Stomping Ground Forest School is play based and learner-led. Stomping Ground believes that ‘play’ is innate and brings forward all the opportunities a human needs to thrive safely and happily in the world and we want to create the space for kids (and adults!) to play. Our job is to encourage and follow their lead.
In Stomping Ground spaces people are free to decide what they want to participate in and how. We emphasise and celebrate this autonomy. We find this helps to alleviate pressures which can trigger demand avoidance behaviours, anxiety, stress etc.
Participants can move freely between focused activity, finding chill spaces of their own or with others, and playing with others or on some rope-type play we may have set up. The focused activities might include fire, tools, crafts, cooking and land art and we bring activities which we feel will help to excite or relax folks depending on what they need and ask for.
Forest School is about learning in the woods – Learning how to look after ourselves and stay safe, learning how to look after each other and learning about how to care for the environment around us.
We run 4 sessions per week during term time:
Serpentine Woods in Kendal on Mondays:
The Squirrels: Family Session for any age – primarily aimed at 4 – 8 year olds with their parents/guardians.
Timings: 11am-1pm
The Woodpeckers: 8yrs + Drop-Off Session where kids come without their adults (unless arranged otherwise).
Times: 1:30-3:30pm
Scotch Quarry in Lancaster on Wednesdays:
The Foxes: Family Session for any age – kids and their parents/guardians.
Timings: 10.30am-12.30pm
The Buzzards: 8yrs + Drop-Off Session where kids come without their adults (unless arranged otherwise).
Times: 1pm-3pm
We want to make sure our sessions are accessible. If you need to pay a different amount or pay in installments please book your space and choose the ‘pay offline/later’ option and we will discuss. We are currently providing some subsidised spaces for both sessions, please contact us to discuss what support is available.
The Venues:
Both Scotch Quarry and Serpentine Woods are public access parks in the middle(ish) of Lancaster and Kendal. Stomping Ground likes to use green spaces which are accessible to people outside of our session times so families can continue to nurture their connections to these spaces. Being inside urban spaces improves access to those using public transport. Using these sites also brings with it an education on litter and staying safe and there is the risk of broken glass etc. The families who have come so far have felt that the benefits of the education have outweighed the risks but please be aware it is not a pristine wilderness!