Please scroll through entire page for tips and lists for each weather scenario:
Rain Gear, Cold Weather, Warm Weather, Accessories - resources from Outdoor School Shop & Firefly
Warm Weather Gear (50 & above)
Comfortable clothes that can get dirty or muddy
Quick dry/wicking shirts and shorts
Cooler days: quick dry/wicking pants and shirt (layered short sleeve & long sleeve)
Hat
See below for more on rain gear: Rain boots (insulation not needed but will be in 50 degrees and below), waterproof rain jacket, waterproof rain pant
CLOSED TOED: Shoes that can get wet and walk a lot; water shoes/keens/natives/crocs, quick dry tennis shoes
Full change of seasonal clothes: including socks and underwear labeled with name in a plastic bag (optional extras: sunglasses, cooling cloth
RAIN GEAR
We can recommend Muddy Buddies but if you are looking for something more heavy-duty for your child to wear, we recommend a two-piece, fully waterproof set of rain bibs and a jacket.
Make sure your gear is water proof, not water resistant (Columbia brand is not water proof) GORE-TEX or other thin, waterproof outer layers. When buying new rain gear, look for internal taped seams.
Snow gear is not typically water proof & denim is not a friendly material for any weather: it will remain wet & cold all day.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Helly Hansen Rain Set
Didriksons Rain Set
Reima Rain Set
LAYER ONE: BASE LAYER
Your child should have synthetic (polyester, polypropylene) or wool long underwear to go under their clothes and wool socks to keep their feet warm. Do NOT buy cotton for winter socks or long underwear, as cotton does not insulate well.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
LL Bean Synthetic Long Underwear Set
Ella’s Wool Long Underwear Set
Helly Hansen Merino Wool Long Underwear Set
Muddy Puddles Synthetic Long Underwear Top
Muddy Puddles Synthetic Long Underwear Bottom
Columbia Synthetic Long Underwear Top
Columbia Synthetic Long Underwear Bottom
LAYER TWO: FLEECE LAYER
Your child should have a pair of warm fleece pants and a fleece pullover or zip-up jacket. These layers can be worn alone or under the Muddy Buddy during the fall, or underneath their insulation layers in the winter! Again, NO cotton—a cotton or cotton/poly blend sweatshirt will not keep them warm enough.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Columbia Fleece Jacket
LL Bean Fleece Jacket
Patagonia Fleece Jacket
LL Bean Fleece Top & Pant Set
Didriksons Fleece Set
Reima Fleece Set
REI Fleece Pants
REI Fleece Jacket
LL Bean Fleece Pants
LL Bean Fleece Pants (another pair!)
LAYER THREE: INSULATION LAYER
Your child should have a down or synthetic puffy jacket (or ski coat) and a pair of snow pants OR a one-piece snow suit for days when it is especially cold or snowy (Note: we’re big fans of the one-piece snow suits! They are much simpler than dealing with all the zippers and straps of a jacket and pants. Thrift stores have lots!). Snow gear can be worn on its own or under a Muddy Buddy when it’s snowing or muddy and chilly.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Primary Puffy Jacket (a lightweight puffy like this is good for transitional weather!)
LL Bean Puffy Jacket
LL Bean 3-in-1 Toddler Parka
Columbia Ski Coat
Patagonia One Piece Snow Suit
LL Bean One Piece Snow Suit
Reima One Piece Snow Suit
Reima One Piece Snow Suit (via Outdoor School Shop)
Lands End Snow Suit
Lands End Snow Pants
Arctix (Amazon) Snow Pants
LL Bean Snow Pants
LAYER FOUR: HEAD, HANDS, & FEET
Your child should have a fleece or wool hat, a fleece neck warmer, a pair of thin fleece, wool, or synthetic gloves, a pair of waterproof mittens, and a good pair of snow/cold weather boots. Your child’s waterproof mittens should have a cuff large enough to go OVER their jacket.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Skida Fleece Hat
Didriksons Trapper Hat (covers ears!)
