“Teacher Tom is one of those rare beings who is able to really see and hear children for being the very ones that they are.”
Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, R. Psych., author of Discipline Without Damage & Parenting Right from the Start
Tom "Teacher Tom" Hobson is a preschool teacher, writer, speaker, artist, and author. He is best known, however, for his namesake "Teacher Tom's Blog," where he has posted daily since 2009, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the United States.
For the better part of the past two decades, Teacher Tom has been the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School, a parent-owned and operated school, knit together by Teacher Tom's democratic, progressive play-based pedagogy. The children come to the school as 2-year-olds in diapers and leave as "sophisticated" 6-year-olds ready for the larger world.
Teacher Tom came into teaching through the backdoor, so to speak, having enrolled his own child in a cooperative preschool, where he began working daily in his daughter's classroom as an assistant teacher under the tutelage of veteran teachers, although he'll be the first to tell you that most of what he learned came from the children themselves. When it was time for his daughter to move on, he "stayed behind," where he plans to remain for the rest of his life.
Tom is a sought-after public speaker, having travelled the globe from the US and Canada to Australia, New Zealand, China, and Europe.
Picking up where Teacher Tom’s First Book left off, Teacher Tom’s Second Bookis an insightful, sometimes breathtakingly eye-opening look into the relationship between young children, learning, and the adults and institutions in their lives.
Teacher Tom’s ability to find great truth in small moments, coupled with his passionate defence of the rights of children and his critique of common practice, comes together to reveal a loving, child-centred world, one in which children are free to learn and grow, unencumbered by the dogma and nonsense of our culture’s ever narrowing view of childhood.
“Tom’s book is soul food for educators. It helps keep our focus on children—their needs, rights and ensuring their voices can be heard loud and clear - be that from the top of a slide or whispering in a homemade den.”
Juliet Robertson, author of Dirty Teaching, Scotland
Our one stop shop has a diverse selection of practical, educational and inspiring products for all your forest school, outdoor play and learning requirements.
Our Outdoor Hub is free to everyone and packed full of literally hundreds of step-by-step, photo-illustrated activities. You don't have to be out in an amazing Forest School or woodland setting, most of the activities can be done at home, in a yard or garden, many of them can be adapted and done indoors.
We really do encourage you to get outside if you can - the benefits to your health and wellbeing are huge - you can read all about them on the Outdoor Hub here.
Our activities are organised in categories so you can find what you need, or use our keyword search (scroll down the left hand menu) to follow your children's interests.
The Outdoor Hub has a wealth of inspiring activities, events and information. Each section has been designed to encourage engagement in the outdoors, connection with nature and to help spark imaginative play and creativity.
Lockdown
Supporting your time outdoors during the pandemic and beyond - whether you're home schooling, adapting your school for outdoor learning, or improving safety in your outdoor setting - boost your wellbeing by getting outside.
Since April 2020 we've been gathering resources and creating activities and videos to help you benefit from spending time outdoors during the COVID-19 lockdown and gradual transition into the new normal.
There's a lot here - its worth exploring!
With a message of introduction from Liz Edwards, Muddy Faces founder & director.
