Sometimes the best ideas are borne from a chance discussion with a customer who wants something they cannot find. And this is exactly how our outdoor classroom pod has sprung into life.

I happened to be talking with the head of a primary school who have quite an active and expansive forest school set up and he wanted something that was going to be able to cater for say 20 children, could offer some shade and shelter when the weather wasn’t playing nicely but most importantly it had to be something a bit different which would bolster his forest school outdoor learning programme and entice the children to go out there every day. It also had to blend in nicely with the wooded environment where it was going to be sited. Quite a big wish list!

He had been on a glamping holiday over the previous summer and had stayed in a camping pod which he thought was great and it was along these lines he was thinking. It just so happens that through our leisure division Superglamp.com, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

A few brainstorming discussions later – and of course in full collaboration with the children who had some great ideas – we have designed the outdoor classroom pod. Like the afore-mentioned camping pod, this is a pre-fabricated unit built in the factory and which comes delivered off the back of a low loader truck and which is then either winched or dragged into position. However, if space or access is a problem within a school setting, it has been designed in such a way that we can also install on site in modular sections.

During the ideas and design process, the children were very emphatic that it had to be a bit mysterious and “den-like” – hence the reason for the circular, Hobbit-esque door (and windows) but behind that is a bigger entrance door to allow for ease of access without having to bend down the whole time to get in and out.

It measures 4m x 2.4m and has an overall height of 2.2m so can easily cater for teachers as well. There are some exciting options too – firstly the choice of roofing which can either be artificial grass (to blend in with verdant settings) or classic profile weatherboarding. It is also possible to insulate the pod as well and if we are going “off grid”, we can look at solar power options or even a wood-burning stove to heat it up in the colder months. Internal benching and a little front veranda are also optional extras.

With schools ever more pushing their outdoor learning programme, this outdoor classroom pod is an ideal way of answering that brief. And hopefully we have come up with something a bit different!

We are now going to see if the leisure industry wants to buy it as well to be used as a camping pod.

For further details, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com