Forest School
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What is Forest School?
Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
Principles of Forest School
- It takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
- It uses a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for being, development and learning.
- It aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
- It offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
- It is run by qualified Forest School practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.
Forest School Activities
The natural world offers so many opportunities for learning. Here are a few specific outdoor learning activity ideas linked to the Forest School approach. Many of these ideas could also work well in settings with limited access to outdoor spaces.
- Cook on an open fire
- Create a woodland nest for a bird
- Create dens, shelters, bridges and sculptures
- Collect colours from nature
- Mark making exercises using natural materials
- Create a woodland assault course for a squirrel
- Hunt for minibeasts in trees, bushes etc
- Create a bug hotel
- Plant trees, lay hedges, maintain ponds
- Climb trees
- Build fires
- Listen to the heartbeat of trees (sap-rising)
- Examine the shape, scent, sound and surface of various trees
Sawing and constructing
Clay prints
Den building
Camouflage
What our children saw about Forest School
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