From Japan to Madrid: What Forest School means to me now.

When people hear “forest school”, they often imagine lessons outside: logs for seats, children learning the names of trees.

But for me, forest school in Madrid is something much deeper: a way for families to slow down, connect with nature and give children more freedom outdoors.

Especially here in Madrid, where many of us live in apartments and don’t have our own land, forest school is not about owning a wild space. It is about returning, again and again, to the same place in nature and slowly letting it become part of us.

The same path. The same clearing. The same tree.

And noticing how it changes through the seasons.

The dry grasses of summer become the damp earth of autumn. Tiny acorns appear. Blossom returns. Birds come and go.

The children change too. The child who was nervous to climb begins to scramble up confidently. The one who stayed close starts to run ahead. Over time, they stop being visitors and begin to belong.

Why Families in Madrid Are Looking for More Nature

That is what makes forest school so special. Alongside the joy of exploring new places, there is something powerful about returning to the same one. Becoming familiar. Building a relationship with it.

Forest school is also slow.

There is no rush, no timetable, no pressure to “achieve” something. Children have the freedom to follow their curiosity: collecting sticks, watching ants, jumping in puddles, climbing, running, building and balancing.

There may be muddy trousers, wet socks and sticky hands. But the mess is not the point. The freedom is.

Forest school gives children a slice of childhood many of us remember – or wish we had known more of. Wild days to explore, take risks, climb trees, splash in water and discover what their bodies and minds can do.

Not alongside nature.

In it. With it.

And forest school is not only for children.

It is for parents too. A chance to slow down, unplug and spend time together away from the noise of everyday life. Time to connect with our children, with other parents and with ourselves.

And slowly, almost without noticing, it becomes something else too: a small community. Familiar faces. Shared flasks of coffee. Children growing in confidence together. Parents finding people who understand the kind of childhood they want to create.

Learning Through Nature

Because forest school is also about learning.

Not through worksheets or lessons, but through experience. Children learn to notice, to ask questions and to care. They begin to understand the plants, animals and seasons around them – and to feel that they belong to this world, not separate from it.

When children know a place and love it, they are far more likely to protect it.

That is why forest school matters to me now.

Even here, in and around Madrid, without our own land, we can still choose this kind of childhood: slower, freer, more connected and rooted in belonging.

After the success of ReWild Family Adventures, many families have told me they would love more of this – but closer to Madrid and easier to fit into everyday life.

So this May I’m piloting a new ReWild Family Forest School session in El Pardo: a slower, more regular way to connect with nature together.

Because it is a pilot, the session is heavily reduced and I’ll be asking for feedback afterwards, to help shape a future programme from autumn onwards.

If you have been looking for a gentler, closer-to-home slice of nature for your family, I’d love for you to come and be part of it.

A New Family Forest School Pilot in Madrid

And that is why I’m so excited to be piloting something new this spring.

After the success of ReWild Family Adventures, many families have told me they would love more of this – but closer to Madrid and easier to fit into everyday life.

So this May I’m piloting a new ReWild Family Forest School session in El Pardo: a slower, more regular way to connect with nature together.

Because it is a pilot, the session in May is heavily reduced and I’ll be asking for feedback afterwards, to help shape a future programme from autumn onwards.

If you have been looking for a gentler, closer-to-home slice of nature for your family, I’d love for you to come and be part of it.