today seem to carry with them a vague yet intense concern for the health of the planet; an unfocused, unnamed worry that their world is under siege. They have heard about ani- mals in distant lands becoming endangered or extinct, air and water being polluted and dire predictions about the dev- astation of global warming. These children are well versed in doom and can tell us more about animals in the rainforest than those in their own backyard. Their questions are about places and concepts far removed from their actual experi- ence. In a typical classroom this disconnect seems to be amplified with the strong embrace of technology that enve- lopes the lives of children, keeping them focused up close on screens rather than being wide lens observers of natural cycles of life. Re-connecting these children with nature is the goal of forest school programs, and should be at the top of your mind too when you are looking to start a nature schools program in your area. We believe that our students need to get plugged back in to nature; the local flora and fauna, sea- sonal cycles, weather systems, and environmental issues in their home communities. Through nature awareness educa- tion we hope to refocus each child’s understanding of the world through the lens of Nature. Here is what our version of forest school looks, feels, and sounds like and here are a few resources you will need to move the learning outdoors. See Must Have Resources to guide your next steps.


Forest Schools in Public Education A forest school day is filled with living things and the core


routines which embed children in the natural world. Using animal calls to replace commands to gather, circle, listen or focus on an object of interest can set the tone right off the top. A coyote call tells the students to ‘run for the kill’ or


Page 26


move fast to the teacher for something new to learn, the owl hoot signals, listen up, and the crow call with finger point- ing makes all eyes turn to a passing Osprey or muddy track. Each student has a tree friend on the property which they choose early in the year as a sit spot location, journaling space and to observe and record seasonal change. We have established seven learning ‘pockets’ around our fairly ordi- nary school grounds including several outdoor chalkboards, a sensory garden, a willow dome structure, an outdoor roof- top classroom, and grouping of stump tables. Each space has its own name, Maple Lane, Spruce Slope, or Daisy Garden, and the children are excited to visit them all each day. Each transition from one of our learning pockets are made seam- less with games of sneak using predator/prey strategies to keep the kids flowing. Every child adopts the name of a local animal with quali-


ties which match their own. We speak these animal names throughout every day so they become embedded in the lan- guage of our classroom and in the topics of our research. Animal names act as a guide to shape behaviour or are used as a reminder of positive habits. Over the years, we have had many herons, woodpeckers, blue jays, and squirrels. Each animal has unique traits for our children to emulate. The heron is always watchful and aware of others in its sur- roundings and the squirrel always prepared and productive. Knowledge of these local creatures paves the way for future wonderings; if the cardinal and blue jay are at our feeder all winter, what happens to the oriole and the robin. Thanksgiv- ing or thankfulness is part of our daily practice. We model the practice of giving thanks for our wellbeing, our natural world, for our elders and friends. Words of thanksgiving are spontaneously offered by the students in circle sharing,


GREEN TEACHER 113


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