www.indexdigital.co.uk
EDUCATION EXTRA
Foundation Stage set by Ofsted but enjoy learning through outdoor pursuits. Jessica Moore, mother-of-three from Tunbridge Wells, believes the forest school concept should be part of the curriculum for all ages: “There are so many learning opportunities beyond the classroom. My son learned to count using pebbles, made shapes with sticks and leaves, knows the names of the birds and insects, even made paint from berries – and he doesn’t think anything of it!”
Making the grade
Like any other conventional nursery, forest school nurseries are still at the mercy of Ofsted inspections. Ashdon Preschool Forest School in Saffron Waldon, Essex, was the first completely outdoor nursery to be inspected. While it was judged “Good”, an “Outstanding” rating was withheld because children had too few opportunities to “turn on and operate information and communication and technology equipment”. Despite fears, then, that the forest school movement is not well-served by Ofsted, Caroline Watts, who opened the Forest Kindergarten in Toy’s Hill National Trust Woods, near Sevenoaks, in 2014, received an “Outstanding” rating as she had provided technology in the form of cameras and torches. “Like any preschool, we meet the early years’ curriculum, however this is all through learning from experiences in nature and the real world,” says Caroline, adding: “Our aim is to help children connect with nature, to become resilient and independent, and to have the freedom to play, within a spacious environment, to create, and learn to manage tools, fire, and themselves – by
My son learned to count using pebbles
climbing trees, building dens and more. The Government advises that children should spend an hour a day being active – we spend five hours of the day being active, climbing trees, swinging, seesawing, balancing on logs, rolling down hills, building, and as a result, parents say that their children sleep well, eat well, and are more able to rest and be calm at the end of the day.” As well as the kindergarten, Caroline also
runs a forest holiday club, storytelling events in the woods, and mindfulness workshops.
Primary & beyond…
And it doesn’t stop when children reach primary school age. The Forest School Association charity has since helped 12,000 teachers and other professionals undertake forest school training. In Worcestershire alone, there are 360 “forest schools”, mostly primary schools, which typically give pupils one woodland learning experience each week. More locally, primary school teacher
Dan Gillinder, from Langton Green, runs Woodland Ventures, a forest schools scheme in partnership with several local schools in West Kent. The children improve their motor skills through walking, climbing, using sticks, tying ropes and balancing while
also developing their collaboration skills, finding ways to solve problems. Dan links outdoor learning with core curriculum subjects, such as history, focusing on the Romans, Vikings or Celts and science, looking at tree and plant classification, reactions and changing states of materials, habitats, life cycles and food chains. Caroline Watts believes that early
exposure to the great outdoors has a positive impact on development at primary school, and beyond: “Parents and teachers visiting us in the period of transition to school, remark on how well developed the children’s communication skills are, how curious and confident they are, and above all, that they are enthusiastic! Resilience, independence, and team working are among the skills that really help a child to successfully develop in school, and forest school is particularly effective at enabling this.”
Come rain or shine, it seems that forest schools have a bright future.
Useful links
For more information, visit: •
www.forestschoolassociation.org •
www.forestschools.com/ •
www.rainorshineforestpreschool.co.uk •
www.forest-kindergarten.co.uk
The INDEX magazine
www.indexdigital.co.uk 69
© Kate York – The Happy Picture Company
© Kate York – The Happy Picture Company
© Caroline Watts
© Kate York – The Happy Picture Company © Kate York – The Happy Picture Company
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
