Little Wild Things Family Fun

Come and bring your Little Acorns for a morning of free flow Forest School inspired fun with Andrea in the woods!​

This time we're at Heartwood, in Frylands Wood Scout centre, Selsdon.

We'll be running a forest school inspired session, including treasure hunting, making, digging, sensory play and storytelling, rounded off with a campfire and toast.

Here's all the information you need to know...

• Please park in the car park ar Frylands wood and make your way up the track opposite the car park entrance. Follow the purple ribbons to Heartwood. Please allow 20 minutes to walk with little legs. You should be able to get a robust buggy up, although it is hilly and terrain is an uneven track. Allow 20 minutes for little legs to walk up - its all part of the adventure and there is lots to spot, touch and sniff on the way!

• You can ask at reception for a map to guide you.

• On arrival you'll be asked to sign our form which means that you will be agreeing to take full responsibility for the safety and behaviour of your child / children / wards while you are playing with us. We do carry insurance, but we've kept our costs down by only having one paid member of staff, so the ratios mean that we cannot take responsibility for the children on these sessions. We would ask that you help us by taking on board any safety guidance that we do give (especially around the fire) and support the children to make good choices about their behaviour.

• Please try and arrive a promptly as you can. I know how difficult this can be with one, let alone multiple numbers of children, but if you arrive late you'll probably miss out on something either fun or important.

• Please all wear old clothes that you don't mind getting wet and dirty. Our philosophy is that there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing, and in our experience, enjoyment of the day hinges on how warm and dry you're feeling! So we're looking at lots of warm layers, waterproof jacket and trousers if you can, hat and gloves, wellies or robust footwear.

• If it rains we'll be carrying on anyway! We have a big tarp which we'll rig up so that we have somewhere to shelter if need be. The only time we'll cancel is in the event of a storm, and we'll let you know as early as we can if that happens.

• There are toilets and baby changing but it is very basic. You are welcome to take Wild Wees and change babies on picnic blankets!

• There will be a mix of ages and abilities from 2 -12 (and some babies too!) so we'll manage the activities as best we can. Hopefully the older ones can be a bit more independent, and maybe even support the tiddlers. There will be different activities happening in each session, a camp fire, a story, all of which will hopefully be something we can all enjoy together. Kids are of course welcome to roam and opt in and out as they like - who knows, they might even start off their own activity which is perfectly fine with us!!

• If your child cannot eat toast and Jam or marshmallows and digestive biscuits for any reason, please could you bring an alternative campfire snack for them so they don't feel left out as the others tuck in.

• Just to let you know that some of our volunteer staff are young people from Croydon Youth Forest Project. Some may have mild learning difficulties or disabilities which may not be immediately apparent. We try to give all our young people the opportunity to support us in the real world by sharing their skills and knowledge with the younger ones. This is an experience that they really value and is our chance to give them a taste of working life outside school and college, and an opportunity to engage with adults and children in a professional but friendly and supportive working environment. Those who are old enough hold DBS checks, and we ensure that they are supported by an adult worker at all times. We only allow young people that we know well, and who we think will cope to support these sessions. We hope you enjoy their enthusiasm and spending time with them as much as we do!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Heartwood Woodland Wellness, Featherbed Lane, Croydon, United Kingdom