Description
This product is only available to those who are a part of the unschooling camp whatsapp group and is a hidden listing.
Join us for the second year of our family camp in Abington Woods, Cambridge from 2nd August 2026 to 8th August 2026.
This year, we have spaces for 23 families to come together to play, explore, and connect – with each other, with the land, and with the rhythms of the season.
This is a space for families to experience village-like life in the woods: building trust, belonging, and joy in a supportive, nature-immersed environment. Fire circles, creative play, shared meals, ceremonies, and woodland adventures await – all held within a framework that honours each individual and the community as a whole.
Welcome to the woods. Welcome home.
Payment Info
The price for a family is £250. This year’s camp fee reflects not only the venue costs but also the time, coordination, and responsibility involved in holding the camp. This allows the gathering to be run sustainably and be designed and anchored consciously, rather than relying on unpaid or invisible labour.
If you want to support single parent families or families who are on lower income to come, and you have the capacity, you may pay up to £300, even just a few pounds extra could make a difference.
I am holding some spaces back to be paid for later, discounted by community contribution or on a payment plan. If this applies to you, please get in touch and we can come to an arrangement that feels most possible and easeful for you.
Tickets are non-refundable and if you decide not to come, the expectation is that you sell on your ticket.
PAYING BY CARD – Please add £4 to “Name Your Price” for the card fees.
What to expect
Here is everything you need to know in order to fully consent to joining this space.
This camp is guided by the 8 Shields framework, which provides the backbone for how we care for ourselves, each other, and the woodland community. Here is the culture guide and a welcome guide from last year that we had to help make the culture visible. They may change to incorporate the learning from last year and input from this years community however this gives you an idea.
You can also expect:
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A clear daily rhythm with shared moments, a daily joint activity and joint meal and spaciousness
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Invitations to participate, not pressure to perform
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A focus on land-connection, children’s autonomy, and relational culture
What this camp is not
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A drop-in, a service or a fully facilitated programme
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It is not held by one person alone
Participation
- This is a camp based around shared responsibility for care of the space, the community culture and one another within clear boundaries and agreements.
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Everything is consent based.
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People are welcome to contribute in ways that suit their capacity. There is no obligation to do more than is sustainable.
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Silence, rest, and stepping back are respected and honoured
The 8 shields
- 8 shields is a model that helps groups distribute responsibility rather than placing everything on one leader.
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The acorn team is made of 8 people who volunteer to hold a direction, energy and value and seed that within the community.
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It helps distribute the usually invisible work of holding a group so it doesn’t fall on one person.
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It offers a simple pattern for noticing things like structure, rest, play, care, energies, and roles within a group.
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The framework supports belonging without requiring everyone to participate in the same way.
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The acorn team hold the threads (e.g. organising meals) and work with the volunteers in the community to help things flow.
- The acorns meet every morning to check in, organise and troubleshoot.
Boundaries
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This camp is structured to tend to the group field and allow the woods to hold us in connection and ease.
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If a situation arises that compromises safety, consent, or the agreed culture of the camp, the 8 shields team may step in to set boundaries or make decisions in order to protect the wider group.
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Clear shared agreements allow the land, the rhythm, and the pattern to do the holding. They are more about making the culture and expectations visible than having lots of “rules”. Boundaries and agreements are in service to flow rather than enforcement.
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Circle is an important aspect of engaging with the community. It is important that at least one family member or representative attends the morning circles.
- Conflict is an inevitable part of being in community. If a conflict arises that becomes a safeguarding issue, it should be reported to the 8 shields acorn team. Any other safeguarding issues should also be reported to the 8 shields acorn team.
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All adults are responsible for the care and supervision of their own children unless a specific arrangement has been clearly agreed in advance.