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Training
We are pleased to announce that as of March 2023, we are now an approved SQA Centre.
We will be working over the next few months to begin transferring some of our training to accredited SQA qualifications.
We will be kicking off our new training program with the Forest Kindergarten training.
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Our training program can be used for CPD, in-house training, and is suitable for teachers, nursery practitioners or individuals to attend.
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We can tailor training to your requirements, and sessions can either be a half day, full day or over several days depending on what you need. We have listed some of our current training below, but this is not exclusive. Contact us to discuss your training requirements.
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We will help you with health and safety, covid-19, barriers, etc. This is also a support session as well, where we will help you to put into practice any online training you have done.
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Loose Parts and Play Trailer
New for 2022!
The Loose Parts training is a half-day course, held outdoors. The course can be delivered at your setting using our loose parts trailer or in a local green space. The course is a mix of both practical and theory, looking at what loose parts is, with lots of practical ideas and activities to help you engage your group with loose-part play.
Training is carried out in small groups of 10. No prior knowledge is required. Please let us know in advance if you would like to use the loose parts trailer and that you have space for the trailer at your setting.
Training and Courses
Camp Fires With Groups Safety Training
This an assessed training course, usually consisting of a one day training session, an assessment session and a written portfolio of evidence and covers the use of camp-fires with groups, with an emphasis on safety and successful fire lighting using different methods suited to the use of fire with groups for building a sense of community, warmth, cooking or craft activities.
Trainers will also introduce strategies to promote the responsible use of fire in the outdoors in informal sessions in order that educational sessions can contribute to the reduction of instances of anti-social fires or accidental wild-fires.
Training is carried out in small groups, usually of 4-6 learners.
£165 per person based on a group of 4.
4 Day Campfire Cooking
This is a four day course, which includes our Camp Fires With Groups Safety Training. The assessment is carried out on the final day of the block. In the first three days we will look at the use of camp fires with a particular focus on the practicalities of the use of camp fires for cooking with groups.
As well as learning safe and successful fire lighting and maintenance we will prepare a number of recipes suited to the group dietary requirements and investigate cooking utensils and equipment that are suitable for use with open fires.
If requested we can include the use of volcano kettles (Kelly Kettles, Ghillie Kettles etc).
This course is carried out in small groups of 4-6 learners. Learners will be expected to have in-date food hygiene certificates, or be intending to be trained in food hygiene prior to preparing food with groups.
£500 per person, capped at £2000 for groups of 5 or 6.
Volcano Kettle (Kelly Kettle, Ghillie Kettle etc)
This is a half day session for staff already competent in the use of camp fires with groups who would like the ability to heat water at outdoor sessions without making use of a full-sized camp fire. These kettles have some safety concerns in addition to those normally present when working with fire so we will examine their safe use and successful lighting with groups.
Training is carried out in small groups of up to 6 learners.
£125 per session, for up to six learners.
My Outdoor Journey
This is a single introductory session aimed at people venturing outdoors with groups for the first time, or those who are less confident with taking groups outdoors and looks at adapting skills which you may already have, for example, risk assessment and simple activity creation to the outdoors environment. This is a very relaxed training session and we will show you how easy it is to start to run outdoor sessions with your group safely.
Training can be carried out in small groups (ideally a minimum of 4) to larger groups (up to around 15).
£500 per day for up to 15 learners.
My Onwards Outdoor Journey
This is a more in-depth training course delivered over 4 days which will aim to give learners a more thorough knowledge for use in the outdoors. Actual course content will vary dependent on the needs of the learners and the settings in which they plan to work, but a typical course curriculum includes:
Outdoor Safety and Risk Assessment
Environmental Risks and Responsibilities for Outdoor Learning
Safe use of fire at sessions (an additional assessment day and portfolio required for
certification)
Safe use of tools at sessions
Shelter building techniques
String and rope-craft
Campfire cooking
Woodland ecology.
Training is carried out in small groups of 4-6 leaners. No prior experience is required.
£500 per person, capped at £2000 for a groups of 5 or 6. This includes the cost of a later fire assessment and portfolio marking.
Safe Use of Tools Outdoors
On this one day training session we will look at the safe use of hand tools in the outdoors, to carry out one or more craft activities that will allow us to make use of our new skills and to explore methods of making tool use safe and comfortable for groups of all ages.
Learners will gain experience in the use of hand tools including bushcraft knives, hand-saws, a variety of options for drills and axes. Exact course content can be tailored to the specific needs of learners and their groups.
It is expected that learners will have some experience of leading group sessions in the outdoors or will have previously attended My Outdoor Journey, however the experience and needs of learners can be discussed at the time of booking.
Training is carried out in small groups of 4-6 learners.
£125 per person, based on a group of 4.
Literacy And Numeracy Outdoors
Literacy and Numeracy outdoors can be covered either as a two-day block, or by booking one day per subject as required.
Join us in an outdoor setting as we explore fun ways to include literacy and numeracy exercises within outdoor learning activities. Through exploring your outdoor setting we will engage in some fun activities which stealthily into a range of play and learning activities. Could a badger eat all the worms in your lawn in a night? There is a way to find out! Is writing stories at your desk too boring? How about a story crafted around a camp fire with hot chocolate and snacks?
Training is carried out in small groups of 4-10. Ideally learners will have an idea of what groups they are aiming to deliver to so that we can tailor activities accordingly.
£500 per day for up to 10 learners.
We can cover other Curriculum areas outdoors too, contact us for more information!
NEW for 2022: Wild Passport Training
We are so pleased to announce that we are now delivering Wild Passport Training. We are the only provider currently in Scotland offering this outdoor training course.
The course will provide you with all the skill and experiences to deliver outdoor learning for your setting. For more information on wild passport training, please click here.
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£650 per person. Groups are a max of 10.
Coming 2023 – Forest Kindergarten Training!
Stay tuned for more information on our upcoming course!
Bespoke Training & Locations
Bespoke Training
If the needs of your group or learners are not covered within our current offer please get in touch to discuss how we can help. We may be able to deliver a bespoke training course for you, or refer you to one of our partner organisations for further training.
Outdoor Locations
We can arrange training at outdoor venues chosen by ourselves, or we can deliver the training at your own outdoor setting. For your own sites there may be an additional charge for a prior site visit and risk assessment as well as mileage charged at £0.45 per mile from the Under the Trees office. Please ensure that you have permission for the training to take place!
New for 2023 - Forest Kindergarten Training
We are pleased to be able to provide the Forest Kindergarten training as of April 2023. The qualification is designed to meet the needs of early-year practitioners who would like to lead outdoor learning sessions.
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The Forest Kindergarten qualification is a National Workplace Award credited at Scottish Credit Qualification Framework (SCQF) Level 7, equivalent to National Vocational Qualification Level 4 or a Higher National Certificate (HNC).
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NB. The qualification is suitable for anyone in the UK.
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We have attended several UTT training sessions and thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them we even got cake and tea too
Alice
The training allowed me to learn and progress at my own speed, and I learnt so much from the sessions. I am now confident lighting fires (safely) with my group and has inspired me to do more cooking with them