A five-day creative nature programme for children aged 5–11 in East London.
Dates: 26th -30th October 2026
Fixed price: £500
During Autumn Discovery Week, children will explore and learn about the natural environment and the changing seasons while developing their creativity, communication skills and confidence through making, story telling and performance.
Across five days, children will use natural materials found in the garden to make toys, characters and imaginary worlds in the living room of a Victorian house. While learning and playing, they will create, tell and write stories, experiment with photography and video, and develop multisensory presentations. Yes, it can get messy with mud, slime, sticks, and natural dirt!
Every day will have its own theme, learning goals and creative project. The children's work will gradually come together across the week, giving them opportunities to develop their ideas, collaborate with others and discover their own preferences and talents.
From discovery to creation:
Children might begin with a leaf, seed, branch, stone or something they discover in the garden. They will observe it, investigate it and imagine what it could become. While discovering new objects, plants, and seasonal changes, children will be making sense of the environment in their own way towards creating characters, stories, and eventually a miniature world with its hand-made props.
That world will become a photograph, film, and performance. The emphasis is on learning through exploration, making, storytelling and creative collaboration which will feed children's communication skills and confidence.
The final day:
Throughout the week, children will build towards a small Autumn Spectacle. The children will decide how to present their creations and stories, practise communicating their ideas and work together to transform the Urban Living Room & Garden into their own temporary creative world.
Children will finish the week with things they have made, stories they have created, new practical and communication skills, greater confidence and some new friendships too.
Dates: Monday 26 – Friday 30 October 2026
Age: 5–11 years
Location: Barking, East London. The sessions will be taking place in a living room and an urban garden of the Victorian house which offers safety and cosy atmosphere.
ATTENTION: there are two cats on site which will be around, so sadly if children suffer from cat allergy, they will not be able to attend in this venue (check other venues in the future!).
What to bring?
Autumn Discovery Week involves making, exploring, cooking and spending time in the garden, so children should come dressed comfortably and ready to take part.
Each child should bring:
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a named breakfast box and lunch box
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a named reusable water bottle
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comfortable clothes suitable for creative activities
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a warm jumper or fleece
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a waterproof jacket
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a complete spare set of clothes for every child, in case they get wet or muddy in the garden, or simply need to change during the day
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a pair of indoor house shoes that are fully enclosed, comfortable and non-slip, which can be left in the house for 5 days.
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a separate pair of outdoor shoes suitable for the garden and the autumn weather
Please check the weather each morning and dress your child accordingly. We intend to use the garden throughout the week whenever conditions allow.
You don't need to bring toys or activity materials
All educational, creative and play materials needed during Autumn Discovery Week will be provided.
Children do not need to bring their own toys, games, tablets or other objects, unless such objects make part of their development and are necessary for their comfort. Our environment and materials are prepared specifically to support the week's thematic activities, exploration and creative work.
Food & Drink:
Food is part of our Autumn Discovery Week experience. Children will have opportunities to explore food through its ingredients, colours, textures, smells, origins and seasonal connections. Depending on their age and abilities, they will also take part in simple food preparation as part of the programme — for example, making carrot cake or preparing pumpkin soup.
Breakfast & lunch boxes
Parents and guardians are asked to provide their child with:
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a named breakfast box
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a named lunch box
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a named water bottle
Please include foods that your child knows, likes and is comfortable eating. We ask families to make breakfast and lunch boxes as healthy and balanced as reasonably possible.
Please do not include sparkling or sugary drinks. Still filtered drinking water will be available throughout the day.
The Urban Living Room & Garden will provide:
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vegetarian snacks
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still filtered drinking water
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ingredients needed for food-making activities that form part of the week's creative and educational programme.
To guarantee an alignment between your child's needs and the service we offer, before you make your payment, please complete the Information Sheet. It will enable the organisers to confirm that they can cater for all your child's needs
