Forest school kit: Warm, dry and ready for anything
Every child at Footprints has the same good kit, so nobody is cold, nobody is wet, and nobody feels different. It comes with your place, for one kit fee, and we look after the sizing.
Why one kit for everyone
Warm children learn
A cold child stops exploring and starts waiting to go home. The right layers mean a wet November morning is simply a wet November morning.
The right things, not the most things
Thin merino next to the skin, a fleece, then proper waterproofs: three layers that work together, not a drawer of nearly-right ones.
Nothing to find on a Tuesday night
The kit lives in its bag, ready. No last-minute hunt for the other welly.
What is in the kit
Scandinavian-style outdoor nursery kit, the kind made to be lived in all day, every day.
Waterproof jacket and bib trousers
A hooded shell jacket with matching bib trousers, in one solid colour, fully waterproof and breathable (Didriksons or equivalent).
Merino base layer
A thin merino wool top and leggings: warm when wet, soft, and they do not smell.
Merino socks, two pairs
Thick wool socks for the wellies, with a spare pair in the bag.
Neoprene-lined wellies
Lined wellies keep feet warm in standing water; thin unlined ones do not.
Fleece
The middle layer, for the colder half of the year.
Knitted hat and waterproof mittens
Mittens on a string, so they come home.
A Yeti or Klean Kanteen bottle
Steel, easy to clean, and it will last the whole of your child's time at forest school and long after. Cheap plastic bottles crack, leak and go green inside.
Bringing it with you
The kit comes to the woods with your child every session, in one bag.
We recommend the big Tesco bag for life, the one that changes every few months and often has a favourite character on it, from The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Raymond Briggs's Snowman. It is cheap, strong, and exactly the right size for the whole kit, backpack included.
The full kit list, down to the spare socks, lives in the Den.
What the kit fee covers
One fee, paid once, that covers the whole kit above. The amount will be on this page when places open, and founding families hear it first.
| What | In the kit fee | You bring |
|---|---|---|
| Waterproof jacket and bib trousers | ||
| Merino base layer, top and leggings | ||
| Merino socks, two pairs | ||
| Neoprene-lined wellies | ||
| Fleece | ||
| Hat and mittens | ||
| Yeti or Klean Kanteen bottle | ||
| A big bag to carry it all in | ||
| A small backpack, for lunch | ||
| A packed lunch | ||
| Spare clothes in a bag, for the car | ||
| Sun cream, in summer |
We check sizes at the start of every term.
Join the founding familiesFounding families hear the kit fee first.