OUTDOOR fun is had year round at a pre-school with no indoor classroom, where children spend all day every day outside. Mums turned businesswomen Dionne Pullen and Emily Brown decided to get more children into the outdoors after seeing the benefits in their own children.

Now they have more than 40 children at Saplings Forest School, as parents flock to the school, which is set on eight acres of organic farmland rented from a local Rushall farmer.

Rainy British weather doesn’t put them off, with sheepskin snuggle blankets and any army canopies at the ready for when the skies open.

Mrs Pullen said: “I got involved when I had children and realised how important it was to get children outside.

“We organised land from a nearby organic farmer and now have eight acres.

“Children love it and you can see their independence and resilience growing.

“When it rains we use waterproofs, we have snuggle tents and sheepskin rugs that they can use to keep dry and warm and have an army tent and we have an open fire where we can tell children about keeping safe around fires.

“The parents have noticed differences and they tend to go outside more as a result too.

“We provide packs with binoculars, compass and maps for them to get into the woods with their children.

“We are led by the children. We have one child who is obsessed with dinosaurs at the moment so we are looking for big rocks which could be dinosaur teeth and then can talk about the importance of keeping teeth clean and hygiene. “There are proven benefits to communication and cognitive and mental development.”

The forest school has been holding open week this week for parents to find out about Saplings Forest School.