"We do lots of nature-inspired activities. We love spotting animals, plants, trees and mushrooms. Crafting art or decorations from items in the forest is so much fun too. Arthur and Sybbie have learnt to make natural dyes and inks from the wild things we find. We dye clothes with mazegill mushrooms and make natural inks from oak galls and inkcap mushrooms. We find a lot of satisfaction in nature stewardship activities as well, like building nest boxes and planting trees."

"Being an outdoorsy family, practicality is a key feature for us. The kids need to be warm, comfortable and able to play in the mud or splash around in a river. This makes waterproofs really important. Sybbie’s Stella McCartney flower-print rain boots are perfect, and Arthur’s Töastie rain trousers come in really handy. Being free to get messy without getting cold means the learning can continue for as long as they want, which, in Arthur and Sybbie’s case, can be many hours at a time!"

"We’ve always loved Stella McCartney’s beautiful designs and her strong eco-friendly ethos. Töastie is also a really reliable designer when it comes to practicality and warmth, especially for famously wet British weather!"  

- Rain boots 

- Waterproof trousers 

- Waterproof jackets or raincoats (Sybbie adores her red Hatley raincoat) 

- Warm, but breathable base layers 

- A bag or rucksack for hands-free adventure 

- A water bottle for hydration breaks! 

- Arthur also really loves his Töastie changing coat – which was perfect after a splash in the river! 

"I have very fond memories of walking down by the canal with my Nan as a child. She taught me all about frogs and toads and how to collect frogspawn and raise tadpoles, a tradition that I have proudly continued with Arthur and Sybbie." 

"I think one of the most important points children can understand is that nature isn’t something separate from us, we are nature! When they see where and how they fit in, they become more inclined to value, love and care for nature as something essential. They are, after all, the future custodians of our planet."

Favourite subject at school? 

Arthur: Science and Art 

Sybbie: English and Music 

What would your perfect school day look like? 

Arthur: Biology in the morning and Art in the afternoon 

Sybbie: A field trip to the theatre 

If you were the headteacher for a day, what would you do? 

Arthur: Build a giant pond in the school field, plant lots of trees and sow millions of wildflower seeds.  

Sybbie: A school trip to a BBQ restaurant.  

If you could invent a new school subject, what would it be? 

Arthur: Mycology (the study of fungi)

Sybbie: Learning about insects (entomology) 

What is your best memory from school? 

Arthur: The first break-the-rules day, when we ran laps around the field to raise money for charity.  

Sybbie: When Ronnie gave me a bracelet.  

What job would you like to have when you're older?

Arthur: A naturalist and presenter, or a LEGO designer. 

Sybbie: A spider collector or a spoon collector.