Visit a wood with your school

Marvel at mighty trees. Discover tiny woodland creatures. Let your imagination run wild.

Visiting a wood is a great opportunity to take learning outdoors where youngsters can immerse themselves in nature’s sights, sounds and smells. You can visit any wooded area, big or small, and you can choose what to do while you’re there.

Your woodland visit can link to many areas of the curriculum. Help pupils learn about wildlife and habitats with a hands-on investigation. Use the experience to inspire a piece of creative writing or art. You can even bring numeracy to life by measuring, weighing or sorting natural objects. The possibilities are endless.

By visiting a wood you can earn two points on the Green Tree Schools Award.

Fun woodland activities

Our Tree Tools for Schools website has a wealth of resources to ensure your pupils enjoy their woodland adventure. Discover tree ID sheets, nature crafts and much more.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Identify trees, plants and creepy crawlies.
• Make natural art – create a leaf collage, a twig tower, or a mud pie!
• Explore using your senses – what can your pupils see, hear, feel and smell?
• Go on a scavenger hunt – use it to encourage team working and communication skills.
• Have a healthy class picnic.
• Take a camera to record your day – make a photo story back in the classroom.

How to claim your points

This challenge is worth two points on our award. To claim them, tell us how your school has explored a wood and the date of your visit. You can share pupils' comments, drawings and photos too.

Email learning@woodlandtrust.org.uk with the subject line 'Our woodland visit'.

We’ll add two points to your account after we receive your evidence (usually within two weeks).

How we use quotes and photos

We like to use comments and photos from schools to inspire other teachers and young people about outdoor learning. With your permission, they could appear on our award materials, website, press releases and social media.

You can find out more about how we use and look after your personal information in our privacy policy.

Permissions

If you're happy for us to share your quotes and photos as outlined above, please include the following permission statements in your email:

• We confirm we have permission from the photographer to submit these photos and use them for the purposes stated.
• We confirm we have permission from pupils' parents/guardians to share their photos, comments and names and use them for the purposes stated.

If you'd rather we didn't share them, please include the following statement in your email:

• We would prefer that our photos and comments are not used for the purposes stated.