Table of contents
Table of contents
What is a Forest School?
Forest School is an approach to outdoor learning that immerses children in the natural world whatever the weather. Generally introduced at nursery or primary school level, Forest School has many positive benefits.
It is a long-term, nature-based outdoor learning programme that focuses on holistic development and growth in children.
During regular sessions spread across each of the four seasons, Forest School nurseries ensure children spend much of the day outside instead of in the classroom as part of the early years curriculum. This gives them the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them.
The outdoor sessions are child-led but trained practitioners monitor the children, encouraging exploration and discovery and supporting them to take risks.
In a woodland environment, Forest School outdoor education is based on what activities a child wants to engage in at that particular time. Supervised by a Forest School leader, the child builds problem-solving skills, confidence, independence and resilience as they are allowed to test their limits in the natural world.
Forest School nurseries
There is currently Forest School provision in 54% of nurseries and in Key Stage 1 in primary schools in the UK, according to the Forest Schools Association (FSA).
Forest School does not necessarily have to take place in a forest. It can be any natural outdoor environment and for some early years settings this can be on the premises or somewhere nearby.
Some Forest School nurseries are also outdoor nurseries, where the children spend their whole time outdoors all day, every day.
When did Forest School start in the UK?
Forest School originated in Scandinavia in the 1950s, founded in its open-air culture way of life, ‘friluftsliv’, which translates into free air life.
The foundations were laid for Forest Schools in the UK in the early 1900s through the Scouts, created by Robert Baden-Powell and Woodcraft Folk, founded by Leslie Paul in 1925.
But it took until the early 1990s, when nursery staff from Bridgewater College in Somerset visited Denmark to study its pre-school system, for it to really take off. Upon their return, they started their own based on the mainly outdoor, child-centred learning method employed in Denmark.
Since the movement came to the UK, forest school has become increasingly popular as the benefits have become more widely recognised.
Benefits
The hands-on learning approach allows children to develop skills that may be difficult to teach in the classroom. Central to Forest School is to keep active with plenty of activities that enable children to develop motor skills.
Children benefit by teaching themselves to assess problems and make their own decisions about how to solve situations. In doing this, they learn to be self-sufficient through trial and error which is a valuable skill in all stages of life.
Benefits include:
- Boost in self-esteem and confidence
- Better social skills through interacting with peers
- Improved communication
- Increased motivation
- Better understanding of the natural world
- Improved physical skills and motor skills
Outdoor learning can be ‘inspirational’
Christina Dee of Forest School Learning Initiative has been a Forest School leader for more than 15 years. She has found that children who struggle at being inside unlock their potential when taken outside.
“We have boys who will paint with mud on trees but they won’t pick up a pen or paintbrush inside,” Ms Dee said.
“Forest Schools are an inspirational process where we use the outdoors to learn. I will pick up some sticks and we talk about which stick is heavier and which one is bigger and we use positional language to say where we would put the stick.”
Children become ‘so engaged’
Many children today live in urban areas, experience limited time in natural environments and often see the world through computer screens or TVs.
Zoe Raven who runs Acorn Early Years Foundation has seen the positive impact forest school has on children.
“I am blown away by the impact they have, particularly for boys and boys who have challenging behaviour. Out in the woods, there are no arbitrary rules. They can see they shouldn’t touch the fire because if they do they will burn themselves. People say children will wander off but the children don’t want to. They want to feel secure and safe,” Ms Raven said.
“It is also great when I see the children out in the woods and they are so engaged and I really feel we are making a difference. We take the children to the woods all year round.
“Some of our nurseries are in very urban areas and the children just get taken in the car to shopping centres and home again. We have found we take children to the woods and they are not used to walking on rough, uneven ground as they have only ever walked on pavements. We want all children to have that opportunity to walk in the woods and experience nature.”
She is determined to get children out playing in the natural environment as she says “children today often see the world through TV and computer screens and car windows. It is so easy to put them in front of computer screens”.
Activities
As the Forest School ‘classroom’ is only as big and as full of resources as your imagination, the learning opportunities are almost endless.
Forest School activities include:
- Climbing trees
- Making campfires and cooking
- Woodworking
- Building shelters and dens
- Playing in the mud
- Foraging
- Various social games such as hide and seek
- Using nature for arts and crafts
- Animal spotting and bug hunting
Although making fires or building dens using saws and hammers can be seen as something dangerous that children should not be doing, highly trained Forest School practitioners constantly keep an eye on what the children are up to.
Most people associate risks with harm, but the Forest School ethos sees risks as something for children to overcome, which expands their abilities and self-belief and teaches them to take care of themselves.
Forest Schools and the early years curriculum
Many early years settings take children outdoors every now and then, but Forest School is a long-term programme. Children will normally attend these sessions between six to 12 times per year as part of their normal curriculum.
Ideally, the sessions should be spread out over the four seasons, so children can see for themselves how nature changes.
The learning approach ties in well with the curriculum through small achievable tasks that focus on the process rather than the goal.
There is a high staff to child ratio, sometimes even one-to-one, and tasks can be tailored to various subjects, particularly in environmental, science and outdoor education.
Forest School training
All leaders have to have a Level 3 Forest School qualification, which covers essential safety training such as risk assessment and food hygiene.
Schools can choose to train an existing member of staff, hire a qualified practitioner or alternatively work together with a Forest School service.
What is an FSA recognised Forest School provider?
The Forest School Association has created a scheme to set a benchmark for good practice and minimum professional standards for forest school provision.
Individuals or settings that offer Forest School experiences in line with six core principles can apply to the FSA Recognised Forest School Provider Scheme.
FSA recognised providers undergo a regular evaluation process to ensure that they meet the minimum benchmarks of a quality Forest School.
If Forest School is something that you want your child to experience, it is definitely something to keep an eye out for when choosing a nursery.
Related Articles
