Forest School Activities
Module 1: Fire & Pedagogy
Learn to confidently light fires with your group using cleaver nests, charred cloth and shells with cotton wool!
Forest School Activities Online Training
Module 1: Fire & Pedagogy
Feel Confident With Fire
If you would like to feel more confident at lighting fires and working safely with fire then this course is for you. We will teach you different methods of fire lighting and show you how to safely get children involved in the process.
We will guide you through all the stages from setting up your space, gathering your firewood, extinguishing your fire and how to 'leave no trace' when you finish.
What makes the Forest School Activities Training Course so important
Today many more people understand the necessity for outdoor learning, moreover, the importance of securing nature’s future.
Sir David Attenborough said: "No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced."
We know working with nature is the best solution for climate change...
What’s more, Covid 19 has taught us that immersion in nature positively benefits children’s and adults' health, mental health and wellbeing.
Which is why now more than ever, it’s vital to show people of all ages how to engage with nature.
"Spearheading the transformation of education and health through nature"
This video-based online learning course gives you everything you need to run engaging outdoor sessions…
From acquiring the skills … to mastering the techniques … to health and safety risk assessments …
Remember, this extensive nature-based training programme comes from my 30 years of experience teaching Forest School to outdoor practitioners and teachers like you, in face-to-face settings … and now online.
I understand the barriers you face: namely space, time and cost.
This comprehensive training will equip you with the outdoor learning knowledge and skills you need to overcome perceived barriers and take your classroom outdoors.
You’ll get practical tips on … conducting risk and benefit assessments.. and much more.
You’ll get lifetime access to my highly visual training videos that let you see and hear in detail the outdoor activities taught. You can replay the videos as many times as needed.
You’ll get clear guidance … on how to run engaging activities for early years, primary and secondary children.
So that by the time you complete the Forest School Activities Online Training Course
You’ll have all the information you need to plan engaging outdoor sessions…
Take a look at some of the activities you’ll learn
Foraging Firewood
The key thing that enables success in fire-making is the preparing, gathering and sorting of resources. The ‘kindling’ – the thinnest wood you gather, needs to be as dry and thin as possible and you often need quite a lot of it!
Making Fire with Nursery Children
In this video, you will see how we engage the nursery children into the process of making the fire. With very young children you may begin with a pretend fire, followed by a candle in a lantern before moving to an open fire. You could put a candle in a metal bowl and carefully feel the heat on the bowl. Our nature pedagogy approach is not trying to get to a specific outcome, rather take time to be with the process of discovery!
Using Fire Steels
Whilst matches or lighters can be very useful, we love to use first steels in the outdoors. Some of the great benefits of a fire steel is that they can get wet and last a very long time! The rod is made up of ferrocium which includes iron (ferrum) and cerium (rare-earth metal).
Testimonials
This has given me confidence
I have just completed the Tools Module online with The Outdoor Teacher. I am currently in training to become a Forest School teacher and feel this has given me the confidence and skills necessary to enhance my learning to enable me to deliver activities that involve using tools safely and creatively.
You really don’t need lots of equipment to get started
Even after all the years I have been teaching outdoor learning and facilitating Forest School, it was great to be reminded of the power and simplicity of creative play and learning. Marina slowly builds upon simple ideas, layer by layer and the possibilities soon become limitless. What I also love about this module is that you really don’t need lots of equipment to get started as the idea is to inspire and see where it takes you. You really don’t have to be an artist to do this module... just a willingness to have a go!
The course was great, very simple to use and really informative
The course was great, very simple to use and really informative. The course gives individuals the confidence and clear safety guidelines to equip you to just get outdoors and enjoy nature in a fun and engaging way.
What's Included in Module 1?
PLUS DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
What will you learn?
Course Curriculum
About the instructor
Welcome to the Fire Module (4:18)
Get Prepared - What do you need? (1:40)
How to Forage Firewood (4:05)
The Fire Circle Routine: Setting up the Space (3:53)
Key Safety Considerations (3:28)
Making a Spark - How to use a Fire Steel (3:18)
Making a Fire with a Nest of Cleavers (5:46)
Making a Fire with Cotton Wool, a Fire Steel and a Shell (5:10)
Making Fire with Nursery Children (3:23)
Look After Your Space and Leave No Trace (9:54)
Fire and Pedagogy Reflection
Course Downloads
Welcome to the Fire Module
Key Considerations with Fire-Making
Fire Module - Risk Benefit Assessment
Using Fire Steels - Risk Benefit Assessment
The Forest School Activities Training
Our foundation training course comes with lifetime access to over 100 step by step inspirational videos and resources.
Designed for teachers and practitioners. Single modules are £47 +vat or save £100 when you buy the 8 module bundle.
Payment plans available.
Who you learn from matters
I'm Marina Robb
Marina Robb (BSc; PGCE; MA; MSc) is the founder of The Outdoor Teacher and Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC, with over 30 years’ experience in nature-based education. A national leader and FSA-endorsed trainer, Marina brings a unique blend of science, pedagogy and real-world teaching experience to her courses.
