Forest School - Training -
Woodland Wellbeing
Who We Are
In a world where we increasingly find ourselves connected via hand held devices and the internet, have we lost our connection with the natural world around us? Our aim is to reintroduce nature and the outdoors into people’s lives and to get them out, into the green. We provide opportunities for participants, of all ages, to spend quality time in nature; be that through play, exploring freely, arts and crafts and other outdoors learning -all based on the Forest School Ethos. Sessions run throughout the seasons. You can expect to have fun, socialise, learn something new – or a new skill – and to come home feeling re-energised, having let a bit of the wild back in.
Matt Meadows
As a youngster, Matt was always interested in wildlife and could often be found at the bottom of the garden with his hands in a pond; exploring the local woods, always with a jar and net in hand; rummaging through a log pile on minibeast hunts; fascinated by nature and all living things. This led him to study Zoology at University and subsequently, for his M.Sc in Conservation Biology. Following this, Matt worked in East Africa, developing a wildlife monitoring project in a forest reserve and then for the Cross River Gorilla Research Project, Cameroon.
On return to the UK, Matt studied for a PGCE, with Science specialism, and taught in primary schools in Gloucestershire for 12 years. During this time, the call of the wild grabbed his attention once more and he decided to reconnect with his own interest in nature, and focus on outdoor learning and qualified as a level 3, Forest School Leader.
As a dad of four, Matt was concerned that his own children and others wouldn’t have the same chances to explore and play as freely as his generation did. So he began by offering parent and toddler sessions which his own children came to and Wild Days in the school holidays. On reflection, he also saw that many adults spend little time outdoors and have become disconnected from nature.
Matt left teaching in schools in 2018 to set up 'Into The Green'. Now he works in the woods offering outdoor learning, based on the Forest School approach, and a chance for everyone to get outside, into the green.
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Matt has recently has recently gained a cerificate in Eco-psychology and nature based practice; Looking to the future, he will be offering Forest School for grown ups with a more ecotheraputic aim. Who doesn’t feel better from some time out in nature and how many of us really make room for it in our busy lives?