"Three quarters of UK children spend less time outdoors than prison inmates"
Let's Change This!
Earthtime is the leading, award-winning outdoor education charity in Moray - our Forest School Accredited Leaders deliver outdoor nursery sessions and Forest School Programmes throughout Moray.
Our Project
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Earthtime are lucky enough to have the support of a local land owner who has made an undeveloped stretch of woodland available for our activities. With this project, we want to create a safe and nurturing outdoor space that is accessible for children and adults of all abilities and can be used for a wide range of activities - including bushcraft, nature discovery, use of natural materials, nature crafts and land art - improving mental and physical health and wellbeing, as well as balance, agility and resilience in children and families.
"It's a unique experience for each child which supports their own growth in learning, confidence and self esteem"
Sarah, parent in a home education group
What your help will enable us to do
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The works we will carry out include the creation of a covered fire area with benches and an outdoor kitchen, laying a car park and access strip, laying and maintaining paths and setting up structures and activity tracks in the woods to promote risky play and problem solving . Part of the funds will also be used for improving road access to the site and the development of office space for the inevitable admin.
Our aims with this project
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With this project, we are building a permanent base for our outdoor activities, enabling us to make our ethos and principles more tangible.
It is no secret that access to the outdoors is beneficial in many different ways for children and adults alike: mental and physicial health and wellbeing, early development, improved balance and coordination in children, better social contact, stronger connection with our evironment, even improved language skills and blossoming of children with autism.
Our outdoor base will not only provide access to the outdoors to children and their families, in particular those who need it most. It will also help us deliver programmes that show them how they can enjoy the outdoors in many different ways, while caring for nature and our environment at the same time. Earthtime's Outdoor Nursery is a prime example of this. Every day, the children at our nursery enjoy rich and healthy outdoor education, the benefits of which are most apparent and striking in children with learning and developmental difficulties.
What others say about Earthtime
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This is what Shiobhan Woolgar, Head Teacher at St Sylvester's Primary School in Elgin has to say about her experience of Earthtime.
"Having attended many Forest School sessions with Earthtime, with different age groups (from 5 - 11), I can honestly say that the 'head, heart and hand' of our children are being developed. A truly holistic approach that develops the confidence and self-esteem of our children in an environment that builds a love of nature, the ability to take risks whilst investigating, develop social skills and have noisy fun too!"
Thank you very much for your help!