Random Retreats Young Rangers is a programme based on the Forest School ethos. The leader behind this programme is our very own Honor Shaw.
Young Rangers is a long-term outdoor education process following the Forest School ethos that is holistic and learner-led. We allow children to develop themselves through healthy engagement with risk, problem-solving and self-discovery, all within a natural environment in a hands-on and thoughtful manner.
Our group promotes self-esteem, creativity, confidence and independence.
We use our block of 6 weekly sessions to build on the needs and development of your child. You do not experience this from one-off days in the woods. It enables supported risk-taking, child-centred learning, exploration and play.
Our group promotes self-esteem, creativity, confidence and independence.
We use our block of 6 weekly sessions to build on the needs and development of your child. You do not experience this from one-off days in the woods. It enables supported risk-taking, child-centred learning, exploration and play.
What is Forest School?
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and support risk-taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired hands-on experience in a natural setting.
Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.
Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and support risk-taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired hands-on experience in a natural setting.
Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.
1: Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.
2: Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
3: Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
4: Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
5: Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
6: Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.
2: Forest School takes place in a woodland or natural wooded environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
3: Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
4: Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
5: Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
6: Forest School uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.
It's only when these 6 principles work together do we truly see the value of Forest School. Underpinning our principles are some positive core beliefs. These can be summarised as, learners are all:
- Equal, unique and valuable.
- Competent to explore & discover
- Entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge
- Entitled to choose, and to initiate and drive their own learning and development
- Entitled to experience regular success
- Entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people
- Entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural work.
Some of the activities the group do are:
Caring for our animals.
Learning fire lighting skills.
Building a woodland den.
Identifying animals, plants and trees.
Building bird boxes, hedgehog & bug houses.
Painting recycled tyres to use for our team games.
Tag archery.
Placing wildlife cameras and feeders.
Creating a fairy garden.
Researching the animals and plants we found.
Land maintenance.
Planting saplings and sowing seeds.
Watching our beehives grow.
Feeding our horses and learning about their holistic lifestyle.
Sprouting seeds to eat.
Making a vegetable plot and growing sweet peas, radish and mint.
Playing team building games.
Village litter pick.
Cooking on a campfire.
We also aim to show progress in the child's journey throughout their time with Young Rangers.
See some examples of past progress below.
Caring for our animals.
Learning fire lighting skills.
Building a woodland den.
Identifying animals, plants and trees.
Building bird boxes, hedgehog & bug houses.
Painting recycled tyres to use for our team games.
Tag archery.
Placing wildlife cameras and feeders.
Creating a fairy garden.
Researching the animals and plants we found.
Land maintenance.
Planting saplings and sowing seeds.
Watching our beehives grow.
Feeding our horses and learning about their holistic lifestyle.
Sprouting seeds to eat.
Making a vegetable plot and growing sweet peas, radish and mint.
Playing team building games.
Village litter pick.
Cooking on a campfire.
We also aim to show progress in the child's journey throughout their time with Young Rangers.
See some examples of past progress below.
Confidence Building - Child would hide behind Mum each time taking a while to leave her side. They slowly mixed and took part. Running back to Mum if anything got too overwhelming. The weeks went on, then the time between hiding with mum and joining the new friends made, got shorter then the child would join straight away.
Regulating Emotions - Child could not grasp the concept of sharing. Demanding tools, equipment and other resources straight away from the other children. They disrupted and created tension, but they felt it was wrong of the other children to not give up the things they wanted. Getting to know the child and their understandings, I could over time help them to approach activities in a calm way and regular gentle explaining of taking time helped them to accept that waiting is an ok thing to have to do.
Fear of Failure - Child was fearful of trying anything new just incase they got it wrong. They would spend their session time in their comfort zone and shy away from trying, even though always on the edge of joining in with games and activities. With regular attendance from the child and as a leader I did not push them to join in. I gave them little jobs on the periphery of activities. After a time they would try something sometimes trying away from others. At the time of writing this, they have joined in and helped to build a camp and took part in a big team game.
Regulating Emotions - Child could not grasp the concept of sharing. Demanding tools, equipment and other resources straight away from the other children. They disrupted and created tension, but they felt it was wrong of the other children to not give up the things they wanted. Getting to know the child and their understandings, I could over time help them to approach activities in a calm way and regular gentle explaining of taking time helped them to accept that waiting is an ok thing to have to do.
Fear of Failure - Child was fearful of trying anything new just incase they got it wrong. They would spend their session time in their comfort zone and shy away from trying, even though always on the edge of joining in with games and activities. With regular attendance from the child and as a leader I did not push them to join in. I gave them little jobs on the periphery of activities. After a time they would try something sometimes trying away from others. At the time of writing this, they have joined in and helped to build a camp and took part in a big team game.
How Random's Retreat Rangers began...
In 2018 I met an old friend at a local event who was running a small scouts type group locally. When he told me about the venture I thought it would be a perfect project for us. After chatting to Ian he agreed to come along and help to arrange a few sessions and see if we could start offering outdoor learning.
In our first year, we ran a 6 week trial with children of friends and family, we had weekly Sunday sessions.
We found the kids loved these sessions and decided to open a block of sessions to others.
We officially began Random's Retreat Rangers in August 2019 with a summer campout weekend. We had 9 kids join us and enjoyed everything from putting the tents up, and watching the foxes at night to cooking on the fire. The weekend was amazing, the kids laughed and enjoyed every minute and I knew I wanted to offer this experience further.
