning to light and manage fires, toasting marshmallows, deciding what they want to eat for lunch, then prepping it and doing campfire cooking. They will also take part in mindfulness and nature connection activities, reflection and journalling / create a gratitude diary. The young people will also be building confidence and resilience. Throughout our programmes we also trickle through ideas for further study, volunteering and green careers.

During the programme the young people can work towards the internationally recognised John Muir Award (they need to attend regularly  enough to complete a minimum of 25 hours to gain the award) and our in-house Westonbirt award. The final session, on 10 December, will be a celebration session, that family / carers are invited to so that the young people can share what they’ve been doing during the programme, and an award ceremony where the young people receive their John Muir and Westonbirt award certificates. After the celebration event, families are welcome to explore the arboretum together.

 £10 per child, we will provide refreshments, snacks and the food for lunch. 

Mobility scooters and wheelchairs can also be hired free of charge and we have an accessible compost toilet at the Community Shelter.