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Little Explorers Nature Club

In our toddler and pre-school adventures, we use our imagination to play and explore outdoors

Term Dates

15th April till 21st May 2024

Our Clubs are a fun way to introduce children to the joys of playing and exploring in nature.  Our sessions take place in various locations across South East London, including a hidden nature reserve and a secret wildlife garden.

We’re very passionate about encouraging children to spend time outdoors, learning through play by exploring their natural world.  Each week we explore a different topic and link these in with our activities.  Our sessions start with an arts and crafts activity and finish with a story, with lots of free play in between.

 

We’re always looking for wildlife: bug hunting for worms, beetles and snails; listening for birds and looking for signs of the animals we share our spaces with. Our sessions are child-led, and informal, we like the children to explore at their own pace and in our own way.  We had trowels and pots for making mud pies, magnifying glasses and binoculars for spotting, and sensory , spotter sheets, books and bug pots for those who want to investigate on their own.

Parents and children should be prepared for outdoor play, and wellies are always a good idea if you think it’s going to be muddy.

Our Sites:

1st New Cross Scout Hut, 25 Breakspears Rd, Tack Mews, London SE4 1XW

A lovely site for us to explore.  There’s a little woodland, a mud kitchen, trucks to carry mud around the site, and lots of areas for bug hunting. There’s a scout hut to hide in if it’s raining, a kitchen for hot drinks for parents, and an added bonus of a fire pit for the odd club campfire.

Dacres Wood Nature Reserve, (SE23

This is a magnificent hidden nature reserve in Forest Hill. It has a woodland area with a wonderful variety of trees and flowers, a small open meadow and a huge pond teaming with wildlife.  It’s a great space to spot different birds, amphibians, bugs and, if you’re lucky, a family of foxes. Here we can pond dip, hide in the huge holes in the trees, spot different birds, roll around in the meadow and run around enjoying being outdoors.  There’s also a heated building on site with a toilet and classrooms for our crafting if it’s raining outside.

Ladywell Fields, London (SE6 4RN)  Currently closed until spring 2024

This site is right next to the Ravensbourne river in Ladywell Fields. We have a lovely log circle for our story, crafts and songs, which is surrounded by lots of wonderful big trees. There’s a mud kitchen, watering cans and small digging tools nearby for our little explorers to investigate. We also have a pull along trolley to play in. Our little book nook is a quiet area with nature resources and books.

What to Bring:

We run in all weather, as long as it’s safe to, so please make sure both you and your child are dressed appropriately.  Wellies are great for rainy play and mud suits are worth investing in as it means the children can enjoy their time in the rain.

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