Discover the perfect outdoor adventure for your students with our school trips at Dare Valley Forest School. Designed to inspire curiosity, teamwork and a love for nature, our hands-on programs offer a unique blend of learning and fun in the heart of Dare Valley Community Woodland in Aberdare.
Give your class an unforgettable experience where nature becomes their classroom, and every activity strengthens both their knowledge and their wellbeing.
Here is one of our Forest School sessions from a child’s perspective
Activity Options:
*Some activities such as Bushcraft and survival skills may be limited by age/stage and number of pupils attending.
Minibeast hunts
Safe fire lighting techniques
Nature identification
Sawing wood disk necklaces
Messy maths
Bird feeder making
Leaf identification
Tree planting
Nature studies
Kelly Kettles
Nature arts and crafts
Nature walks
For other themes, topics and activities, please enquire. We can do our best to accommodate your class’s topic.
Things to explore and learn at our woodland:
Log Circle
Our log circle is where any activities related to tools or fire will happen. This is also where the hot drinks and snacks will be. Next to our log circle is our arts and crafts area.
Animal Care
We have lots of friendly animals that are free range at our site and love hugs! We have chickens, a duck, baby chicks and even a ferret enclosure!
Mud Kitchen Area
Our mud kitchen area includes several mud kitchen tables, a play cafe, two tuff trays to be used for activities, a natural paint easel, a pirate ship sand pit, balance beams, and construction area.
Stream and Water Play
We have a stream that runs through our woodland where children can explore, splash, and look for wildlife that lives there. There is also a tree swing that goes over the stream and a rope to climb up the hill behind it which adds a great element of risk and challenge for the children.
Wild Area
Our wild area includes a bird watching area with bird feeders, information sheets about birds that live at our woodland, a hammock and a suction cup archery set.
Music Area
We have a music area next to our stream that has different natural and recycled materials to create music with, each making different sounds. We also have billingual nursery rhyme sheets on display here.
Pricing
*Booking options include a one-off visit or a block of 6 sessions.
Half Day
- Exclusive use of our site and facilities with activities based around your chosen theme – set up and ran by 2 of our qualified Forest School tutors for a morning OR afternoon session.
- Hot drinks, squash, s’mores
- *Half-day sessions for more than 25 children will require 3 Forest School tutors and will therefore have an additional fee. Quotes will vary depending on group size and activities chosen.
Full Day
- Exclusive use of our site and facilities with activities based around your chosen theme – set up and ran by 2 of our qualified Forest School tutors for a morning and afternoon session.
- Hot drinks, squash, s’mores
- * Full day sessions for more than 25 children will require 3 Forest School tutors and will therefore have an additional fee. Quotes will vary depending on group size and activities chosen.
Testimonials
“Thank you so much Darren and Sapphire. Our parents and pupils are still talking about this. I can’t recommend enough. We wanted this to be an enriching Family Engagement experience but everyone got so much more.”
Available Dates:
June 2025: Friday 6th, Tuesday 10th, Friday 13th, Wednesday 18th
July 2025: Tuesday 1st, Wednesday 2nd, Tuesday 8th, Friday 11th, Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th, Friday 18th
September 2025: Tuesday 2nd, Wednesday 3rd, Friday 5th, Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 10th, Friday 12th, Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th, Friday 19th, Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th, Friday 26th, Tuesday 30th
October 2025: Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th, Friday 10th, Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th, Tuesday 21st
November 2025: Wednesday 5th, Tuesday 11th, Wednesday 12th, Friday 14th, Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th, Friday 21st, Tuesday 25th, Wednesday 26th, Friday 28th