SAWPIT WOODS CIC
WELCOME TO THE WOODS
What we do:
OUTDOOR SPACE FOR WOODLAND BASED PLAY, LEARNING, CREATING AND FOREST SCHOOL
Sawpit Woods space is used throughout the circle of the year to hold community gatherings, learning about, tending and celebrating the wonderful woodland and community it draws together.
We currently provide the space for Forest School sessions for a local school in our woodland.
We also run holiday sessions based on the Forest School pedagogy throughout the school holidays.
Forest School is an inspirational process, (not a place) that offers ALL learners young and old, regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands- on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
TREADING LIGHTLY ON THE LAND
We manage and support the Sawpit Woods woodland space alongside and in collaboration with the wider Hodore farm woodland management plan.
As this generations guardians of the woodland, we want our use and impact on the land to be ecologically beneficial and sustainable.
We started a 'Children's Forest' tree planting programme in 2020. With native trees from The Woodland Trust and our own farm grown saplings from seed we are using the land for planting and nurturing trees with a vision for children to imagine, plant and tend forests for future generations, creating a sanctuary for the children of all species.
So if you are interested in getting involved, or have a passion or knowledge in the ecology and management of woodlands, we would love to hear from you.
WHAT WE OFFER
In the deciduous woodland there is a temporary shelter, handmade hazel woven woodstore, fire circle with logs, hand made oak stools and a compost toilet. We have a range of tools, ropes, den building resources, buckets, trees, swings, hammocks, slack line, clay and lots of open ended, loose parts resources and natural bounties that the deciduous woodland provides.
We can facilitate Forest School sessions and farm visits for local children, groups or schools in our woodland. If wanted, we can help with facilitating sessions here, or could come to your own school grounds to provide sessions if distance, transport, logistics is a challenge.
We welcome individuals, groups, businesses, community groups who want to use the site to run and facilitate their own sessions. If you would like to explore the space as a possibility for running and event- please get in touch to find out more. Find out about hiring the space.
We run community days throughout the year to ensure the woodland is used and nurtured by all; ensuring it is shared and invested in by this generation for the benefit of the next.
Sawpit woodland space is adjacent to the Forest Way Country Park, which we use to walk and occasionally cycle along, to the site with groups. The 291 Bus stops on the B2110, half a mile walk from the site. There is a small amount of parking to enable groups to arrive by car, mini bus, or coach to the farm. Then it is a short accessible walk to the woodland space.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more. We would be more than happy to discuss facilitating Forest School sessions or woodland exploring and creative learning sessions with you.
FOREST SCHOOL: WHY DO WE DO IT?
We love being outside
Everybody does. It is a natural place to play and learn, which we all as humans have the innate drive to do. Having worked as Forest School leaders for over 10 years and camped with communities on the land since our childhood, we have been inspired by a long history of wonderful people and educators over the years. We hope to bring an amalgamation of their ideals and modern magic to play and learn in an engaged, joyful and fantastic way in the woods.
Forest School is an inspirational process, (not a place) that offers ALL learners young and old, regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands- on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. The growing body of research points to numerous benefits to learner, educator, child and parent alike.
Since 2017 Sawpit Woods have run Forest School sessions for primary aged children, run after school clubs locally, held parent and child weekly stay and play groups, worked with a local pre-school and held family community and work days in the woods. We run holiday sessions for children and families.
Please have a read about what sorts of things we have been up to in the past on our Blog.
CREATING AND MAKING
Have you ever wanted to create, make with your hands and your imagination with nature's inspiration? Then come and give it a go. The woods will provide the materials, your ideas are the only limiting factor.
We want to help to conserve and develop the woods, so come and help us to learn how we can tread lightly on the land and continue the guardianship of it for the future.
ACTIVITY AND ADVENTURE
The physical space outside is great and wonderful. The changing seasons and nature connection are not only brilliantly beneficial for you they are just downright beauteous. Come and climb and jump, swing and slip in the mud.
Use play to keep your mind and body active through connection to the space and the people.
LEARNING AND FUN
Qualified practitioners carefully facilitate programmes which are uniquely tailored to the needs of the individuals within the group.
We have the fundamental aim of building participants’ self-esteem, confidence, independence, creativity and enjoyment of doing and being.
And let's be honest- we want it to be fun (because it's always good to giggle).
KEEPING SAFE
Risk, benefits, policies and procedures
We have policies and procedures to keep everybody safe in the woods.
Safeguarding any children we work with is always at the top of our list during our sessions. We have annual safeguarding training which is updated in September as KCSiE is.
These policies and information are all in our Sawpit Woods CIC Handbook along with our vision, aims, and lots of other useful information about what we do in the woods and how we make it as safe and brilliant as it can be. These are updated annually. Please let us know if you would like to find out more about our risk benefit assessments, or would like us to send you our handbook.
The Risk Benefit Analysis is us considering the risk of undertaking an activity and then considering the benefits. This then becomes evidence for the reasoning of why we choose to play in the woods and how we can do this as safely as possible. We find that the activities we undertake provide such huge benefits for all participants, that we realise that we would be negligent if we did not give people the opportunity and play and therefore learn in the woods.... And that we would be silly not to allow ourselves to have a go...Really!