I'm the co-author of ‘Learning with Nature’ a must-have book for Forest School & Outdoor practitioners, and ‘The Essential Guide to Forest School and Nature Pedagogy’ which contains everything you need to know from theory to practice.
I'm also the host of The Wild Minds Podcast.
Complete the full course and you’ll qualify for Forest School Liability Insurance
Birnbeck Insurance is the UK's leading provider of specialist liability insurance for Forest School and Outdoor Learning Practitioners. As such, the firm has approved our Forest School Activities Online Training Course, which means when you complete your training, you’ll be eligible for their Forest School Liability Insurance. Contact Birnbeck for a quote
Try it risk-free
You have 14 days to explore the course.
If you’re not happy, we’ll refund you - no questions asked.
Ready to bring your outdoor learning to life?
Available on all devices
Access the course on your computer, tablet or download the app for your smart phone.
Lifetime access
All our courses come with lifetime access.
FAQ
If you are paying in full, you will get access to all 8 modules and all bonus materials as soon as your purchase is complete.
You will have lifetime access to the course! Unlimited access to the lessons and videos for as long as you like, across all your devices.
Yes, Marina Robb is an author and UK Forest School Association Endorsed Trainer and has been training Forest School Leaders since 2011. She has been working with groups in nature since 1995 and you can read more here.
Yes, we understand that many schools and other organisations can’t pay by card – contact us and we can send you an invoice to pay us by bank transfer in UK Sterling, Euros or Dollars. We can also accept cheques from UK bank accounts.
Yes, the course can be accessed on all devices. If you have an iPhone, you can also download the free ‘Teachable’ app from the Apple Store and complete the course using the app, downloading any videos you like onto your device.
If for some reason you are not happy with the course, contact us in writing within your first 14 days for a full refund. You will need to include an explanation of why you want the refund.
This course is not a qualification but is Certified by The Outdoor Teacher and based on Marina's experience and expertise in this field.
All practitioners in the UK need to follow health and safety law, which requires us to provide risk assessments and be competent to deliver activities. Teachers for example are already qualified already to take their practice outdoors but are likely to need a course like ours to get the practical skills in place.
The Level 3 Forest School training and Forest School programmes (long term) are an educational approach and the training is excellent. If you intend to offer long-term forest school programmes, then I would recommend you doing the qualification.
We have a page about Outdoor Learning Myths and a recent webinar where these issues are addressed:
https://theoutdoorteacher.com/blog/outdoor-learning-myths
This training resource does not give you a formal qualification in Forest School Leadership.
It has been designed at the same standard and beyond as a Level 3, by Marina Robb, an endorsed Forest School Association Trainer with 30 years experience. The course aims to enable and equip people with the practical delivery of Forest School-based activities to a high competency, with all the correct health and safety and pedagogy weaved through the course.
There is no requirement to have a Forest School Qualification to take children out of doors to learn and play. As a teacher or practitioner, you are legally obliged to have risk assessments in place and insurance relevant to practice offered.
This is a self-paced course so you work in your own time from pre-recorded video lessons.
There are 45 minutes of lessons to complete in this module, but you will also need to factor in time to practice the activities on top of this.
Yes, you can. Whether you are near a woodland, park or school playground - all the activities can be adapted for different circumstances.
We have run activities using fire, tools, games, wild food, crafts, swings & ropes, shelters in school yards and playgrounds.
It does take more preparation and consideration of equipment. If you wanted to make fires, you would either designate a small green area of the playground for this purpose or use a fire bowl to lift the fire off the ground. We have also taken many groups on short walks throughout the seasons to gather some plants for many activities.
Posts can be put up to replace trees, so that children can still set up various rope bridges or constructions and with a little thinking you can easily set up a rope swing and tarpaulin shelters.
In schools we often ask parents to contribute a log for our wood pile and ask for help to bring in useful materials we may need over the year.
No - the license is granted for 1 user to view the contents of the course. This access must not be shared with any other person and only the named user will receive the certificate.
See next question for bulk licencing queries.
No - the license is granted for 1 user to view the contents of the course. This access must not be shared with any other person and only the named user will receive the certificate.
See next question for bulk licencing queries.
Yes, please contact us for bulk purchasing discounts. We can set up the user accounts for you and send you access codes and you can pay by invoice
Yes, all our courses come with a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from The Outdoor Teacher Ltd.
Yes feel free to call or email us with any questions - our contact details are on the contact page.
The Outdoor Teacher, alongside its sister organization Circle of Life Rediscovery CIC aim to transform health, education and family through nature.
We are whole-heartedly concerned about the safeguarding of future generations, human and non-human alike, and the growing understanding of reciprocity between humans and nature. Whilst we are advocates for all people accessing nature and its benefits, we know that this is only healthy if we prioritise the care for the natural world and address issues of equality.
The Outdoor Teacher is working towards becoming a certified B-Corp. Certified B Corps are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. We aim to be part of this community of leaders, driving a global movement of people using businesses as a force for good.
We are using Monzo Business Banking which is listed as an ethical bank: https://monzo.com/ethics.