Saplings Pre-School Activity Sessions

‘Saplings’ is our outdoor pre-school activity group for children aged 1-4 and their parents or carers.

Get your little ones out into nature exploring the sights, sounds, smells and textures of the woodland, right here in the National Forest.

Each week we have a themed activity, such as nature-craft alongside free play and exploration in our enclosed small wood. We also have a sheltered area with a mud kitchen and natural items to collect, explore and sort.

Please wear clothes suitable for the weather that you don’t mind getting messy!

You can join Saplings for pay-as-you go individual sessions. Alternatively, pre-book a half term’s worth of sessions – usually 6 or 7 weeks – and know that your place is guaranteed.

• View our Saplings flyer here

• Look out for dates on our Facebook page

• Email us for details at rosliston@southderbyshire.gov.uk

Saplings Parents and Carers say:

”My son Riley has been attending the Saplings sessions for the last 2 terms. He really enjoys the classes and looks forward to them each week.

I’ve really noticed a change in Riley’s confidence levels as the weeks have gone on. He’s become more relaxed and chatty in both the teacher’s and other children’s company. Having classes outdoors makes things seem less formal and definitely means learning is seen as something much more fun.

The crafts and activities each week are well thought out and Riley always proudly takes away what he has made to show his daddy and grandma.”‘

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“Saplings has been really beneficial for my son. It has helped him be more confident around other people, has really helped his speech development and has taught him valuable life skills. It has given him and me the opportunity to do fun activities outside that we would not have thought to do otherwise.

It’s clear that so much creativity goes into planning the sessions. Ellen, who runs the sessions, is so passionate about Saplings and the children all look forward to seeing her.

I cannot recommend Saplings enough and wish that every child could have this amazing experience. Thank you to everyone involved in running Saplings!”

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“Saplings preschool is a fantastic group for little ones, to explore the outdoors and natural play. Joseph’s confidence around others has improved so much – as lockdown through the pandemic had really affected this.

It has also helped him develop other skills such as safety in the outdoors, gross motor skills when digging, sensory skills while exploring different textures, and fine motor skills through all the varied activities.”

He’s also enjoyed all the messy activities in the mud kitchen and developed an amazing understanding of the natural world around him. Thank you so much to Ellen and the Saplings Team.”