Foxglove Forest School

A guest blog from Holly Dabbs at Foxglove Forest School.

My name is Holly Dabbs and I am the founder of Foxglove Forest School. We run weekly parent and toddler Forest School sessions in South London. We use free play, stories and songs to explore the environment. Hands on experiences in nature can give children skills in empathy and resilience, our main aim is to inspiring young children to love nature!

The outdoor world has always had a special place in my heart and now that we are all confined to our homes for the large majority of the day, I miss being in nature more than ever. We are allowed to go out and exercise to look after ourselves physically but in the current climate of stress and unpredictability, it is vital we look after our mental wellbeing. I strongly believe that spending time in nature is good for your mental health. I live in a (usually) busy, noisy city that thankfully has lots of green spaces like parks and woods. Being able to access wild spaces helps me feel calm and grounds me. These experiences bring me closer to my children as we explore and learn about nature and the changing seasons together. When we are living in such chaotic and busy lives, it’s refreshing to know that trees with bud, bloom and grow and the birds keep singing, even a little louder than before! So if you’re struggling at this time, try and find a local wild space and spend some time looking for bugs and hugging some trees. 

I've always been fascinated by the outdoors and nature. I trained as a teacher and taught in primary schools across London before becoming a Forest School leader. I also design family workshops for museums and galleries including London Transport Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery and Hampton Court Palace.

Become a Nature Creator with Holly from Foxglove Forest School, download the worksheet now!