Most PTAs know this feeling well: you want to do something genuinely useful for your school, something with a lasting impact, but between finding willing volunteers, managing the admin, and keeping everyone engaged, even the best idea can start to feel like hard work before it has begun.

At IQ Cards, we have worked alongside school fundraising groups across the UK since 2009, and here is something we think is worth knowing. The most successful campaigns start with the children and their innate creativity. Outdoor learning, which is already gaining significant traction in UK primary schools, both enhances the wellbeing of a class, and results in creative thinking and artwork that can actually help you to raise funds. Indeed, building a forest school area within your school grounds is a wonderful project to raise funds for. 

In this article, we walk through the evidence behind outdoor learning and show you how to connect those experiences to a fundraiser that is easy to run and rewarding to see through.

Why outdoor learning matters: the evidence

We all have an instinct that fresh air does children good. As it turns out, the research backs this up rather emphatically.

A 2021 Natural England study found that 85% of young people agree that being in nature makes them very happy, and that those who spend time outside at least once a week are significantly more likely to report very high levels of happiness. For PTAs thinking about the whole-school picture, these are not abstract statistics. They represent the children your fundraising supports.

An international systematic review of nearly 150 studies, highlighted by the charity Learning through Landscapes, confirmed that nature focussed outdoor learning produces significant and sustained improvements to student wellbeing, motivation, and self-confidence over the course of an academic year. Crucially, children who did not participate in outdoor programmes did not experience the same improvements. 

Natural England's own Children and Nature Programme found that children who spend regular time outdoors show improvements in school attendance, behaviour, and social skills alongside their academic engagement.

These are not small gains. They are the kinds of outcomes that shape a child's experience of school, and they are well within reach for any school with access to a garden, a field, or a nearby green space. 

The five core benefits 

Wellbeing and mental health. Time in nature reduces stress and anxiety in children (and adults!) and sustains improvements to their happiness and emotional resilience.

Child development. Outdoor environments build confidence, independence, and communication in ways that structured classroom settings find harder to replicate.

Inclusivity. Organic, sensory-rich outdoor spaces are accessible to a broader range of learning styles, giving children who sometimes struggle indoors a genuine chance to shine.

Curriculum enhancement. Science, art, geography, and maths all come to life outside. A leaf becomes a study in symmetry. Bark becomes a texture lesson. The curriculum is deepened by this work.

Nature connection. Children who learn outdoors develop a lasting relationship with the natural world, along with a sense of environmental responsibility that is worth nurturing.

From the school garden to your fundraising campaign

Why creativity makes fundraising work

The best PTA fundraisers are the ones where parents feel genuinely glad to spend their money. A Christmas card printed with a child's own artwork is not just a product; it is a memory. This is something a grandparent keeps in a drawer for years. That emotional connection is what drives orders, and it is what brings schools back to IQ Cards year after year.

Creativity is not a cute extra in this process. It’s what makes the whole thing work. And outdoor learning turns out to be one of the most reliable ways to spark it.

Nature-inspired art activities that translate beautifully into products

The natural world gives children an extraordinary range of starting points for original artwork. Here are three activities that have remained popular through the generations.

• Bark rubbings and leaf prints — children place paper over textured bark or leaves and apply crayon or paint
• Natural collages — collecting leaves, petals, seeds, and grasses and arranging them into seasonal compositions gives children complete creative ownership, with results as individual as the children themselves
• Observational nature drawing — sitting with a sketchbook in a garden, field, or woodland and drawing what is actually there develops artistic confidence alongside a quiet attentiveness that is wonderful to witness

Each of these activities produces artwork with unique visual interest: strong lines, organic textures, unexpected colour combinations. These are exactly the kind of pieces that look wonderful on a printed card, mug, or tea towel. Or if it doesn’t fit with your project ideas, it’s certainly a fantastic activity to get in the creative zone!

Building a forest school area: a fundraising project with lasting impact

Of course, the natural world can be an inspiration for your next fundraising project. A forest school area is a fundraising goal that is both meaningful and visible. It’s something that grows with the school: a space children return to week after week, season after season, building confidence, curiosity, and a genuine connection to the natural world.

For PTAs, it also has a useful clarity. Parents understand what they are contributing towards. Teachers can immediately see how it supports learning. And children, perhaps most importantly, feel a sense of ownership in helping to create it.

A forest school area does not need acres of woodland. Many successful spaces begin with a modest corner of a field or garden, shaped thoughtfully over time. Logs for seating, a simple fire circle (where appropriate), natural shelters, and tactile planting can be introduced in stages, making it an ideal project to fundraise for incrementally.