Our weekly sessions then continued throughout autumn and our final session was our Halloween camp & bonfire. We had a small number of local children join us each week, as well as our friends and family.
We had 16 children join us over the different sessions throughout 2019 and had a main group of 9 who attended most weeks.
In 2018 I met an old friend at a local event who was running a small scouts type group locally. When he told me about the venture I thought it would be a perfect project for us. After chatting to Ian he agreed to come along and help to arrange a few sessions and see if we could start offering outdoor learning.
In our first year, we ran a 6 week trial with children of friends and family, we had weekly Sunday sessions.
We found the kids loved these sessions and decided to open a block of sessions to others.
We officially began Random's Retreat Rangers in August 2019 with a summer campout weekend. We had 9 kids join us and enjoyed everything from putting the tents up, and watching the foxes at night to cooking on the fire. The weekend was amazing, the kids laughed and enjoyed every minute and I knew I wanted to offer this experience further.
Our weekly sessions then continued throughout autumn and our final session was our Halloween camp & bonfire. We had a small number of local children join us each week, as well as our friends and family.
We had 16 children join us over the different sessions throughout 2019 and had a main group of 9 who attended most weeks.
February 2020 we were back, the weather dried out, the sun started to shine and this time we had Honor and Dean officially join us with the opportunity to grow our group and use the woodland adjacent to our grazing as a perfect location. Our Young Rangers grew, we had new members joining us, we focused sessions in our woodland and took a more child led, free play approach. Mandy, Honor and Ian spent some time volunteering with a local established forest school and brought many of their learnings back to Random's Retreat. We signed up to follow a Forest School Progression Plan and the children completed 6 learnings throughout each group and received a certificate to prove it. Most of the kids loved the new ways. Enjoyed the new projects, helped build a den, a camp fire circle, completed maintenance on the younger trees in the woodland whilst still enjoying the activities throughout the sessions. We introduced snack time and ranger diaries. We have had to adjust to lockdowns and closures throughout 2020 but that hasn't stopped us growing. Even with limited weeks we could gather in our woodland the children who love being here stayed with us. Our members grew to over 30 children and our core group jumped to 13. Due to poor weather and restrictions, we planned a longer break October-February.
In 2021 Although restrictions delayed us getting together as soon as hoped when they were finally lifted in March we were prepared to open up again and included 2 Rangers sessions weekly on a Sunday. Both groups have up to 15 children present but our regular groups are around 10 most weeks.
We now have 18 members join us regularly and only just cleared our waiting list. As our leaders progressed through their own Forest School Facilitator training our groups developed on a Forest School Ethos of free play, child led, woodland sessions. Its amazing to see the difference in our woodland, the children are caring for the trees, nurturing the new saplings they find growing, exploring every corner of their woodland and finding many treasures within it. We hear laughter, see group play and hear whispers of fairies and gnomes. They maintain the den area, follow basic safety rules, identify and care for the nature around them all without even realising they are learning as they play.
Who would have known going into 2022 our member list would have grown to over 40 children who have spent many enjoyable times with us. WOW!!!
We now have 18 members join us regularly and only just cleared our waiting list. As our leaders progressed through their own Forest School Facilitator training our groups developed on a Forest School Ethos of free play, child led, woodland sessions. Its amazing to see the difference in our woodland, the children are caring for the trees, nurturing the new saplings they find growing, exploring every corner of their woodland and finding many treasures within it. We hear laughter, see group play and hear whispers of fairies and gnomes. They maintain the den area, follow basic safety rules, identify and care for the nature around them all without even realising they are learning as they play.
Who would have known going into 2022 our member list would have grown to over 40 children who have spent many enjoyable times with us. WOW!!!
Rangers Sessions ran every Sunday 12-2pm and 3-5pm. We are following a Forest School Ethos which means our Rangers Sessions will be in 6 week blocks, child led and supervised by our fab group leaders Honor and Ian.
Honor is a newly trained level 3 Forest School Facilitator and Ian has completed his introductory Level 1 certificate. Mandy supports when needed.
Our sessions run with up to 12 children in our woodland, they start with a short safety talk and end with quiet time to chat, recap and wind down. What happens between is in the hands of the children. Free play, den building, bug hunts, tree identification, creating a fairy garden or anything their imagination can decide and of course time for healthy snacks.
Honor is a newly trained level 3 Forest School Facilitator and Ian has completed his introductory Level 1 certificate. Mandy supports when needed.
Our sessions run with up to 12 children in our woodland, they start with a short safety talk and end with quiet time to chat, recap and wind down. What happens between is in the hands of the children. Free play, den building, bug hunts, tree identification, creating a fairy garden or anything their imagination can decide and of course time for healthy snacks.
In 2023 Rangers Sessions ran every Sunday from 12-2pm and 3-5pm from March onwards. The group has continued to develop including new members joining us. Plus in the summer we had our first ever Youth Rangers for children over 11 years old which was a big success. We want to carry that success into 2024 which we hope is our best year yet!
2024 is our year to evolve. We will be sharing our young rangers programme as an afterschool and weekday term time group plus a monthly weekend club. We also plan to to have weekend camps and full day events. Plus to help us do this we have a new Forest School leader joining us to support this. Sessions will be starting soon so keep an eye on our booking pages.