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Holistic outdoor learning by the sea

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Holdfast beach school

Book a place at our new Online Nature Club here

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The latest on Instagram

*closed due to virus*
Clouds are the most amazing learning stimulus - science, shape, understanding the world around us, creative thinking, poetry, art, mindfulness... The possibilities are pretty endless and the beauty of cloudspotting is that you can do it almost anywhere. . . I’ve restocked the Beach School Cloudspotter’s Guide in the Learning Resources shop. It is available as a downloadable PDF, just follow the link in my bio (and is still under £2!) . . I’m working on some more guides to inspire outdoor learning and nurture nature connection during these strange times. They will be in the shop soon. I can’t wait to share them with you. Happy cloudspotting ⛅️
Nature Club 🌿 Today was our first online Nature Club - zoom sessions that I am hosting for my Beach School families while we are unable to meet up due to continued Government restrictions here in the UK. It was a lot of fun - scavenger hunts, stick people and stories. Little people engaging with nature from their homes, a community reunited across screens. . . I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t sure how anything I do was going to translate over a screen. But it was well worth giving it a go. My head is full of ideas for the next sessions. It’s good to have found a place for us in this strange new world. While I will always advocate for being connected with nature being first and foremost, I am utterly grateful for the technology we have available to us to keep our communities together 💚 . . Photo ID: Two children make stick people in front of a laptop computer, in a den made out of a sheet and a climbing frame in a garden.
About 145 million years ago the southeast of England was covered by a large shallow inland sea, known as the ‘Gault Sea’. This sea was rich in marine life, especially the most amazing shelled sea creatures. But slowly, over time, the remains of these creatures was buried in a rich blue-grey sediment. The creature decomposed and the cavities left by their remains were filled with hardening minerals, creating fossils. . . Travel back to today and the sea is in a different place. But we can still see the clay sediments of the Gault Sea in Cliff faces, like the one at Folkestone Warren. And where the sea has eroded the bedrock, you can find perfect fossilised sea creatures scattered along the shore. . . Now some of the restrictions on our movements have been lifted here in England, we’re going to make an ‘Adventure Day’ part of our home learning week. I’m so incredibly grateful that our budding Mary Annings can get hands on with real paleontology so close to our home.
The Adventure Kit 🌲 I’ve pulled together a bag to take out with us while we are purposefully outdoor learning - we call it the Adventure Kit. Having it packed and read to throw in the car, in the bike or just to take to the local park, means we are ready for an amazing play and learning opportunities that will come up. It’s like having a tiny Forest School Leader’s shed on your back. . . Its content changes regularly, but at the moment it contains: • Magnifying glasses • a folding saw • folding knifes (Opinel no.5) • vegetable peelers • string • floral snips • pencils • watercolour paints • water brush pens • water resistant paper • normal paper • a few beeswax crayon blocks • Two pocket sized field guides ( Food for Free’ and ‘Butterflies and Moths’ following the children’s current interests) • a mini leaf/flower press. . . Sometimes the guides in it change. Sometimes we add maps and compasses. We might also bring some chalk or charcoal or a lump of natural clay in a jar. It depends where we are going and what our current interests are. . . But it sits by the back door, packed and ready for any opportunity of adventure. What would you put in your Adventure Kit?
Saving this one for prosperity 🌼
Hello! If you are new here, welcome! I’m Rachel and I’m a Mother, Outdoor Learning educator, qualified Beach and Forest School Leader and trainee yogi. Holdfast Beach School is a Forest School-informed Beach School on the East Kent Coast. It was born from my life-long passion for the sea and, most importantly, connecting people with their local natural environments. . . I’ve always worked with nature -I’ve had jobs ranging from writing environmental policies to running community conservation projects. I’m all about people and their places. I’m also a qualified childminder and it’s this diverse skill set that makes what I do unique. . . I’m a great believer in the power of lifelong learning and people of different ages learning together. I love using power of nature to enrich people’s lives. It’s really magical and a total privilege to see happen. . . I’ve recently made peace with the inner conflict between my tree hugging ways and Essex Girl roots. However, if I could be any animal it would probably be one of the ducks that live in the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas... ✨ 🦆 ✨ . . Tell me about you...
holdfast (noun) the root-like of attachment of a seaweed or related plant [and] the act of gripping strongly. beach (noun) an area of sand or small stones near the sea or another area of water. . . school (noun) an organization that provides instruction [and] a source of knowledge. . . Thank you for the wonderful feedback on the new name 💙
Sometimes, being forced to take a break is a really good opportunity to make some much wanted changes. . . Still the same Beach School, just now with firm roots #holdfastbeachschool

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