Benefits of a forest school area 

The most effective fundraising campaigns are those where the outcome is easy to picture. A forest school area, similar to a reading nook, offers exactly that. It is a place where children will:

• Build dens and problem solve together
• Take part in hands-on science and nature observation
• Develop independence through managed risk
• Experience calm, reflective moments away from the classroom

For parents and teachers alike, this translates into happier, more confident children, learning in a way that feels both purposeful and joyful.

Your simple ‘how to’ guide

Creating a forest school area can feel like a large undertaking, but these spaces vary enormously in scale and scope. Follow these basic steps to work out a space that works for your school:

1. Start with a site
   Identify a usable outdoor space within the school grounds. It does not need to be large, but it should feel distinct from the main playground.
2. Incorporate curriculum opportunities
   Speak with teachers or the senior leadership team about how the space will be used. This ensures it supports learning activities as well as play.
3. Sketch a simple plan
   Focus on a few core elements:

• Seating (logs, stumps, or benches)
• A gathering point (circle or open area)
• Natural features (plants, textures, loose materials)
• Shelter (even a basic canopy or willow structure)

4. Build in phases
   You do not need to complete everything at once. Many schools start with seating and planting, then add features over time as funds allow. 
5. Connect fundraising to progress
   Share updates with parents as each stage is completed. Photos, short notes, and children’s reports help to maintain momentum. Consider breaking the project into corresponding fundraising elements, for example £150 target for sensory plants, £300 target for log seating etc. 
6. Invite participation where possible
   Some schools involve families in planting days or simple build sessions. This strengthens the sense of shared ownership.

A project that grows over time

What makes a forest school area particularly powerful is that it is organic and ever changing. It evolves with the children who use it. New plants are added. Structures are adapted. Activities change with the seasons.

From a fundraising perspective, this means it is not a single campaign, but a continuing story your school community can be part of. And from a child’s perspective, it becomes a core part of their school experience.

How does IQ Cards fit in? 

Fundraising with an IQ Cards project is straightforward, and that is something we have worked hard to get right. 

Your school fundraising group first registers for a Christmas project with IQ Cards, and we provide everything needed to get started, including templates, guidance materials, and a dedicated support contact. Children create their artwork in class, ideally as part of an outdoor learning session or as a follow-up creative activity inspired by one. That artwork is then returned to us and parents can subsequently browse, choose products, and pay directly online.

So there’s no cash handling for you; no chasing envelopes around the school office; no spreadsheets for your PTA to manage at midnight.

From original artwork, IQ Cards produces a range of professionally printed products: for example Christmas card packs, ceramic mugs, 100% cotton tea towels, cushion covers, magnets, sticky labels, and more. Every product is made to a consistently high standard, which matters, because quality is what keeps families ordering and keeps PTAs recommending us to neighbouring schools.

So when it comes to fundraising, consider starting outside. Use the natural world to inspire creativity, or a forest school addition as an ambition for your funds. Our fundraising opportunities are there to make things easier.

Register your school for an IQ Cards project including our Christmas ‘design-your-own’ project or class tea-towel project at iqcards.co.uk and discover how we can support your fundraising goals.

FAQs

What are the main benefits of outdoor learning for children's mental health?

Outdoor learning has strong, acknowledged benefits for children's mental health, and improvements in student wellbeing, motivation, and self-confidence. Regular outdoor learning also reduces anxiety and supports emotional resilience, particularly in primary aged children.

How do forest school areas improve student engagement?

Outdoor environments, especially forest school areas, are inherently multi-sensory, which means children engage through touch, sight, smell, and movement rather than passive listening or reading alone. Research shows that outdoor learning leads to improvements in school attendance, focus, and academic engagement. 

The rising cost of living puts serious pressure on UK families around the school year, from uniforms and coats to breakfast and outdoor kit. Several established UK charities and government backed schemes exist to help, but many families don't know about them. This post covers the main initiatives your PTA can support or share, including Coats4Kids, The Outdoor Guide Foundation, Magic Breakfast, Living Paintings, local uniform banks, and the DfE period products scheme. Awareness alone can make a big difference to the families in your school community.

Table of contents

Why awareness matters as much as fundraising

UK charities and schemes worth knowing

How your PTA can help without adding pressure

A summary of the main schemes at a glance

FAQs

Why awareness matters as much as fundraising

With the new school year looming in September, the everyday costs of school life become extremely visible. Uniforms, shoes, PE kit, book bags, packed lunches, coats for the colder months, and plenty of spares for the items that vanish into thin air. It adds up, and for many UK families it adds up in ways that stretch already thin budgets.

The good news is that support does exist, both through national charities and government backed schemes. However, awareness is often the biggest barrier. Families who could benefit may not know what's out there, and PTAs and schools are in an ideal position to help. You don't need to run a huge fundraiser or reinvent your calendar. Sometimes sharing information on your school's WhatsApp group is enough to make a genuine difference.

