Inspiring Outdoor
Education Visits
We offer a range of forest school leader led environmental education programmes that support national curriculum requirements for Early Years, Key Stages 1 and 2. Our activities offer children a unique hands-on experience natures outdoor classroom.
Education visits are predominantly run from High Woods Country Park, although other Colchester country park sites can be considered upon request.
There are many activities to choose from including pond dipping, minibeast hunting and den building. You can specify your preferred activities on the booking enquiry form. Sessions can be tailored to specific topics and learning objectives.
We run school visits all year around, not just in the summer!
Our Activities
We offer a whole host of activities for you to choose from so you can customise your visit to create the perfect day for you and your pupils.
Create your day by choosing three activities from those listed below or email us if there is a specific learning objective that you would like your visit tailored around.
Click the book now button and start building the perfect outdoor learning adventure for you and your class.
Pond dipping
Pond dipping is always a popular choice. Come face to face with a newt or a water scorpion! Discover what creatures hide under the surface and become a pond dipping expert. Perfect for learning about minibeasts, habitats and exploring lifecycles.
Mini Beast Madness
Join the Rangers for a mini beast hunt and discover some of the millions of creatures who call High Woods home! In the summer season we also have the opportunity to swish through the long grass with our sweep nets to see what you can find. A perfect activity for exploring the theme of habitats and learning more about mini beasts.
Den Building
Encourage teamwork and creativity by setting your class the challenge of building dens using logs, tarps and ropes. Always a firm favourite with our visitors.
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High Woods Explorer
We have various trails around High Woods giving your class the opportunity to explore compass points, increase their map skills including understanding contours, learn more about our tremendous trees, or just to generally find out more about the fantastic flora and fauna of High Woods. The choice of focus is yours!
Forest Skills and Crafts
This is always popular with our visitors. In a forests school setting children can learn forests skills such as fire lighting or knot craft and have the opportunity to use natural materials to create wonderful forest keepsakes to take home.
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Sensory Explorers
This one's perfect for our Reception and Year 1 visitors. Explore High Woods using all of your senses. The children will make their own natural artists palette and create a wonderful smelly potion.
Theme Days
If you have a particular theme or learning objective you would like your day at High Woods to encompass just let us know. We can tailor your day to your exact requirements. Habitats and lifecycles are popular themes but we're happy to get creative and work with you to create the perfect visit!
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