Friendly and safe
Tool safety, useful habits, and calm guidance for people learning to carve.
Peter Houghton
Wood carver, maker, illustrator and outdoor craft teacher.
Carved wood, handmade instruments, outdoor craft, illustrated books, lessons, and one-off workshop experiments.
Portfolio
Selected Work
Carving, woodturning, handmade instruments and illustrated books. Choose a piece to see more photographs and read about the work.
Lessons & outdoor craft
Knife skills, carving techniques, and relaxed outdoor learning.
I offer knife whittling lessons for adults and children, available by arrangement. Sessions can happen on Hampstead Heath or at your property, with small groups of up to six children.
Practical projects
Whittling, spoon carving, simple outdoor craft, and small guided makes.
Forest School roots
My teaching connects with Forest School Way and Wildgen, both run with Jane Worroll.
Strumsticks
Occasionally available, always one-off.
I make strumsticks in small batches when time allows. They are handmade for the pleasure of making and playing, not mass-produced, and each one has its own little character.
Contact me to ask what is ready, what is coming next, or whether a commission might be possible.
Explore handmade strumsticks →
Books & illustration
Outdoor books made with Jane Worroll.
I have created and illustrated three Forest School books with Jane Worroll, bringing together activities, stories, drawings, seasonal outdoor play, and practical craft.
Play The Forest School Way
Woodland games, crafts, and adventurous skills for kids.
A Year of Forest School
Outdoor play and skill-building across the seasons.
Forest School Wild Play
Earth, air, fire, and water activities for wild outdoor play.
About Peter
I have always liked making things.
Carved wood, handmade instruments, drawings, tools, odd little workshop experiments, and things that help people spend time outdoors.
My work moves between wood carving, woodworking, illustration, Forest School, bushcraft, lessons, and small practical builds. This site is a record of that world: part archive, part workshop diary, and part invitation to get in touch.
Carving videos
A few lessons from The Forest School Way.
Carve a five minute fox head
Make a slingshot from a forked branch
Carve a bushcraft walking stick
Other work
A few connected projects and businesses.
Some of my making, teaching, outdoor work, and collaborations with Jane Worroll live on these other websites.
The Forest School Way
Forest School sessions, books, and outdoor activities
Run with Jane Worroll, this is home to our Forest School work, outdoor learning, family activities, and the books we have made together.
WildGenRe-naturing, young people, and practical ecology
Run by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll, WildGen brings together nature-focused project work, school grounds, youth-led projects, and helping places become richer for wildlife.
Contact
Say hello, ask about lessons, or enquire about a strumstick.
Use the form for general messages, commissions, carving lessons, outdoor craft, or available strumsticks.
- Based in the UK
- Lessons available by arrangement
- Forest School Way and Wildgen with Jane Worroll
Good things to ask about
- Small-batch strumsticks and availability
- Wood carving, whittling, and spoon carving lessons
- Outdoor craft sessions and Forest School projects
- One-off commissions, ideas, and workshop questions
Prefer email? pete.craftingshed@gmail.com