Inset training, Mentoring,Team-building & Consultancy

“Invigorating, challenging, fun and best of all, outside!” – Deputy Head, Junior Kings, Canterbury.

Time in nature  can refresh, relax, and restore your passion for teaching and inspire you to get outside more and become a better teacher!

I provide creative outdoor learning Consultancy, INSET training and team-building. I am passionate about helping teachers take learning outdoors and making it fun and challenging for the benefit of their students and their own teaching expertise.

The training encourages creativity across the disciplines and nature connection within the school – the team building comes naturally from the activities. I teach a natural flow learning model which provides a theoretical landscape, based on the natural energetic rhythm of a day, to set the training within and outline my ORBs dynamic risk assessment method to share a tried and tested way of coping with risk outdoors.

Each event is created specifically to your needs, drawing from the skill sets (outlined below – scroll down) which are cross-curricular and embodied learning by their very nature, providing something of value for all learning styles and schemas. I have worked with up to 80 staff in a single school so far…. so large numbers of staff will be fine!

Feedback:

“I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to you for such an inspiring and action-packed day yesterday. We all felt very empowered and motivated and are now working out the final practicalities so that we can implement Forest Schools here at Saint Augustine’s. Despite it being a cold, grey February day we all came away with our heads brimming with ideas for activities which we know that our children will enjoy every bit as much as we did!”

“Fantastic fun, informative and useful.”

“A great reminder of what opportunities we have in the grounds here.”

“Today’s INSET was so refreshing, led by some of the most delightful people I have ever met!”

What follows is a list of the difference focusses the INSET trainings can have – always tailored to you school or setting:

Natural Flow learning – teaching, planning and activity leading model based on the natural flow of energy in natural cycles – to including creative outdoor learning activities to inspire, enthuse, focus, soak -in, review, celebrate and re-integrate with your classroom based practice.

Natural Musicians – It’s so much more than music!  Over the last couple of years I have been developing ways of using found natural objects, patterns and landscapes to help compose and make music. The music is played with a combination of body percussion, beatboxing, vocals and found natural instruments like sticks and bushes. It is a way of using the outdoor classroom and meeting music curriculum elements like pulse, describing sounds, soundscapes, rhythmic patterns, working alone, composition, working as a duet, working as an ensemble. There are many links to literacy,  numeracy and science too, and I think that my degree in environmental science, experience as an author and creative outdoor learning facilitator put me in a perfect place for exploring these links in ways suited to age, ability and interest. Natural Musicians makes for a fantastic INSET training – team building, leadership, communication, confidence,  community, creativity…its all in there in abundance! Click here to visit the specific natural musicians training website

Storytelling, story-making and re-telling – A huge range of tried and tested ways of improving and inspiring teachers’ storytelling and use of story in class, across the curriculum.

Talk to write – inspirational activities and ideas, based in the outdoor classroom when possible, for encouraging would be writers to tell stories, describe situations and engage in discussion.

Natural Mathematicians and Scientists – games and activities that use real objects to introduce or reinforce maths and science topics, knowledge and methods.

Land art/Environmental Art from and with Natural Materials – a massive range of nature based art activities relevant across the curriculum activities.

Natural Map Makers – learn how to make maps using and open your perceptions to the world using songs, raps and found objects as well as good old pencil and paper.

Bushcraft skills for forest schools and outdoor play – Chris provides a very comprehensive range of training possibilities to enhance your forest school program with practical bushcraft activities like whittling, shelter-building, primitive/traditional art and crafts. Speak to him to discuss your specific requirements.

Nature awareness activities for forest schools and outdoor play – Nature awareness and outdoor play is at the heart of the forest school curriculum. In this inset Chris shares a unique range of activities to enhance you children’s perception and relationship with themselves and the natural world.

Plants in your school grounds – want to know which plants are safe, edible, medicinal or poisonous? How can we use the plants for outdoor learning? Can include a fun foraged meal for the staff too!

talk to write forest school inset training session at Millfield prep
Forest school inset training session at Millfield Prep School, Somerset

What happens if it rains all day of the training? – We will get a bit wet at times! Children don’t mind…neither should we! In seriousness, some of the training is indoors and theory based..but as for the activities most are adapted to the indoors…it is creative earning after all!

Prices – here is a guideline – I don’t want any school to not be able to afford it.

£30 per teacher for twilight sessions  – minimum £300 – sliding scale for large numbers of staff.

Full day £50 per teacher, minimum cost £450 + travel – sliding scale for large numbers of staff – eg £1000 for 24