HOW DO I BOOK CAMP?
Booking opens for our enrolled families, for a priority booking window 6 weeks before the start of camp. We offer the remaining spaces to our unenrolled families & booking opens around 5 weeks before the start of camp. You can sign up to our holiday camp mailing list here, to make sure you are kept up to date with future camp dates & to receive notifications of booking opening!
Can I pay using childcare vouchers, or tax free childcare?
Absolutely! Once you have selected your days & filled in the booking information you will be directed to our payment screen - from here you can select ‘offline payment’, then make your voucher or TFC payment as usual. Please email info@littleforestfolk.com to confirm once done, so we can make sure that the payment is allocated to your booking. We just ask that the payment is made to us within 5 days of completing your booking - we may not be able to hold camp spaces after this time.
WHEN DO HOLIDAY CAMPS RUN?
We run camps at all of our 7 nurseries, across the school holidays - with the exception of Christmas & the last week of the summer holidays, which is reserved for our new September intake to settle in with us!
HOW OLD DO LITTLE ONES NEED TO BE TO JOIN for CAMP?
For un-enrolled families, we take children from age 3 until age 7 (right up to the day before their 8th birthday!). Engaging with a mix of ages is wonderful for children's development!
DO YOU HAVE A MINIMUM ATTENDANCE FOR BOOKING HOLIDAY CAMP?
Families are free to book for as many, or as few days as you like, depending on availability. We do usually recommend a minimum of 2 days per week, especially for new children joining us, as this allows them the opportunity to settle in and get into the swing of things in the forest!
WHAT WILL MY CHILD EAT IN THE FOREST?
We serve a delicious homemade lunch, as well as morning & afternoon snacks. We are able to take into account allergies present in the camp & just ask that any requirements are mentioned when booking. If you have any questions, please just let us know at info@littleforestfolk.com ! See our current menus online here.
CAN I PACK A LUNCH FOR MY CHILD?
Unfortunately this is not generally allowed. Please ensure your child does not have any food in their bags. We have children enrolled at Little Forest Folk who have allergies to a range of foods, so to prevent the risk of allergic reactions and illness, we ask families to leave any food items at home. In addition we have cheeky squirrels in the forest who have been known to eat through backpacks to get to food inside!
If your child has a food allergy, please ensure that this is disclosed when booking your camp spaces. Do reach out to us at info@littleforestfolk.com if you have any questions about how we cater for children with food allergies.
WHERE DO WE SAY GOODBYE AT DROP OFF?
We understand that this is a camp for young children and leaving Mummy and Daddy can be a stressful experience (sometimes more so for Mums and Dads, then the little ones!). Due to the nature of the camp, we can’t allow parents to accompany their children as we find it affects the dynamic of the camp and it can make it harder for those children whose parents are unable to stay. In the event that your child becomes upset in the car park at the thought of separation, we can allow parents to walk the short distance to our forest site and hopefully the walk through the woods is enough to spark their curiosity!
WHAT ACTIVITIES WILL MY CHILD DO IN THE FOREST?
Our approach is play based & child led, so we don’t set up specific activities for the little ones joining us; instead we may set up some play prompts & see where the children's imaginations lead us! The wonderful thing about our forest locations is that they are all unique and therefore each allows us a different range of activities. We have wonderful staff who are trained to show our little ones how to safely engage in all forest activities.
Some of our holiday camp favourites include;
1:1 tool sessions, where children will get to experience first hand how to use them safely
Creating amazing obstacle courses and testing our skills at climbing them
Going for nature walks and scavenger hunts
Building dens then using them as a base for roleplaying and imaginative games
Making potions in the mud kitchen
Going on bug hunts & pond dipping
Being shown how to build a fire & using the flint and stone to safely make a spark (site dependent)
Blowing bubbles and making paper aeroplanes to soar through the air
Setting up swings in some of the giant trees and taking turns to swing or to push our friends
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN IT RAINS AND IS COLD?
Play!! Remaining warm and dry is the most important element to create happiness and creative play regardless of the weather. Whilst the woods themselves afford shelter, we also have large, lightweight tarps that we rig up to provide wind-breaks and extra protection when we don’t want to let a sudden downpour disrupt our games. We find that as long as children have good outdoor clothing, are out of any biting wind and that their hands are warm, they are happy to play outdoors regardless of the weather.
At most of our locations we have a fire available at snack time on cold days, and will often have a hot drink. We are also fortunate to have skilled educators who are quickly able to put up cosy shelters, especially for the wettest and coldest conditions. If nurseries and primary schools in Scandinavia can spend the majority of their time playing in the woods in their challenging climate, we can certainly manage it in South West London!
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE EVENT OF EXTREME WEATHER?
In the event of dangerous conditions, such as high winds or lightning; we will retreat to our indoor location. In the case of the nurseries which use a minibus to transport to the indoor location, we may need to contact parents to collect their children early.
my child has additional needs, can i book them in for camp?
Our aim is to accommodate little ones in the forest with all kinds of additional needs. If you are at all unsure if holiday camp will be suitable for your little one, please do contact us to discuss, before booking their place.
OUR PLANS HAVE CHANGED, CAN I CANCEL MY BOOKING?
Unfortunately all holiday camp bookings are non refundable and non transferable.
Please find our full holiday camp Terms & Conditions here.
HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us to info@littleforestfolk.com and we will be happy to help.