Upon completion of this course, you will gain an accredited Forest School leader certification allowing you to lead Forest School sessions around the world.

The course is broken down into 6 distinct units. The first 5 units covers everything on the original Forest School level 3 course. Having said that, we have also included a wealth of practical ideas created by exceptional Forest School leaders, that you can try at your setting which are not included in the original course. The 6th unit covers a large amount of unique content. Essentially, everything extra we wished we had learnt when we were training. There are no extra assignments for unit 6, only tutorials- keeping your workload manageable.

Unit 1 - You will learn about ecosystems, site management, conservation and sustainable practices.

Unit 2 - You will learn all the practical elements of the course such as tool use, fire lighting, cooking on open flames, shelter building and projects to complete with your learners.

Unit 3 - You will explore relevant learning theories and the practical application of the Forest School approach. The course provides plenty of ideas to practically apply these theories in your sessions.

Unit 4 - You will create policies and procedure that safeguard your sessions. The creation of this documentation will ensure you can comply with your legal obligations and follow best practice for safeguarding your learners.

Unit 5 - You will put all you have learnt into practice by planning and running 6 Forest School sessions.

Unit 6 - Learn how to create a site from scratch, introduce mindfulness into your sessions, simple homeschooling ideas and much more. Important note - A first aid certificate (minimum of 16 hours) is required before you can run your sessions. Information about this is provided in the course.

This unique course not only covers all the content of the original Forest School Leader Award training, it also adapts each unit to provide clear guidance, practical ideas and advice on how to run Forest School in desert environments.

This course specifically breaks down each element of the Forest School approach to learning and adapts it so that engaging and rich Forest School sessions can take place in any natural environment. Forest School does not have to take place in a forest but in a natural setting, where learners can be immersed and interact with nature.

Course Details :

Everything that is covered in the full online Forest School training. 

- Bespoke units created by trainers with experience working in desert regions. 

- Learn how to create a Forest School site in a desert environment.

- Learn how to adapt each principle of Forest School for a desert environment. 

- Learn how to run successful Forest School sessions in a desert environment.

- Practical ideas for promoting holistic development as part of your Forest School sessions. 

- The only provider with regular practical Forest School training in Dubai.

How to Sign Up and Apply:

Apply now for our International Forest School Leader Award. Registration is open and each three month a group of 10 future educators will join the program. The program costs 7000 AED and you can choose to add a Two - days practical training session with the first Forest School practitioner in the UAE for an extra 2500 AED where one day you will get to learn all the practical skills face to face and second day you will have access to the tools to practice on your own. The practical training will cover tools, fires, knots, and shelter in person. We also offer an installment plan for 3 months and 6 months, so please email us at natureeducator@naturatribe.com for more information. The practical days will be hosted twice a year, once in October and once in April!

About The Forest School Skills - Practical Training:

Two days of forest school practical training where we will dive into all the key skills needed for leading successful forest sessions. Our Forest School Skills Training spans across a pair of days, with the initial day dedicated to a deep dive into the topics outlined in chapter two of your online course. This includes mastering activities fire lighting, cooking over open flames, constructing shelters, and safely handling tools and teaching knots. The session lead will not only demonstrate these skills in real-world scenarios but will also guide you on how to effectively teach them. The following day, you will collaborate with your peers, equipped with tools and materials, to put your newfound knowledge into practice. The session lead will not be involved in the second day but she will be around to answer questions if needed during specific hours during the second day while she will be with you the entire first day. This practical training opportunity occurs biannually in October and May. The first day commences at 9 am and concludes at 5 pm, while the second day runs from 3 pm to 6 pm.

Cost is 2500

Available Days

5th April 2025 ( 11 AM - 6 pm ) & 6th April ( 9 - 6 pm)

Forest School Skills training is suggested for theory graduates looking to enhance practical skills, refresh knowledge, and connect with like-minded individuals.

Additional information

The original Forest School course was created in the mid 90's, providing a unique approach to learning and development. Although the ethos remains exactly the same, the ideas and development of Forest School has never been more exciting.  This course includes everything that is on the original level 3 Forest School course, plus a huge amount of extra, updated, unique and original content that will provide every learner with everything they need to lead rich and engaging Forest School sessions for years and years to come. Examples of some of the extra content you will receive:​ ​

-Step by step guide of how to create a Forest School site from scratch. Ideal, if you are a school with only a field. 

- A unique session planning guide with hundreds of unique session ideas and clear walkthroughs of how to run your sessions. 

- Forest School ideas for homeschooling/unschooling

- Forest School immersive story telling

- Mindfulness and Forest Bathing

- Tool construction projects step by step guides, that you can do with your learners - Tool progression documents - 

Templates and resource documents and kit lists - Learner-led projects that focus on holistic development

- Plus much, much more.