Welcome to the Home of Raksha Forest School

connect with nature and learn together

Fire and Stars are proud to be home to Raksha Forest School right in the heart of the National Forest

‘Raksha’ Forest School is named after the mother wolf in Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’, and has the meaning ‘Protection & Nurture’, which is the ethos behind my forest school. Set in a beautiful woodland that provides a protected & nurturing environment-perfect for outdoor learning, that allows us to connect with nature and learn together, the forest school offers different, exciting outdoor experiences, which are interactive, social, inclusive, challenging but most of all…… FUN!

Nestled within the beautiful Fire & Stars Campsite in Nethercote Woods and located a short 3-minute walk into the woodland along a track from the car park, the forest school site is set amongst an area of well-established trees, and hosts a variety of outdoor activities such as a mud kitchen with water fun, an assault course, natural art area and digging pit, designated area’s for shelter building, hammocks & crafts and most importantly the fire pit and fire circle, which can be covered during wet weather so that it can be enjoyed in most weather conditions. It is also home to a variety of woodland animals such as rabbits, squirrels, mice, moles as well as an abundance of bird species, we even have a little Robin nesting under the refreshments table.

Bookings and Courses

For all the latest information on courses, sessions and classes visit Raksha Forest School

Find information on Facebook or Follow Raksha on Instagram

Give Nicki a call on 07919 038305

A little bit about me…

Hi there! I'm Nicki, the founder of Raksha Forest School.

I'm a retired police officer who is passionate about the outdoors, adventure, and all things nature. I've been a part of the Scout movement since I was a kid, which is where I learned all about bushcraft and outdoor skills. I've been leading Cub Scouts for the past two decades and I absolutely love it.

I'm a certified Forest School Level 3 Practitioner and I have qualifications in Outdoor and Paediatric First Aid. Safety is always a top priority for me, which is why I'm safeguard trained and have a current DBS check. I'm here to share my passion for the outdoors with you and help you discover the wonders of nature.

What will the children be doing at Forest School

Forest School allows the children the opportunity to enjoy a range of activities to improve and develop confidence and self-esteem and social skills through supervised unstructured play. Each session is designed to encourage children to explore their own ability at their own speed, we begin by getting to know our woodland area, our boundaries and what keeps us safe. Typically, I will introduce a new activity for each forest visit and ensure that the programme for forest school is fun and of educational value, however sessions are kept open and fluid and very much guided by what the children want to do, making each forest school session unique.

I make the most of the woodland resources available by using natural materials, working with tools and fires and encouraging high levels of both independence and teamwork.

Examples of the types of activities the children will do are:-

  • Shelter building

  • Natural arts

  • Story telling

  • Tree and leaf recognition

  • Animal tracks

  • Crafts

  • Bug hunting

  • Tree/log climbing

  • Natural crowns

When the children become familiar with the forest school environment, they will be encouraged to experience more challenging activities such as-

  • Fire lighting

  • Bushcraft skills

  • Campfire cooking

  • Safe tool use, whittling and woodwork.