29 March 2023

Welcome to the world of Forest School, an innovative and exciting approach to early childhood education that takes place in the great outdoors. In this blog, we’ll explore what Forest School is, how it works, and why it’s so beneficial for young children.

Forest schools have become increasingly popular in recent years, as educators recognize the value of outdoor play and exploration for young children’s development.

𝗦𝗼, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹?

Forest School is a form of outdoor education that takes place in natural environments such as woodlands, parks, and other green spaces. The aim is to help children connect with nature, develop their self-confidence and social skills, and learn through hands-on, experiential activities. Forest School is a child-led approach, meaning that the children themselves decide what they want to do and how they want to learn.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸?

In a Forest School setting, children are given the freedom to explore and discover their surroundings, using their senses to observe, touch, smell, hear and even taste nature. They are encouraged to take risks and challenge themselves, building their confidence and resilience. The activities are open-ended, so children can use their creativity and imagination to develop their own ideas and solutions. Our role as Forest School leader is to facilitate and support the children’s learning, providing guidance and encouragement when needed.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻?

Forest School has numerous benefits for young children, including:

• • 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

• • 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩: 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨.

• • 𝘌𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮-𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴.

• 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴: 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯
• 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦
• 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.