“We believe Forest School is an amazing way of learning in an outdoor environment. Children are natural learners and Forest School gives them the chance to do this through their own exploration.“

The Forest School idea originated in Scandinavia and became popular in Denmark in the 1980’s. The outdoor emphasis and child centred/play based ethos inspired a group of nursery nurses from the UK to visit. The approach to learning differed from ours with a focus on developing a child’s whole self, encompassing their academic, emotional and physical development. They were so inspired by what they saw and the positive impact on the children that they brought the idea back to the UK and in the last 20 years it has developed into the Forest School that we know now.

What Forest School means to us…..

The woodland or outdoor environment is constantly changing through the seasons and because of this children are offered activities, opportunities and experiences that they would not usually encounter in their day to day schooling. There is a community spirit that comes with Forest School, individuality is valued, ideas and creativity are encouraged and team work is essential. Activities that are planned ensure that all children can achieve and the hands-on learning gives children a sense of ownership. Successes are celebrated and positive support given to help children to achieve. In a health and safety heavy culture Forest School fosters a positive attitude to risk taking. The relationships that are built are based on trust and from this a child’s independence, self-esteem and confidence can grow. The nature of forest school means that tasks are often carried out as a group, which develops social awareness and equips children with the skills to resolve conflict and differences of opinion. As Forest School leaders our role is nuture the children’s holistic development. We recognise that every child is different and each child is their own unique person and from this we can create a programme to nurture all areas of their development.

What do we do in Forest School?

In all weathers we den build, light fires, bug hunt, identify trees, bugs and fungi, make constructions using sticks and clay, woodland art and craft, cooking over the fire, whittle sticks, story tell, imagine, climb, run, play and have fun! And as much fun as all this is and as hard as it is to believe children learn all that they need to and gain so much without realising. Maths, English and Science skills can be put into practice. Children can learn measurements, angles and spacial awareness whilst building a den or new language and vocabulary from storytelling around the fire. They can engineer and problem solve whilst building a bridge out of logs and develop their team working skills playing capture the flag. The nature of the environment means that children have freedom to explore their own movements and physical limits, developing their physical strength, sense of balance and building core muscles. For pre-school children, essential pre-writing skills such as finger strength can also be developed through large arm and shoulder movements and activities crossing their midline. However, these activities can benefit children of all ages and abilities. Forest School delivered over a period of time enables children to become independent, confident and resilient life long learners.