If you would like a regular outdoor session but have no woodland nearby and no qualified leader to run it, this plan may help. It works in a back garden, a local park or any other green space you are allowed to use. It is a planning method, not a promise of particular results.
Why a regular session, and what this plan is not
A fixed weekly slot takes the daily decision out of going outside. You do not have to find the energy or the idea each time, because the session already has a place, a time and a shape.
It helps to be clear about one thing. Forest School is a distinct, formal approach. The Forest School Association (FSA) describes it as a long-term process of regular sessions in woodland or natural environments, with learner-centred methods and supported risk-taking, and says it is run by qualified Forest School practitioners (source: the FSA’s “What is Forest School?” page, checked 23 October 2026). The plan below is a home routine for time outdoors. It is not the same thing as Forest School and does not claim to be.
The weekly plan, step by step
- Choose one place. Pick a garden corner, a park bench area or a patch of grass you can reach easily. Using the same spot each week makes small changes easier to notice.
- Choose one time. Put it in the diary like any other appointment. Sixty to ninety minutes is a reasonable starting length, and you could shorten it for younger children.
- Follow a five-part shape (set out in the next section).
- Pack a small kit and keep it by the door so that leaving is quick.
- Agree a weather rule in advance, so that the decision is not made fresh every week.
- Review after four sessions. Ask what to keep, what to drop and what the children want to try next.
The five-part session shape
1. Arrive and look
Spend the first few minutes in silence or near-silence. You could ask everyone to find one thing that is different from last week. This gives the session a calm start.
2. Free exploration
Let the children wander within the agreed boundaries of the site. Try not to direct. Your job is to stay nearby and watch.
3. One focus activity
Choose a single activity for the week. Ideas include sketching one plant, making a simple map of the space, collecting and sorting fallen leaves, measuring shadows at two different times, or listing every sound you can hear. One focus is enough.
4. Share or record
Take a few minutes to talk about what each person noticed. Older children might add an entry to a journal. If you already keep one, see nature journaling as a year-round practice.
5. Pack down
Gather your belongings and leave the space as you found it. Making this a fixed final step gives the session a clear end.
A simple kit list
This is advice, not a rulebook. You could adapt it to your own site.
- A small bag or box that stays packed
- Notebooks and pencils in a waterproof pouch
- A hand lens
- A groundsheet or old blanket to sit on
- Water and a snack, plus any personal items your family needs
- A spare layer and a bag for wet or muddy items
- A phone or paper copy of your contact details, if you are away from home
A weather rule
Try writing one sentence that you all agree on, for example: “We go out unless the forecast or the site makes it unsuitable, and then we do the focus activity indoors.” Before each session, check the forecast and look at the site itself. If something about the place looks unsafe on the day, choose another spot or stay in. For hazards such as ticks, sun, water, fire or tools, check the official guidance for your area rather than relying on this article, which does not give safety rules.
Seasonal swaps
Keep the five-part shape and change only the focus activity.
- Autumn: sort leaves and seeds by shape, or track which trees change first.
- Winter: study bare branches and look for signs of birds visiting.
- Spring: follow one bud or shoot each week and record it.
- Summer: record shadows, or sit and count the insects you see in ten minutes.
For more on using the outdoors in this way, see nature study at home. If movement is your main aim, physical education without a school covers that ground. To fit the session into your week, see a home education schedule without a timetable.
A hypothetical example
This example is hypothetical and illustrative only. Imagine a family with a back garden and a park ten minutes away. They choose Thursday at 10:30 and use the park on dry weeks and the garden on wet ones. In week one they arrive, look, wander and share one observation each. In week four, the focus activity is sketching the same tree they have been visiting, and they decide to keep it as a regular feature. They pack down in five minutes and add a line to their diary.
Assumptions
- You have permission to use the space, whether it is your own garden or a public park.
- An adult will be present throughout and will make their own judgement about the site and the children in their care.
- You want a low-cost, low-preparation routine rather than a structured programme.
- Your children are able to spend time outdoors, and you will adapt for any needs they have.
Limitations
- This plan does not replace Forest School, which the FSA describes as run by qualified practitioners, and it makes no claim to be equivalent.
- It gives no health, safety or medical advice, and no promise about what any child will gain from it.
- Urban sites, small gardens and restricted spaces will limit some activities.
- Every family and site is different, so treat the details as starting points to change.
Next step
Pick your place and your time today, write them in the diary, and put a small kit bag by the door. Then go out for your first session this week and keep it short.