Forest school equipment: a kit list for leaders

Published: 18 October 2026 · en-GB

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Forest school needs less than people expect. A good site, a tarp, a fire kit, a few well-kept tools and a properly stocked first aid kit will carry most sessions. What follows is a starting point for your own list. Your site, your group and your risk-benefit assessments decide the rest, and no brand of anything is needed.

Shelter: tarps and ropes

• A large tarp for the base camp, big enough for the whole group to sit under in the rain.
• A spare smaller tarp, for a second shelter or for the children to build with.
• Rope for a ridge line, plus shorter lengths of cord for guy lines.
• Tent pegs, and a mallet to set them.
• Sit mats or a groundsheet, so nobody sits on wet ground.
• Den-building kit for the children: old sheets or small tarps, string, pegs and clothes pegs.

Check trees before you tie to them, and keep ridge lines above head height or clearly marked so nobody walks into them.

Fire kit

• A fire bowl or a marked fire pit, with logs or stumps for seating around a clear circle.
• Fire steels or strikers, and tinder (cotton wool, birch bark, dry grass, wood shavings).
• A bag of dry kindling and fuel, sorted by thickness, in case the wood is wet.
• Water to put the fire out, in buckets or containers, and more besides for cooling a burn (the NHS advises 20 minutes under cool running water).
• A fire blanket, and a bucket of sand or soil.
• Heat-resistant gloves for whoever is tending the fire.
• A kettle or pan for the fire, and a way to lift it off safely.

Setting up the circle, the way in and out, and putting the fire out cold are all in our guide to fire and tool safety.

Forest school tools, and looking after them

Introduce tools a step at a time, matched to the group. A typical set builds up like this:

• Vegetable peelers, for a first go at whittling.
• Small fixed-blade or locking knives, each with a sheath.
• Bow saws (small and large), and a sawhorse or a log to work on.
• Loppers and secateurs.
• Hand drills and a palm drill.
• Mallets, and a froe or splitting tool if your policy allows it.
• A cut-resistant glove for the supporting hand, if your policy calls for one.
• A tool roll or a lockable tool box.
• A tool count sheet, so every tool is counted out and counted back in.

And for keeping them in good order:

• A sharpening stone or sharpener for knives. A sharp blade needs less force and slips less.
• A cloth and a little oil, to dry and oil blades after a wet session.
• Spare saw blades.

After each session, clean and dry every tool, check handles for cracks and blades for chips, and take anything damaged out of use. Store tools locked away and out of children's reach, and keep a note of when each was last checked.

First aid and emergencies

• A first aid kit stocked for outdoor use, checked before each session and restocked after.
• Extras for fire and tools: burns dressings, cling film and sterile eyewash.
• Any individual medication (inhalers, adrenaline auto-injectors), named, with the care plan.
• A foil blanket or survival bag, and a group shelter if you are far from a building.
• A charged phone, a power bank, and a note of where on the site you get a signal.
• The site's emergency action plan: grid reference, what3words, nearest A&E, and where an ambulance can reach you.
• The register, with emergency contact details for everyone there.
• A whistle for the recall signal.
• Accident and incident forms, or a way to record them.

What goes in the first aid kit itself, and how to handle cuts, burns, stings and ticks, is in our forest school first aid guide.

Welfare: toilets, handwashing, food and warmth

• A toilet plan: the nearest building, a compost loo, or a toilet tent with a trowel and bags.
• A handwashing station: a container of warm water with a tap, soap, paper towels, and a bowl or bucket for waste water.
• Hand gel as a back-up. Soap and water is better for muddy hands.
• Drinking water for everyone.
• A flask or kettle for hot drinks, and cups.
• Snacks, with allergies checked against the register.
• A bag of spare clothes: socks, gloves, hats, a jumper and waterproof trousers in a few sizes.
• Bin bags, so everything you bring in goes back out.

Storage and transport

• A dry box or waterproof bags for the first aid kit, paperwork and spare clothes.
• A lockable store on site, or a trailer, trolley or sack barrow if you carry everything in.
• Crates or bags labelled by area (shelter, fire, tools, welfare), so packing and checking is quick.
• Somewhere to dry tarps and clothing between sessions.

Forest school resources for activities

Most of the resources come from the wood itself. A few extras help:

• Magnifying glasses, bug pots and a tray or white sheet for minibeast hunts.
• Simple identification sheets for trees, leaves, birds and minibeasts in your area.
• String, wool, clay and elastic bands for making things.
• Old pans, spoons and containers for a mud kitchen.
• A few storybooks, and paper and pencils in a waterproof bag.

For ideas to use them with, browse our free forest school activities.

Forest school clothing: what children should wear

Warm, dry children play for longer. Long sleeves and long trousers are worth it all year: they protect against brambles, nettles and ticks, and the NHS suggests tucking trousers into socks in tick areas. Layers are easier to manage than one thick coat.

Season	What to wear
Spring	Layers that come off as the day warms up, a waterproof jacket and trousers, wellies or sturdy waterproof boots, a light hat.
Summer	Light long sleeves and long trousers, a sun hat, sun cream put on before the session, sturdy closed shoes, a water bottle. Waterproofs still in the bag.
Autumn	A base layer, a warm mid layer (wool or fleece), waterproof jacket and trousers or an all-in-one, wellies with warm socks, a hat and gloves.
Winter	Thermal base layers, two warm mid layers, a waterproof outer layer, wellies or winter boots with thick socks, a warm hat, waterproof gloves and a spare pair.

A few things help around the fire. Fleece is warm but can melt if a spark lands on it, so a wool or cotton outer layer is kinder near the flames. Long hair tied back, and no scarves or loose cords hanging near the fire or tools. Cotton next to the skin stays cold once it is wet, so a wool or synthetic base layer is better in winter.

What the forest school provides, and what families bring

This varies, so say clearly in your joining information what you provide and what you expect.

The forest school usually provides	Families usually provide
Shelter, fire kit, tools, first aid, the emergency plan, handwashing and toilet arrangements, hot drinks, activity resources.	Clothing for the weather, wellies or boots, a named water bottle, any personal medication, sun cream in summer, a change of clothes for young children.
Many forest schools keep a stock of spare waterproofs and wellies to lend.	A snack, if the forest school asks for one.

The forest school kit list, for the day

The short version, for the morning of a session:

• Register, emergency contacts and medication
• First aid kit, burns dressings and eyewash
• Charged phone and the site's emergency plan
• Whistle
• Tarp, rope, pegs and sit mats
• Fire kit, water, fire blanket and gloves
• Tools, sheaths and the tool count sheet
• Handwashing water, soap and towels
• Drinking water, hot drinks and snacks
• Spare clothes
• Activity resources
• Bin bags

Tools and the emergency plan on your phone

The Forest School App counts every tool issued and returned, takes the fire from lit to out and cold, and warns you before you leave if anything is still out. Each wood carries its emergency action plan, readable on your phone with no signal. It is free for practitioners.

Sources

• NHS: Burns and scalds (cooling a burn for 20 minutes)
• NHS: Lyme disease (covering skin and tucking trousers into socks)