I am really pleased to introduce Little Foxes Forest Pre-School, the first and only outdoors pre-school in North Bristol!

Launching in January, the forest school pre-school is for 3 and 4 year olds and will run from Monday – Wednesday from 9.30am – 2.30pm in term-time.

Children can attend for one, two or three days and the Pre-School accepts government funding.

Every day will be spent outdoors in the beautiful Stoke Park Estate, which includes 270 acres of beautiful green space, meadow and woodland, plus a newly created wooden sculpture trail for children.

A Little Foxes Forest Pre-School day begins at Boing! Café and play area at the newly refurbished Hub Community Centre in Gainsborough Square, BS7.

In adverse weather, children have full access to the play area and soft play zone there.

Then the Little Foxes and staff take the 3-minute walk to Stoke Park Estate, where they will choose a different location every day.

The children then spend their day out in the fresh open air, playing, building dens, foraging, cooking over a camp fire, going on fairy hunts, making instruments, enjoying outdoor art and craft activities such as wood work, mud painting and mark making!

To keep up their energy levels, children will be given healthy snacks and drinks and will enjoy a hearty lunch in the peaceful and sheltered Stoke Park Estate woodland.

Children will be an integral part of the cooking process and will often help to prepare their own food on the fire.

Parents of the Little Foxes can share in their children’s fun throughout the day by receiving photos and updates from the Little Foxes staff via Tapestry, an amazing online secure media platform.

Little Foxes Forest Pre-School is managed and run by co-founders Julie Wheeler, Lizzie Staite and Janie Ankers, who, between them have over 25 years experience working in the primary school sector.

The three are a mother, daughter and friend partnership and are also all local mums.

Julie, Lizzie and Janie began by running an oversubscribed forest based playgroup for toddlers, and saw first hand what an impact it made on children’s confidence and self esteem.

They became frustrated by the lack of options available for outdoors learning in Bristol and so decided that they would create it themselves and started Little Foxes Forest Pre-School.

If you would like to find out more about Little Foxes Forest Pre-School and meet Julie, Lizzie and Janie, there are Open Days planned on Wednesday 27th September and Wednesday 18th October.

Both of the open days will be from 2 – 4pm and will offer parents and children a taste of the woodland fun that Little Foxes Forest Pre-school offers!

Both open days will start at the usual drop-off location at Boing! and then all children and grown-ups will walk into the woods together to enjoy den-building, camp-fire cooking, playing and more.

If you would like to book a place on one of the Open Days or to register your child to start at Little Foxes Forest Pre-School in January, please email info@littlefoxesforest.co.uk or call 0117 332 3683.

You can also find out more by visiting https://www.littlefoxesforestschool.com/.