What are elements of a Forest School?

The six elements of the Forest School approach are the: Setting; Pedagogy; Training; Skills; Outcomes and Long-term nature of the approach.

What does a Forest School look like?

‘ Forest school is child-centred with a high adult to child ratio. Observation, rather than direction, is key, and children learn to care for the natural environment through their activities. Currently, forest school is more common in rural areas.

What type of School is Forest School?

Forest School is a type of outdoor education in which our children learn personal, social and technical skills through regular visits to Highgate Woods. It offers children many opportunities to achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning in a woodland environment.

How does forest school help children learn?

Forest School helps children to develop their confidence. … Forest School can be particularly effective for children who do not do well in the classroom environment. Children learn to solve problems and be creative and imaginative at Forest School thus showing enterprising behaviour.

What do children do in a forest school?

Children often learn woodland crafts and take part in activities such as singing or cooking round an open fire. They make and play with tools, climb trees, make dens and look at insects, or simply explore the environment and invent their own games.

What is Forest School learning?

Forest school is an approach to learning that takes children into the great outdoors whatever the weather to explore the natural environment. … For children, forest school activities develop confidence, self-esteem, imagination and physical ability as they are allowed to test their limits in the natural world.

Do Forest Schools have a curriculum?

Although Forest Schools are not bound by the national curriculum for their activities, practitioners will teach skills and topics that fall under national curriculum guidelines, including: Weather. Seasons. Plant Life.

What skills do you learn in Forest School?

Some benefits of participants of a Forest School programme are the following: increased focus and attention skills, improved communication skills, increased knowledge of the environment and world around them and visiting nature with family, independence development, learn how to take healthy risks, improved view of …

What resources are used in forest school?

Many of the essential resources needed for forest school and outdoor learning are based around children’s basic needs: ensuring they are warm; have food; a drink; a mat to sit on; and appropriate footwear and clothing. If a child is not warm and comfortable outside, they will not enjoy, learn or play well.

What is the difference between outdoor learning and forest school?

‘The difference between outdoor learning and Forest School might be considered to be quite straightforward – that outdoor learning is an umbrella term that covers all sorts of activities and approaches, while Forest School is a defined approach,’ says The Ernest Cook Trust Schools programme lead, Liz MacKenzie.

What is a forest school teacher?

An Introduction. Forest Schools are nature-based communities where trained practitioners nurture learner-led exploration and discovery, nurturing meaningful experiences for positive lifelong impacts.

What is Forest School ethos?

The ethos of Forest Schools is to allow children the time and space to develop skills, interest and understanding through a range of activities which provide practical, hands-on experiences in a natural environment.

Who invented Forest School?

Sarah Blackwell founded Forest Schools Education in 2001 after discovering the incredible benefits of a long-term, learner lead education system.

What qualifications do you need to teach Forest School?

To be a forest school leader a Level 3 qualification is usually required or for you at least to have a Level 2 and be working towards a Level 3. You will also need to have a valid DBS certificate as well as outdoor first aid training.

How do Forest Schools link to the Eyfs?

Forest schools provide a specialised learning approach that offers children regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.

How does Forest School develop a community of learning?

Forest School uses a range of learner- centred processes to create a community for development and learning. … Reflective practice is a feature of each session to ensure learners and practitioners can understand their achievements, develop emotional intelligence and plan for the future.

Who can run a Forest School?

Forest School is run by qualified Forest School practitioners, who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice.