Sticks& Worms
Home ed forest school in Blackburn and Rochdale, plus a summer holiday club — real fires, proper dens and muddy hands, led by a qualified Forest School leader.
A wood, a fire, and a reason to keep it going.
Sticks and Worms began as forest school sessions run by one teacher who would always rather be outside. Earlier this year it became Sticks and Worms Nature Network CIC — a community interest company — so what it earns goes back into running more sessions for more children, rather than into anyone's pocket.
CIC Community Interest Company, founded 2026.
Not-for-profit · run for the children who come.
Outdoors, whatever the sky's doing
Rain is half of it. We go out in the weather and dress for it — that's where the good days happen.
Child-led, not clipboard-led
Forest school follows the children. They choose what to get stuck into, and the learning comes with it.
Room for every kind of child
Lots of experience with additional needs, and a separate SEND nature club too. Tell us what your child needs.
Mixed ages, together
All ages in one group. Older ones look out for younger ones — the way it works in the real world.
Why we were created
Sticks and Worms Nature Network was set up to open the outdoors up to the people who too often feel shut out of it — across Greater Manchester and beyond. This is the work we exist to do.
- 01
To open up access to the outdoors — parks, country parks, canals, National Parks, heritage sites and every other natural space — for young people and families across Greater Manchester and beyond who feel excluded from them.
- 02
To break down barriers for ethnic minorities and people of colour in the outdoors, engaging and educating so people see themselves as part of the solution on the environment, climate change and sustainability — through workshops and activity days.
- 03
To run therapeutic, fun activities, events and projects that get people actively outdoors: group walks, forest school, and nature and gardening clubs.
- 04
To seek funding so that all or most projects are free at the point of delivery — and part-subsidised where free simply isn't possible.
- 05
To work with outdoor institutions like the National Trust and Woodland Trust, helping make their spaces more accessible to communities from the global majority through consultation and collaboration.
- 06
To offer support and training to schools, artists, cultural organisations, community gardens, outdoor spaces and their outreach teams, so they can work more inclusively with traditionally hard-to-reach communities.
- 07
To provide outdoor activities for adults that improve their mental health.
- 08
To work with young people who are offending, and others in alternative provision, on outdoor projects such as forest school and bushcraft.
What the children actually do
Forest school is learner-led, so no two days run the same. These are the things that come round most often.
The fire circle
Children help build and light the fire, and learn how to do it safely themselves.
Cooking on the fire
Campfire food made outdoors — do tell us about any allergies beforehand.
Dens & hammocks
Real shelters built from what's around, knots and all.
Bushcraft & skills
Tool use, knots and the practical things that come with being outdoors.
Woodland games
Traditional outdoor games — the loud, running-about kind.
Seasonal crafts
Making and art from whatever the season gives us.
Nature trails
Getting out around the site and finding what's living there.
Hands in the soil
Digging, planting and growing — the muddy end of the day.
The Forage
Leg it through the woods, grab every stick and worm you can, and stay out of the nettles and brambles. Three lives, and it speeds up. Worms are worth more — they're harder to catch.
Summer Holiday Club 2026
Ashworth Valley Scout Campsite, Rochdale · for young people aged 5–16
Built around how home ed actually works
Siblings stay together
Different ages come to the same session. No splitting children across different rooms and times, and the older ones naturally help the younger ones.
Not a rushed hour
Sessions run 10am to 2pm with a proper lunch break, so there's time to settle in, get stuck into something and finish it.
A group that builds up
Families come back month to month, so children get a regular social group outdoors — and the grown-ups get to know each other too.
Two places to join us
Our home education forest school runs as small, private groups. Get in touch and we'll help you find a spot.
Canalside Activity & Environment Centre
Bonsall Street, Mill Hill, Blackburn, BB2 4DD
Book on EequBoth are private sessions for home-educating families, so spaces are limited — the sooner you're in touch, the better.
The children ask when the next one is.
“My boys often take time to feel comfortable with new people, but Sahar made such an effort to include them, give them a role in the group and make them feel valued — they were so relaxed. Having someone this experienced to learn and explore with is invaluable to us.”Sabiha · September 2023
“Amazing sessions so far. The activities are well thought out and carefully chosen, giving the children a real breadth of experience. The girls love being outdoors and are excited every week to find out what they'll be doing next. A huge thank you to Sahar for her enthusiasm and gentle nature.”