We thought it would be useful to pull together a guide to some of the main UK initiatives you might want to promote, support with a collection, or simply have in your back pocket for when a family privately asks for help.

UK charities and schemes worth knowing

Here are some of the charities and schemes we've come across that are worth flagging to your school community. All operate nationally or have national reach, though some are stronger in certain regions.

Coats4Kids

Coats4Kids is a registered UK charity providing brand new winter coats to primary school children whose families can't afford one. Schools identify children in need, and the charity provides vouchers directly to parents so families can choose a coat that fits and suits their child. Every coat is new, and there are no visible charity labels, which matters when children are worried about being singled out.

The Outdoor Guide Foundation

The Waterproofs and Wellies project, run by The Outdoor Guide Foundation, donates kits of waterproof jackets, trousers, and welly boots to state primary schools across the UK. The challenge is clear: if a child hasn't got the right kit, they miss out on outdoor learning and playtime in wet weather. Schools can register directly on the foundation's website. This scheme is particularly well aligned with the wider case for getting children outside as part of the school day.

Magic Breakfast

Magic Breakfast provides free, nutritious breakfasts to schools with high levels of pupil premium eligibility, and now works as a partner in the government's national Free Breakfast Club programme for primary schools in England. If your school isn't currently signed up, it's worth checking whether the free national programme covers you. For secondary schools, Magic Breakfast continues to offer direct support outside the government scheme.

Living Paintings

Based in Kingsclere in Hampshire, Living Paintings is a national charity that runs a free postal library of tactile and audio books for blind and visually impaired children. Books arrive as raised, tactile images with an audio guide, so children can enjoy familiar titles like The Gruffalo, Elmer, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar alongside their sighted classmates. Membership is completely free, and books are posted out and returned at no cost. Genuinely a lovely one to know about to support  visually impaired children in your school community.

Local uniform banks

Uniform banks have grown quickly in the UK in recent years, often run by local charities, churches, and community groups. The Salvation Army and the Uniformed charity both work across the country, and countless county-level operations do the same. A good example is Little Stars Charity in Shropshire, whose Cool for School campaign supplies uniform, coats, and toiletries to families across the county through pop-up events, referrals, and self-referrals. Similar setups exist in most counties, so it’s always worth a search. 

The DfE period products scheme

All state maintained schools and 16 to 19 education organisations in England can order free period products for their pupils, funded by the Department for Education and delivered by phs. The scheme is designed so that no young person misses school because of their period. If your school isn't ordering, ask whether they're aware of the scheme, as uptake is far from universal.

How your PTA can help without adding pressure

Once you know what's out there, there are a few ways your PTA can support families without making anyone feel singled out. Here are some options:

• Share information about relevant charities and schemes through your regular parent newsletters and WhatsApp groups, so families know help exists before they need it
• Organise a discreet donation collection point at school events, especially for outgrown uniform, coats, and outdoor kit
• Consider whether a percentage of your fundraising this year could go to a national or local charity working with schools

The tone matters as much as the action. A no-judgement environment where families feel able to access help is often more useful than any single collection. Sharing information consistently through the year, rather than only in September, keeps the door open.

A summary of the main schemes at a glance

This list isn't exhaustive, and other local initiatives are often running county to county. Local Facebook groups, your school's family liaison worker, and other PTAs are all good sources for what's active nearby.

How IQ Cards fits in

Alongside sharing information about these charities, you might be thinking about how to raise funds through your own PTA activity to support families in your school. Our Christmas card project and other seasonal fundraisers are designed to be low effort for busy volunteers and give a solid return per family, so you can direct funds where they're needed. Some PTAs use their funds to underwrite hardship grants within school, build literacy support areas like reading nooks, or support a national charity. Talk to us about what would work for your school.

IQ Cards works with schools and PTAs across the UK on fundraisers that make it easy to support your school community. Get in touch to chat about how we can help.

FAQs

How can our PTA promote these charities without embarrassing families?

Share information through general channels like newsletters and WhatsApp groups, so it goes to everyone rather than being aimed at specific families. Frame it as useful to know about, not as a suggestion that anyone in particular needs help. Discreet contact points, such as the school office or a named PTA lead, give families a private route if they'd rather ask in confidence.

What if we want to fundraise but don’t have many volunteers?

Have a look at the fundraising projects that we run at IQ Cards. Our Christmas Card project gets impressive results with comparatively little work for your volunteers. That’s because we manage the process to keep things really simple. 

What's the best time of year to organise a school uniform donation collection?

July is a good moment because families are decluttering outgrown uniform before the summer holidays. A second collection point in early September catches items that were missed, and a third at Easter tops things up for summer PE kit. Working with a local uniform bank means the donations go where they're most useful.