Forest school benefits
l Raises levels of self-esteem, skills in co-operation and
listening, empathy and enthusiasm for learning in every
child who attends.
l Promotes development in all areas in a child-led
and natural way owing to the time, structure and
spontaneous learning environment of the woodlands.
l No child is excluded from the experience; children with
SEN and EAL work alongside their peers.
l Raises the attendance and time-keeping of some children
and their families.
l Involves parents, including fathers, in their children’s
learning.
l Aids children’s understanding, appreciation and care for
the natural environment.
l Builds on children’s innate motivation, curiosity and There are few rules and all are connected to the group’s safety
autonomy.
l Allows children to take and manage risk, make choices,
such as Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Long, which then developed into
and to initiate and take ownership of their learning.
a visit to an exhibition.
To promote language development, the most recent group of children
l Assists in the continuing professional development of all
have been provided with opportunities to recall, retell and act out famil-
the staff.
iar traditional stories. Being outdoors has put stories such as The Three
l Enables children to be observed and recorded in a holistic
Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Three Little Pigs
manner.
into a meaningful context for the children, especially those who have
English as an additional language. This has led on to children creating
l Facilitates all learning styles and schematic behaviour.
and constructing props to support their story-telling and has also given
them the tools, confidence and experiences to develop and narrate their
own stories. To develop the children’s interest in stories set in the wood-
noisy city or classroom life, and this has been of particular benefit to lands, they are organising a teddy bears’ picnic. Invitations have been
those children with additional needs or who are easily distracted. Having written and posted, recipe books referred to and baking is about to begin.
time to develop ideas and learning experiences which can be revisited They spent time recently planning and building a simple shelter to accom-
ensures extension and springboard learning. The children eat their lunch modate the bears in the event of inclement weather. This required shared
in the learning environment in whose construction they have already par- sustained thinking between both children and children, and children and
ticipated, and to which they are eager to return. adults.
Being in an outdoor environment requires creative and wider think-
ing that does not simply transfer the indoors to the outdoors. A holistic Creative risk taking
approach to the delivery of the curriculum, with the emphasis on person- There has been much debate about risk in our current litigious society,
alised learning in an environment that is not resource-driven, is facili- and although the safety of the group is paramount, forest school challeng-
tated. es the notion of risk avoidance rather than risk management. There are
For example, one particular child showed an interest in the ropes few rules and all are connected to the group’s safety; the children under-
and connecting. This child’s learning was diverse, and included pulling stand the significance of these and are generally happy to comply. The
and forces when he set about erecting a rope swing, and ordering and use of tools is a gradual process and they are used when a task requires it.
sequencing when he used string to sew leaves together that were grad- In terms of physical risk-taking behaviour, a child who regularly
ed in size, colour and types. Making picture frames with branches and climbed the six-foot perimeter fence at school was very cautious when
string provided an opportunity to incorporate both design and technol- tackling tree climbing, which suggests that the dynamic and rough natu-
ogy, and mathematical concepts. In addition, ICT was used to take and ral play-scapes offer more challenges for children and that we as edu-
manipulate photographs. The children used tools such as bow saws and cators must trust their own views on their capabilities. I have witnessed
pen-knives for a purpose. Those who used natural materials to create other more subtle forms of risk taking, particularly in relation to the
arrangements have been introduced to artists who work in this medium, social and creative areas. Many of the children are out of their comfort
To do list:
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