24 May, 2022
With the longest day of the year fast approaching, make the most of the great outdoors this half term at your local Forestry England forest.
The nation’s forests are packed full of great activities for the family to enjoy and most of them are free! May half term for most UK schools is Monday 30 May to Friday 3rd June with the spring bank holidays falling on 2nd and 3rd of June).
Here is Forestry England’s list of family-friendly activities and fun things to do:
Set off on a forest adventure this half term and enjoy an activity trail based on Julia Donaldson’s much-loved book, Superworm. With lots of fun activities to complete, the trail will encourage children to become superheroes of the forest themselves.
Click here to follow the Superworm trail
Cycling is an excellent way to experience the outdoors and can be enjoyed by the whole family. Ride your way to adventure this half term with Forestry England’s new Forest Rider packs. The packs have been designed to challenge children to complete a series of off-road rides, build their confidence and to enjoy the fantastic network of trails the nation’s forest have to offer.
Click here to find your forest rider packs and activities.
Keep your children active and learning this half term with Forestry England’s ActiviTree challenge. Free to download, there are five activities sheets that explore the life cycle of a tree whilst keeping your family active in nature.
Keep your kids active with the ActiviTrees ideas. Click here for inspiration.
Give a prize to whoever can tick off the most animals on the spotter sheet during your half term visit. Forestry England’s colourful spotter sheet is a great introduction to recording wildlife, from beautiful butterflies to roe deer, there is a lot of wildlife to spot in the nation’s forests.
Click here for a wildlife spotter activity sheet.
Get the whole family involved this half term as you scramble, slide and swing your way around forests and woodlands! From adventure play zones to natural equipment, our amazing play areas are great for kids and adults alike to burn off some steam.
Click here for Gruffalo sculptures, adventure kits and picnic ideas.
With adventurous play areas, safe off-road family cycling, activity trails and more, the nations forests offer a fantastic family day out. Visit www.forestryengland.uk for further information.
All photos credited to Forestry England/ Crown copyright
Forestry England manages and cares for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests, with over 296 million visits per year. As England’s largest land manager, we shape landscapes and enhance forests for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and businesses to grow. We are continuing the work we have already started to make the nation’s forests resilient to climate change and by 2026 we will:
Outside & Active is the home for those who love the outdoors. Our mission is to inspire, inform and educate people about being active outdoors in a fun, safe and sustainable way. We provide inspiration, kit, tech and advice on adventure, camping, climbing, cycling, hiking, running water and winter.
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Forestry England is a division of the Forestry Commission, responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England. It was formed as Forest Enterprise in 1996, before devolving to Forest Enterprise England on 31 March 2003 and then being rebranded to Forestry England on 1 April 2019.