Experience Forest School in Devon with Co Adventurers
Dave Slater aka ‘The Forest School Teacher’ runs a successful Forest School in Devon as part of Co Adventurers which offers various outdoor learning opportunities as well as training for adult Forest School instructors.
If you are searching for a forest school in Devon, you need look no further than Co Adventurers. The team from across Devon is able to provide a practical, yet inspirational service. We draw upon all the resources of our multidisciplinary team, including Dave’s childhood experiences of Ashdown Forest in West Sussex; bushcraft skills learned in the wilds of Africa as well as his local knowledge of Dartmoor.
It is adventures like these that have spurred him on to write ‘The Day the Giant Came to Forest School’, to challenge young people to overcome their fears by developing basic survival skills. The Co Adventurers team are well equipped to take young people through learner-led training, in small groups or whole classes, helping them develop skills they will carry with them throughout their lives.
The Co Adventurers Forest School in Devon
The Co Adventurers Forest School takes place in all weather conditions and can be accomplished in regular two to three sessions. These can take place in any outdoor setting or national park. We also use outdoor venues such as Backwater Adventures based at Colehayes, near Haytor on Dartmoor.
You can see why in the three YouTube clips below as Dave introduces learners to this legendary area, famous as a training ground for the Royal marines. “It can be one of the most barren areas in the UK,” he says, “but offers everything you need to learn how to survive a real-life accident in the middle of nowhere.”
In the first clip, produced for the Discovery Channel, Dave’s primary motivation in backpacking through Dartmoor with his cameras is to show how one can survive in the wilderness alone. Watch him build a thermal A frame structure to offer protection from rain, built from sticks, fern and moss.
In the second clip Dave instructs primary school children in the art of getting a fire going, using a tinder bundle, with ‘number 1 sticks’ to get it started and ‘number 2 sticks’ to keep it alight. You can see the importance of knowing how to create a fire for warmth and to cook a meal of boiled rice and wild parsley.
In part 3 Dave creates a makeshift fishing pole to catch fish and a snare to see if he can trap a squirrel on a game trail. We learn an important principle of survival: “Don’t react, or rush at things. Rather plan ahead, slowly and steady wins the day.”
Of course, survival skills are not restricted to the forest but learning to protect oneself wherever you are, providing valuable life lessons for children. Co adventurers is not just a forest school in Devon, they also provide history theme days and learning experiences.
According to Dave, Forest School is about many different things including creativity. In the video below he demonstrates this by building an Anderson shelter as part of providing children with an authentic WW2 experience. Named after Sir John Anderson, who spearheaded air raid precautions in 1938, these were made of corrugated steel panels in a semi-circular shape.
Consider Co Adventurers, whether you are looking to teach young people survival techniques or give them an experience of the dangers past generations experienced, that highlight the resilience of the British people. Consider Co Adventurers Forest school in Devon for ideal outdoor learning experiences with the team. Your young person will thoroughly enjoy this learning experience!
