Because the best classrooms don't always have walls
Beehive Tipis was born from a simple conviction: every child should have the chance to learn outdoors, not just occasionally, but as a natural part of their education. We wanted to create spaces that inspire children to connect with nature, not just at nursery or school, but at home too.
It started with a tipi at a wedding. The kind of space that stops you in your tracks, with timber poles reaching upward, canvas breathing with the wind, light filtering through in a way that makes everything inside feel quieter, calmer, more present. We watched our son exploring the space as if it were his own world, entirely absorbed, entirely free.
That moment stayed with us. And when we started researching outdoor learning, really looking into what was available for nurseries, schools, and specialist settings, we found a gap that surprised us. There were companies selling outdoor structures. There were companies hiring out tipis for events. But nobody was offering what seemed so obviously needed: a genuinely managed service where the setting gets a beautiful, maintained, seasonally refreshed outdoor classroom without any of the operational burden.
No capital outlay. No maintenance headaches. No compliance uncertainty. Just a space that transforms how children learn, looked after entirely by us.
Between us we bring over 20 years of combined experience in consultative business roles, understanding what organisations actually need, working within tight budgets, managing complex operations, and building partnerships that last. That background shaped everything about Beehive Tipis. We're not interested in selling a product and walking away. We're building long-term relationships with settings who want a partner, not a supplier.
What drives us is personal. As parents, we see the difference outdoor play makes in our own son's life: the curiosity, the calm, the joy that comes from being in nature. And we want every child to have that. Not just on sunny days or special occasions, but as a genuine, everyday part of how they learn and grow. We see the research, too: children who spend meaningful time outdoors are calmer, more focused, and more resilient. But we also see how many settings struggle to make it happen due to limited space, limited budgets, limited time, and the quiet pressure of inspections that make anything new feel like a risk.
Beehive Tipis exists to remove every one of those barriers. Everything from installation day onwards is managed by us: ongoing care, seasonal styling, compliance, the lot. The setting gets an extraordinary outdoor learning space that evolves with the seasons and impresses at inspection, without lifting a finger.
The people behind Beehive Tipis
David
Co-FounderDavid brings over 12 years of consultative business experience, working with organisations to solve operational challenges, manage tight budgets, and build solutions that actually work for people on the ground. At Beehive Tipis, he leads operations, installations, and client relationships, making sure every tipi is built right, maintained properly, and delivered with the care it deserves.
As a parent, David sees outdoor learning through a personal lens. The calm that comes when his son is outside, the creativity that emerges without screens, the resilience that grows from exploring the natural world are things he watches happen every day.
Jess
Co-Founder & Creative DirectorJess is the creative vision behind Beehive Tipis. With over 9 years of consultative business experience and a natural eye for design, she shapes the seasonal transformations, the sensory details, and the thoughtful touches that turn a tipi from a structure into a space children genuinely love being in.
Her focus is on making every Beehive tipi feel intentional and inspiring, from the way light falls through the canvas to the materials and styling that change with the seasons. It's the kind of attention to detail that children notice, parents remember, and inspectors value.
The principles behind
everything we do
Every child deserves outdoor learning
Not as an afterthought or an occasional treat, but as a fundamental part of their education. Whether they're in a private nursery or a state primary, a forest school or a SEND unit, the benefits of nature-based learning belong to every child.
Settings shouldn't have to do it alone
The operational burden of maintaining an outdoor classroom falls on teams who are already stretched. We believe the right model isn't ownership with all its headaches. It's partnership. We take on the work so your team can focus on teaching.
Quality is felt before it's explained
The moment children step into one of our tipis, something shifts. The warmth of timber, the softness of natural light, the gentle enclosure of canvas. These aren't details we can put in a brochure. They're things you feel, and they change how learning happens.
Built by Tentipi: the world's leading Nordic tipi manufacturer
Every Beehive Tipis outdoor classroom is manufactured by Tentipi, a Swedish company with decades of expertise in engineering Nordic tipi structures for the harshest environments on earth. Their craftsmanship is unmatched, from the precision-engineered timber poles to the heavy-duty, weatherproof canvas designed to perform year-round in the British climate.
We chose Tentipi because nothing else comes close. When a structure needs to stand through winter storms, summer heat, and everything between, and do it beautifully, only the best will do.
We'd love to show you what's possible
Whether you're a nursery owner, a headteacher, or a SEND lead, we'd welcome the chance to talk about how an outdoor tipi classroom could work for your setting.
Not sure yet? That's completely fine. Browse our range of tipis or find out how the managed service works.