Grow the nature play community in your area as a Group Host.
At the heart of Free Forest School is our connection to one another. While kids play and explore, caregivers and parents meet, share ideas, and build friendships. By listing Your Local Group, you will help others find events that help catalyze outdoor play opportunities in your area.
Where do I start?
Check the Join a Group Page. If there is already a group in your area, reach out to the contact person to see how you can collaborate.
If there is not a group in your area, you can create one by filling out the form on this page. Once you fill out the form with your basic group info, you will receive an invitation to join the Free Forest School Host Hub on BAND, which is a free app. Through the hub you will have access to a variety of resources that will help you get your group started as well as a community of other Hosts that can offer support.
All groups are local and meet in person so you will want to consider a few points before you add your new group to the form.
Where will your group meet? Your group can cover a geographic area that serves your needs. Some groups are neighborhood-specific and others span several counties or states. It really depends on what makes sense to your region.
How will you communicate with your group? You can choose any website or app that serves your needs. On the List Your Local Group form, you will be prompted to enter a website. You can leave this blank and return to the form to update your existing group once you have set up a platform. There will be resources on the Host Hub for options for communicating with your group.
Don’t worry about having your group ready to go! There’s a space on the form to list that your group is in development so that other people in your area who are interested can find you. You can work out more details once you have access to the resources in the Host Hub.
List Your Local Group. Please allow up to a week for the group to be listed on the Free Forest School Groups list.
After listing your group, keep an eye out for the invitation to join the Free Forest School Host Hub on BAND for access to all of the resources for getting started.