Zainab · August 2023“The mentor was great and approachable, and my children were very comfortable with her. A great experience — they'd love to attend again whenever it's available. Thank you!”
Javaria · October 2023Leave a review
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What we've been up to
A snapshot of the sessions, clubs and walks we've run across the North West since Sticks and Worms began.
Home ed forest school · Blackburn
Monthly forest school days for home-educating families at Canalside, on the canal at Mill Hill.
Home ed forest school · Rochdale
Weekly Tuesday sessions at Ashworth Valley Scout Campsite for home ed families around Rochdale.
SEND nature club
Dedicated, gentler sessions built around children with additional needs.
Group walks & hikes
Led walks for groups of all backgrounds and abilities, connecting people with nature and the outdoors.
Sessions in green spaces
Forest school and nature activities at green spaces across the North West, including Tandle Hill Country Park and Belfield Park.
HAF Summer Holiday Club
A funded holiday club at Ashworth Valley — free for children on free school meal vouchers — with cooking on the fire, climbing, archery and more.
Got photos from a session you'd like to see here? Send them over and we'll add them.
Hi, I'm Sahar.
I'm a qualified Forest School Leader, and have been since 2018. I began delivering sessions within the primary school where I was teaching. After a decade of teaching in a primary setting, I've recently moved to focus on Forest School experiences, particularly for home-educated children across the North West.
Alongside Forest School, I also lead walks for groups of all backgrounds and abilities, promoting connection with nature and wellbeing through accessible outdoor experiences.
Earlier this year, I founded Sticks and Worms as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to expand my work within the green sector and deepen my commitment to outdoor education and nature-based engagement.
The practical bits, because they matter: I'm outdoor first aid trained, and on the DBS update service with a full enhanced check.
What I care about
- Inspiring children to connect with and care for the conservation of land and wildlife.
- Fostering a love and respect for animals through education and meaningful interaction with all living things.
- Advocating for greater accessibility and inclusion in our National Parks and green spaces.
- Promoting the joy and wellbeing that come from hiking and spending time outdoors.
My favourite place? Buttermere Lake.
The practical bits
Everything worth knowing the night before, so nobody turns up in the wrong shoes.
Wrap up warm
Old clothes you don't mind ruining, wellies or boots that fasten on, waterproofs and layers. Outdoors all day means colder than town.
Bring a packed lunch
We break for lunch, so send food from home. Drinks, snacks and all the equipment are provided.
No nuts, please
Please check what you pack — nothing containing nuts. And tell us about any allergies beforehand, since the children do cooking.
Where we meet
Blackburn home ed runs at Canalside, Bonsall Street, BB2 4DD (compost toilets on site). Rochdale home ed and the summer club are both at Ashworth Valley Scout Campsite, Rochdale.
What we bring
You bring a packed lunch and the right clothes — we sort the rest.
- Drinks
- Snacks
- All equipment
- Safety kit
The paperwork you'd want us to have
Sessions involve fire and tools, so this matters. Everything below is in place for our sessions.
On the canal at Mill Hill
Bonsall Street, Mill Hill
Blackburn, BB2 4DD
Want to know more?
We are an information-first website. For session dates, availability, locations or anything else, please email or call us directly.
Some sessions are not advertised publicly, so please get in touch if you would like more information.
It depends on the session — some are drop-off and some are stay-and-play. Message us and we'll tell you the details straight away.
Yes. Mixed ages are the norm here, not the exception. Activities are open-ended enough that a five year old and a twelve year old can do the same thing at their own level.
Very welcome. There's a lot of experience here supporting children with additional needs, and Sticks and Worms also runs a dedicated SEND nature club. Message us and tell us what your child needs — it's much easier to plan for than to react to.
Children work with real fire and real tools, because that's what forest school is — but always with a brief first, clear rules, close supervision and a risk assessment behind it. The leader is outdoor first aid trained with a first aid kit on site.
We go out anyway — rain is half of forest school. Send waterproofs and a full change of clothes. We'd only cancel for genuinely unsafe conditions, and we'd let you know as early as we could.
Come and get muddy with us.
Get in touch about our home ed sessions, holiday clubs, and anything else you would like to know.
