01/08/2026
All of this! I've been meaning to create a post with a message along these lines. We have group members who are taking a break for the winter and coming back in the spring, and that's what's best for them! A couple of our students practically hibernate in the summer due to heat and light sensitivity, and that's what's best for them! The outdoors isn't a panacea or magic bullet. So many factors need to be considered!
For me and my child, the outdoors in winter is our happy place. We're thrilled that some of you join us, and we're thrilled to see others of you at other times 💕
❄️ When I started Forest School training (eek… 12 years ago! 😅), the phrase “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment” was used a lot. 🧣🧤
After working outdoors daily for 12 years, I’ve found this phrase less and less useful.
I understand the sentiment. Avoiding labels like “good” and “bad” weather matters, and appropriate outdoor clothing is absolutely vital. But this phrase can trivialise a much more complex issue – and sometimes it causes real problems. 🩵
As Forest School provision has grown, more children are spending a prolonged time outdoors. The reality is: not everyone has access to suitable outdoor clothing. Not all schools, settings, or carers can provide it. We often hear comparisons with Scandinavian countries, where children spend hours outside in sub-zero temperatures – but those cultures are set up for it. In the UK, many of us move from heated house to heated car to heated building. We’re simply not conditioned to prolonged cold in the same way. 🧤❄️🧣
❄️Spending prolonged periods outdoors in winter is also very different from a few minutes at breaktime or a brisk walk. Being outside for hours, often with periods of stillness, requires a completely different level of preparation, support, and flexibility, it is more than simply the "right kit." 🩵❄️
We also all experience temperature differently. I need layers upon layers; my husband barely feels the cold. Some children spend time outdoors year-round – living on farms, caring for animals, having outdoor hobbies. Others don’t. I’ve had two children, dressed the same, in the same session: one sobbing within minutes from the cold, the other happily outside for hours. 🧣🧤
And it’s not just about clothing. Food, warm drinks, movement, activity levels – all of these matter too. ☕️
I also regularly see Forest School providers asking for genuine advice on social media forums about how to keep children warm – only to be met with the response “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” That shuts down important conversations instead of supporting thoughtful, child-centred practice.🩵❄️
Working with children and young people (especially those with SEN or SEMH needs) shows how oversimplified this phrase is. Sensory needs can make “appropriate” clothing unbearable. Teenagers may prioritise looking the part over staying warm. And toddlers… well, gloves anyone? 🙃🧤
I’ve also seen how damaging this phrase can be. Carers and staff feeling guilt or failure when a child is cold despite being “properly dressed.” Children kept in sessions while visibly upset because they should be fine.❄️🩵
Spending time outdoors should never be an endurance test.
Empathy, flexibility, and responsiveness matter far more than a catchy phrase.
