Voice or a quick tap
Talk it out as a voice note or jot a single line of text, whatever's quickest with the activity in full swing. No long forms, no "I'll write it up tonight". The observation is captured before the moment's gone.
Observations & learning journeys
Capture the magic moments, build the learning journey.
A child balances along a fallen log, names the bird they just heard, lights their first spark. With the Forest School app you catch that moment in the woods (a voice note, a quick tap, a consented photo), tag it to an EYFS area of learning, and it joins that child's learning journey without you typing it up later at the kitchen table.
Observations in the moment, even with no signal
The best observations happen when you're knee-deep in the activity, not back at base hours later trying to remember who did what. The Forest School app is built for that: open a running session, tap the child, and capture what you saw in seconds. Speak it as a voice note while your hands are cold and muddy, or type a quick line; whichever is faster in the moment wins. And because it's offline-first, none of it needs a bar of signal. Everything you record under the trees is saved on the device and syncs the moment you're back in range.
A consented photo, attached
Add a photo to bring the moment to life, but only ever for a child whose photo consent is on record. The app handles that check for you, so a snapshot is never a worry.
Works with no signal
Out in a dead spot? Carry on. Every note, tag and photo is stored on the device and syncs safely the moment you're back online. Nothing is lost on a wet morning in the woods.
Linked to the EYFS areas of learning
An observation is only half the story until it's connected to what the child is actually learning. As you record, you tag who it's about and which areas of learning it shows, across the seven EYFS areas: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; physical development; literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; and expressive arts and design. A child stacking logs into a tower might be physical development and mathematics at once; naming the woodlouse under the bark might be communication and language and understanding the world. Tag both, and the evidence sorts itself by area without you keeping a separate tracking grid. If you're new to observing outdoors, our guide on EYFS observations outdoors walks through what good looks like in a woodland setting.
A learning journey that builds itself
Every observation you capture joins that child's learning journey: a running, dated picture of their term in the woods. You don't assemble it; it assembles. Open any child and you see their moments in order, threaded by area of learning, photos and all: the week they wouldn't leave your side, the week they led the den-building, the spark that finally caught. It turns a heap of scribbled notes into a story a parent, a moderator or an Ofsted inspector can actually follow, and it feeds straight back into your next plan. Spot a child who's strong on physical but quiet on communication, and you can shape the coming weeks around it. Observation, journey and session planning become one loop instead of three separate jobs, and it all lands in your wider record keeping without a re-key.
The bit DSLs and parents care about
The camera won't open for a child without photo consent.
This is the safeguard most apps bolt on as an afterthought and we built in from the start. If a child doesn't have photo consent on record, the camera simply will not open for them. There's no "are you sure?", no override, no quiet workaround a tired volunteer can tap past. And it isn't just a screen that hides a button: the same consent check runs again server-side on upload, so even if a photo were taken some other way, it can't attach to a child who isn't consented. One source of truth, enforced in the app and re-checked on the way in. Your DSL can sign off on it, and a nervous parent can be told the plain truth: their child cannot be photographed unless they've said yes. It cannot be bypassed.
Consent checked
10:51
Ada · balancing on the log
📷 photo added, consent on file
"Crossed the fallen log unaided, then turned back to help Rowan across."
Share progress with parents
Parents love seeing their child thrive outdoors, and the moments you capture are exactly what they want to see. From their own passwordless portal (they enter their email, pop in the code we send, and they're in) parents can view the observations you choose to share. You stay in control of what's published; the rest of your evidence and your notes stay private to your team. It's the warmth of a learning journey sent home, without exporting anything or chasing a printout, and it keeps families close to the magic their child is making in the woods.
Free for practitioners: the setting subscribes
Every leader, assistant and volunteer has a free account, so the whole team can observe in the field at no cost. Only the setting (the provider running the sessions) needs a plan, and one plan covers unlimited children, observations and learning journeys. A freelance leader is a one-person setting on Solo (£15 a month); a setting with staff is on Team (£29 a site), and you get 14 days free with no card. See full pricing.
Observation questions
The things leaders ask first.
Can I observe without any signal in the woods?
Yes. The app is offline-first, so voice notes, text observations, area-of-learning tags and consented photos all save to the device and sync automatically when you're back in range. A dead spot never costs you a moment.
What stops a child without photo consent being photographed?
The camera won't open for them in the first place, and there's no override. As a belt-and-braces check, the same consent is verified again server-side when a photo is uploaded, so an unconsented child can't have a photo attached, full stop. It's enforced in the app and re-checked on the server.
Do parents see every observation?
No, only the ones you choose to share. Parents view shared moments through their own passwordless portal, while the rest of your evidence and your team's working notes stay private.
Start capturing learning journeys this term.
Set your setting up free for 14 days, no card needed. Snap the moment, tag the area, watch the journey build.