Welcome to our blog

A little bit about Karen

Hello lovely people!  I hope you are ready for a new weekly read to find out what your little ones are up to or could be up to? 

Welcome to Willows Forest School’s new blog.

I feel very honoured to have been asked by Amanda to write for Willows and I have been asked to introduce myself to you.  

A few words that will give you an insight into me without sending you off to the land of nod!!

The great outdoors, laughter, reading, live music, festivals, adventure, quirky, forest school, gardening, teaching swimming, travelling, old camper van, old sports car, writing poetry, writing, swimming, hiking, wildlife, border terrier, nature, conservation…

Ok, ok, that was more than just a few, sorry!!

I was born and brought up in Cheltenham and have two younger sisters.  I have lived in Hong Kong and Japan and my two daughters were born in Tokyo.  I returned to the UK and lived in Guildford for 16 years while my girls were at school then Chertsey for 5 years. I have recently upped and moved to Hayling Island to realise my dream of living by the sea!

I work as a Swimming Instructor, a Level 3 Forest School Leader and a Gardener.  

Whilst seeking work, my love of being outdoors led me up a very lucky path to Amanda and Willows Forest School.  By coincidence, I happened to teach at the same place that her son had swimming lessons!!

I admired her passion and what she was setting out to do and very quickly underwent my training with Surrey Wildlife Trust to become a Forest School Leader and join her on her quest to provide children with the wonderful opportunity of experiencing Forest School and all it has to offer.

Four years on and here I am having already had a wonderful time working with fantastic children and a fabulous team of colleagues who are also my very good friends.

The magical transformation I have seen in children spending time immersed in nature is second to none.

Spending time enjoying the great outdoors, whatever the weather, is paramount to our mental well being. I love seeing children learning to have empathy, gaining knowledge of nature and their environment, understanding how to use tools safely and how to be sensible and safe around a fire and managing their own risks, playing simplistically using whatever they find in the woods and most importantly, being free to use their imaginations, which supports the ethos of Forest School. 

I am looking forward to sharing what we do with you all and hope you enjoy reading about it.

Karen