Outdoor Learning through Greenwood Construction

Connecting young students with nature and empowering them with practical skills.

Our vision is to inspire young students who may not fit into the traditional classroom environment, offering students the experience of gaining practical skills such as using hand tools, woodwork and team building. We hope by teaching these areas of expertise students will grow, giving those who may have doubted themselves more of a purpose, direction and confidence. 

This springboard will empower students, connecting them to their value and unleashing their potential, helping them have a positive impact on their community.

Working in Environmental education for around 7 years, much of this work has been with inner city students who have limited access to the countryside and the serenity it can give to individuals. It’s incredible to see the positive effect being out in nature has on young adults, after an initial nervousness students seem to grow in confidence and relish the opportunity to use their hands and learn through the process of trial and error.

We want to give as many young students the chance to take a break from the social pressures the internet has brought to their generation, enjoy being themselves, learning at their pace without  deadlines in a unique learning environment which they will help shape themselves.

The way we do this is in two phases, the first phase is to build the education centres permanent structures, a roundhouse and log cabin they will be built by two school groups, each school concentrating on one structure and I am delighted to say we have a secondary school coming out from April once a week to start building the nine-meter roundhouse.

The roundhouse has a self-supporting roof and students will learn carpentry skills, geometry & maths application and many more skills whilst building this unique structure. 

Whilst working on the site we feel students will benefit from being in the outdoor environment and engaging in a place with limited phone reception, offering them respite from the trappings of the modern world and helping them find mindfulness in learning about the natural materials they will be building with.  

All this can be made possible with your help; we need to supply the students with the tools and materials to make not only this roundhouse but also the other structures we have permission for.

The pictures below show the process of building our prototype roundhouse, the students will go through the same process, selecting timbers, moving the timbers into position, stripping the bark, joining the uprights and erecting the roof.

Once we have completed both the roundhouse and log cabin the students will go on to build other permanent features including a waterwheel to generate electricity and a small bridge to get over the stream.

The Second Phase of the project is the most important, ensuring that this unique learning opportunity is maintained for students and schools, we will do this by building temporary structures with groups each term, these buildings will be things such as yurts, hogans and benders. This will guarantee that this empowering project can continue.  

The Greenlanes Centre will evolve year by year ensuring a safe and unique learning environment for students and adapting to individuals needs be it emotional or physical. We intend to build strong links with the community with different groups being able to take advantage of the site. 

The key driving force at this stage will be hosting students of all ages, helping them to learn about nature and develop practical skills they can use in all aspects of life.

Here's a video of children who have lit the Pizza Oven to make some food this is one of the things we will be doing once the infrastructure is in place with younger school students.

We need your help to make a difference to children who thrive in an outdoor environment, every £1 and share can help these children grow

Our dream is to inspire not only the younger generation to engage with nature, but to inspire them to explore the natural world at their doorstep and as far as their reach will take them.