Skida Neck Warmer
Turtlefur Neck Warmer
Columbia Balaclava
MCTi Mittens (large cuff to fit over jacket)
Snow Stopper Mittens (large, stretchy cuff to fit over jacket)
Stonz Mittens
Gordini Mittens (large cuff and handwarmer pocket)
DO NOT BUY mittens with a very small cuff, or a small zipper cuff (Head from Costco, The North Face are the two main brands we see of this style)! They are very hard to get back on once your child has taken them off to eat/go to the bathroom/etc, and the cuff isn’t large enough to keep snow out.
LL Bean Northwoods Boots
Oaki Snow Boots
Stonz Fleece Lined Winter Boots
Bogs Neo-Classic Boots
Kamik Snowbuster Boots
Kamik Kids Boots
A NOTE ON COLD HANDS
For kids whose hands get very chilly in the winter, we recommend a two-part hand covering system! Use a thin, knit pair of gloves or mittens as the base layer (“magic mittens”-style). Then, on top of the thin gloves/mittens, put a large, insulated, waterproof pair of mittens with a cuff large enough to go over their jacket. This method allows for a few things: 1) for their hands to be covered always, even when they take their big mittens off to draw/write/eat a snack, etc, and 2) for a handwarmer to be safely slipped in to the big mittens without having a handwarmer on bare skin (not recommended).
ACCESSORIES: BACKPACKS, WATER BOTTLES, SNACK CONTAINERS
The #1 most important quality in a good backpack/water bottle/snack container is kid-friendliness. ALL of these items should be easily opened by your child, independently of an adult. If you have your heart set on a certain item and your child struggles with it, please give them time to practice using it at home before sending it to class with them.
BACKPACK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your child needs a backpack that is large enough to fit their extra layers (their Muddy Buddy, a fleece, hat, mittens, etc) and a snack, and has an external water bottle pocket.
LL Bean Junior Original Pack
Deuter Pack
REI Pack
WATER BOTTLE RECOMMENDATIONS:
A water bottle for school can be pretty simple! Just make sure that your child can open it on their own, ideally with mittens on.
Yeti Rambler Jr Water Bottle (pricey but by FAR the easiest straw lid water bottle we’ve seen—can even be used by kids with big mittens on in the winter)
Klean Kanteen Kid Classic
Camelbak Eddy+ Kids
SNACK CONTAINER RECOMMENDATIONS:
Your child’s snack for forest school does not need to be anything big or elaborate—some dried fruit or nuts, an applesauce/fruit pouch, a granola bar, or some cheese and crackers is plenty. Their snack container should fit INSIDE their backpack and should be something they can open on their own.
Stasher Bag
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Zip Top Silicone Containers
LunchBots Box
Easy Lunchboxes
INSECT-PROOF CLOTHING
Insect Shield provides two different products that are great for forest school families—bug repellant-treated clothing for sale, as well as the option to have your child’s clothing sent away and treated with bug repellant. Insect Shield uses permethrin, which is a safe and effective repellant against mosquitoes and ticks.
POLARN O. PYRET OUTDOOR SCHOOL GEAR PROGRAM
Polarn O. Pyret is a Swedish children’s clothing brand that is famous for being the unofficial outfitter of traditional Scandinavian Forest Schools! Polarn O. Pyret’s gear is made to stand up to the intense wear-and-tear that forest school kids put on their gear. While their gear can be pricey, they offer a fantastic 20% discount to any family who is enrolled in an outdoor school program. To get enrolled in the program, you just have to fill out a simple application found on their Outdoor School site.
OUTDOOR SCHOOL SHOP
If you are looking for a “one-stop shop” experience, we recommend checking out the Outdoor School Shop online at www.outdoorschoolshop.com. They work directly with forest schools to curate their selection and have great stuff!