Choose Nature

Badger Forest School

Choose Nature CIC

Our Mission: To inspire lifelong learning, support connections to nature and strengthen communities.

We are a Community Interest Company, which means we are a non-profit organisation partly funded by grants and sponsorship

Upcoming events this summer…

Holiday Club

Join us this Summer for our Holiday Club! All day 8.30am-3pm. Suitable for 5yo+. Cardinham Woods, Bodmin.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays throughout the summer (29th July - 21st August inclusive)
Sunday 13th July

Collaborative summer event with Wheal Martyn Clay Works, near St Austell.
Sunday 13th July, 3-5pm

Book here
Community Volunteer Sessions

Come along to our Higher Wheal Martyn site for some volunteering tasks, a cuppa and a play! All welcome (children too!).
THURSDAYS: 31st July; 7th, 14th and 21st August. 9am-12pm.

Email us
Our Monthly Groups...

Dangerous Dads: Saturday 12th July (Cardinham Woods, Bodmin).
Making Tracks: Saturdays 21st June and 26th July (Higher Wheal Martyn, St Austell).
Making Tracks Summer Sessions and Pop Party!

Join us for a celebration of summer when we will be offering a relaxed session for the SEND community…
5th and 22nd August.
Higher Wheal Martyn site.
Supporting community events...

- Penhaligon’s Friends’ 30th anniversary fun day (near Redruth): Saturday 28th June.

- KBSK family fun in the park (Bodmin): Saturday 2nd August.
Family sessions

Join us on Fridays and Saturdays for a
‘Summer of Stories’ adventures and fun!

25th July; 8th, 16th and 22nd August. 10.30am-12.30pm (all at Cardinham Woods, Bodmin).
BADGERFEST!

Join us for our annual community birthday celebrations!
DATE & INFO TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

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 supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually.
It creates a safe, non-judgemental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. Forest School inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it.

Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience.

We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. Forest School therefore, helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.

Take A Tour Of Badger Forest School Through Our Video

Find out more about our sites and activities

Book A Holiday Session

Badger Holiday Clubs

To book Badger Holiday Clubs at Cardinham Woods, click below.

Our Activities

We offer sessions for :

Pre-school groups
Home Ed community
Dangerous Dads
Mothers and babies
SEND community

Set in our beautiful and safe sites, enjoy a campfire, time in the woods, mindfulness and companionship. Discover the nature and sensory play.

Learn more

Nurture Programme

This provision is an intervention programme providing an inclusive and sensory rich environment for children needing a bespoke timetable.

We work with local schools across Cornwall at three different sites.

This programme helps to develop confidence, build self esteem, motivation to learn and self worth.

Learn more

Educational Development

We run school trips for primary and secondary schools offering a variety of educational packages.

Our educational outreach programme provides professional development for staff in an outdoor learning environment.

Open to schools, educational facilities and those returning to work or looking for a new career in outdoor learning..

Learn more

Make it stand out.

"Having the opportunity to work outside in a beautiful environment and observing the seasons heighten my spirit even in the depths of winter, I would highly recommend volunteering with Choose Nature!"

Weekly volunteer
“Dangerous Dads has been such a brilliant experience for my children and I. We have been struggling to find things that all three of us love doing and now we have found it! The fires and campfire food are the highlight for us as well as meeting other like-minded people.”

A Dangerous Dad!
"Badger Forest school is a great environment, run by people who genuinely care about the children (and adults) they support. It's a wonderful resource and I hope to see it continue to expand and go from strength to strength...”

Mum attending Badger Cubs
“Thank you so much for today. It was such a lovely relaxed session for the little ones and they really enjoyed exploring the site, all the activities and making friends. It was lovely to attend a session with other parents who understand some of the challenges we are facing and to have the opportunity to chat to them”

A parent attending ‘Making Track's’ open day
“Badger Forest school's innovative approach to education in a natural setting is refreshing and inspiring. The dedicated staff showed a genuine passion for teaching and connecting with the students, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The activities were engaging and educational, allowing my daughter to learn and explore in a hands-on way. From outdoor adventures to creative arts and crafts, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. I was impressed by the emphasis on environmental stewardship and sustainability, helping students understand important values."

Parent of an individual being supported by our Nurture Programme
“…importance of forest school for my son: He is totally non-verbal and has suspected autism and the fact that he can go to an environment where people use Makaton frequently really has a huge impact on him. He is usually quite isolated at groups and doesn't want to interact with others, but having a group that has leaders and parents who are willing to communicate with him in a way he understands makes such a difference."

Parent whose son regularly attends sessions