Outdoor Preschool In Sheffield
Foresteers preschool is situated in the woods on Oughtibridge Lane (aka Jawbone Hill) in the Oughtibridge area of Sheffield, S35. If you are looking for a nursery where your child can thrive and learn through safe outdoor experiences and play, why not book a FREE visit to check out our friendly nursery school.
Foresteers Outdoor Preschool Ethos
At Foresteers, we believe every child is naturally curious, imaginative, and eager to explore – and that every child can thrive when given the freedom and space to connect with nature.
Does your child pick up a stick and transform it into a flagpole, a helicopter, or a magic wand? Do they stop to wonder what kind of tree they’re passing, or gaze out the window wishing they were outdoors? If so, they’re already a Foresteer at heart.
We invite them to join us in our magical woodland on the hills by Oughtibridge, where minds and senses are free to wander, imagination has no limits, and creativity comes alive.
Our Foresteers ethos centres on nurturing each child’s development through positive relationships with nature. Through exploration, discovery, and supported risks, children develop confidence, resilience, independence, and new skills.
Our experienced practitioners encourage child-led learning through engaging, hands-on activities, progressing to experiences such as tool use and fire when appropriate. Every child is supported to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and thrive at their own pace.
The Aims of Forest School
1. Build confidence and self-esteem
Children are encouraged to try new things, take appropriate risks, and celebrate their achievements. Success comes from persistence and personal progress rather than comparison with others.
2. Develop resilience and independence
Forest School helps children become confident problem-solvers. They learn to manage challenges, recover from setbacks, and make decisions for themselves.
3. Promote emotional wellbeing
Spending time in nature provides opportunities for children to relax, regulate their emotions, and develop positive mental wellbeing. Forest School creates a calm, supportive environment where children feel safe to express themselves.
4. Encourage curiosity and a love of learning
Children are encouraged to ask questions, investigate, experiment, and explore. Learning is driven by curiosity and discovery rather than simply following instructions.
5. Foster a connection with nature
Children develop an understanding of the natural world and learn to care for the environment through first-hand experiences, encouraging respect for wildlife and sustainable practices.
6. Develop social and communication skills
Working together to build shelters, prepare a fire, solve problems, or complete challenges helps children develop cooperation, empathy, leadership, listening, and communication skills.
7. Improve physical development
Natural environments provide opportunities to develop:
- Gross motor skills through climbing, balancing, running, and lifting.
- Fine motor skills through activities such as tool use, knot tying, whittling, and nature crafts.
8. Support creativity and imagination
The woodland offers endless opportunities for imaginative play, storytelling, music, art, and open-ended exploration using natural materials.
9. Encourage appropriate risk-taking
Forest School helps children learn to recognise, assess, and manage risks safely. This develops judgement, responsibility, and confidence while supporting healthy development.
10. Support holistic development
Forest School aims to develop every aspect of a child’s growth, including:
- Emotional development
- Social development
- Physical development
- Cognitive development
- Spiritual and ethical awareness
- Communication and language
What To Expect
Foresteers Outdoor Preschool Daily Routines
7.30-8.00 – Arrival – children arrive at the setting, register, have breakfast and then play.
9.00-10.00 – Adventure Time – at 9am we gather as a group and say good moring, we talk about what we might like to do during the day, the children may choose to direct their own learning, following their own interests or they may opt to take part in an adult led activity.
10.00-10.15 – Mid-morning snack – we gather at the log circle, wash our hands and enjoy a healthy snack while we reflect on the morning so far. Snack will be provided and fresh drinking water is available throughout the day.
10.15-11.45am – Adventure Time – these continue as before.
11.45am – 12.00-Play and Say, – a small group session with their keyworker that focuses on speaking and listening
12.00-12.30 – Lunch – we eat together at the log circle
12.30-2.30 Adventure Time – some children prefer a bit of quiet time after lunch, perhaps listening to a story or two, singing a song or getting creative cookery in the community kitchen.
2.45-3.00 Mid-afternoon snack – we gather at the log circle, wash our hands and enjoy a healthy snack while we reflect on the afternoon so far. Snack will be provided and fresh drinking water is available throughout the day.
4.00- Story Time and Home – we say good bye to some of our friends.
4.00-5.30 – Adventure Time (smaller group) – children are encouraged to help clear away the site at the end of the day, we leave the woodland as we found it and remove all trace we were ever there. This is the perfect time for children to talk about their day and show off any treasures they’ve found and have some tea time nibbles.
Forest School Experiences & Lessons
At Foresteers we believe that any forest school activity can relate to most, if not all, areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Let us give you an example: One of our favourite things to do with little ones is to read. Reading helps spark imagination, improve language, speech, communication, understanding and so much more. We will read the Gruffalo for example.
Then, we extend the story and we will ask the children if they would like to help build the homes for all the characters in the book (snake, fox and owl) using natural resources. Once the children are engaged in the activity (and it is OK if some don’t want to participate, spontaneous play is hugely beneficial) then it is a great opportunity to ‘act out’ the whole story from start to finish as a group, moving around, using different voices and having fun!
A simple yet effective activity like the Gruffalo supports all of the EYFS areas, including the specific, here’s how:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development: The children can explore the feelings of the animals and learn to be as a group as we go through the book.
Communication and Language: understanding the words in the story and sharing their thoughts and experiences as we go through it
Physical Development: Moving through the woodland in different ways and developing fine motor skills as we build different homes for the animals
Mathematics: The children are building, making shapes, counting how many logs snake needs for his home.
Understanding of the world: The children are in the natural world to begin with, so they are taking in their surroundings, finding insects as they move logs, noticing the changes of the seasons and the plants growing or decaying.
Literacy: Reading the story from start to finish and immersing themselves in it by acting it out, living the story through movement and voice.
Expressive Arts & Design: Being imaginative, this activity ignites that for the children for they are imagining the story and will incidentally evolve the story and continue in play after the main activity has ended.
Obviously, this is just one activity example. Scavenger hunts, pond dipping, natural art pictures, bushcraft, mud sculptures, fairies and dinosaur adventures are just a few more.
Children have the opportunity to learn their own way and our practitioners will plan for this.
Facilities at Foresteers
Foresteers Outdoor Preschool provides portable toilets, each set up within a pallet toilet block. Each toilet will have easy access to toilet paper. Hand wash, hand sanitiser gel, paper towels and waste disposal bags will be situated by the hand wash station. Staff will instruct children about hand hygiene after toileting and before eating, and be vigilant about its practice by children.
We are happy to work with parents with toilet training and have potties to accommodate this.
For more information please view our toileting and nappy changing policy and procedure.
Our Kota Grill House, which can house 30 children comfortably, is where we can shelter from the elements, have a warm drink and story before going on another adventure
Registered Numbers:
Foresteers: 558984
Foresteers Outdoor Preschool: 2507786