Where the classroom
has no walls.
Muddy knees, real fires, and proper knots. Structured woodland learning in market-town copses — qualified, Ofsted-registered, and genuinely good fun.
Real skills.
Real woods.
Not a nature walk with clipboards. Every session has a core skill — children return home with something they made, found, or understood.
Fire-Lighting
Flint and steel, bow-drill, safe fire-circle protocols. Children learn to build and tend a fire under 1:6 supervision.
Knot-Tying
Bowline, clove hitch, reef knot. Practical rope work that builds dexterity and problem-solving.
Den-Building
Natural materials, lashing, load-bearing. Real structural thinking in miniature.
Wild Foraging
Identify and taste: wild garlic, wood sorrel, hawthorn berry, elderflower. Seasonal and safe.
Wildlife Tracking
Cast plaster prints, read scat, identify calls. Children learn to read the wood before entering it.
Reading Weather
Cloud types, wind direction, pressure drops. Stand in it, name it, understand it.
No commitment · Just one Saturday morning · Waterproofs provided
Structured enough
to trust.
We believe children need manageable risk. Here's every qualification, ratio, and framework we operate under.
Ofsted Registered
Registered childcare provider. Inspected and rated. Full documentation available on request.
Forest School Association
All lead practitioners hold Level 3 FSA qualifications. Ongoing CPD every term.
DBS Checked Staff
Enhanced DBS on every adult, updated annually. Safeguarding lead on-site every session.
First Aid Certified
Paediatric first aid on every session. Wilderness first aid trained on all woodland days.
Risk-Benefit Framework
We don't eliminate risk — we manage it. Dynamic risk assessments, site-specific plans, and the HSE's own endorsed approach.
Public Liability Insurance
£5 million public liability. Full documentation shared with schools and parish councils.
Six acts.
Three hours.
Every Canopy session follows the same arc — predictable enough to feel safe, open enough to feel wild.
Arrival Circle
Children gather in a circle. Names, a weather observation, and today's intention.
Skill Focus
The session's core skill — whittling, knots, fire — introduced with demonstration and story.
Free Exploration
Child-led time in the wood with practitioners nearby. Den-building, tracking, foraging — their choice.
Fire & Snack
Sit around the fire circle. Hot chocolate, toast on sticks, or foraged finds. The social heart of the session.
Reflection
What did you notice? What surprised you? Children share one thing with the group.
Closing Song
Every session ends the same way. The same song, the same circle. Ritual builds belonging.
← Swipe to see the full session →
Heard by the gate
on collection day.
She came home smelling of woodsmoke and told me she'd made fire with a stick. I didn't believe her until she showed me the callus. She hasn't asked for the iPad since.
Kofi is autistic and I was nervous. The practitioners understood immediately. He now asks every Friday if it's "woods day" yet. That's the only endorsement I need.
The Level 3 CPD day was the best professional development I've had in eight years. I came back with 12 activities I could do in our school field the following week.
Our two are completely different personalities. One loves the fire, one loves the tracking. Canopy somehow gives both of them exactly what they need in the same three hours.
I was worried about the weather. The practitioners said "there's no bad weather, only bad kit" and lent us waterproofs the first session. Now Kwame insists on going in the rain.
The copse behind the rec ground sat unused for eleven years. Canopy turned it into something the whole village uses. The planning and liability paperwork was handled professionally throughout.
One Saturday morning.
No commitment.
The taster session is free. Waterproofs provided. If your child doesn't love it, you owe us nothing.
Book a Free Taster Session
Takes 30 seconds
Download the Parent Pack
Session plans, kit lists, our risk-benefit policy, and the FSA framework explained in plain English.
- Sample session plan (PDF)
- Kit list by age group
- Risk-benefit policy
- FSA qualification details