Forest Schools

Forest Schools



Forest Schools were first introduced in the mid 1990s, with the aims to 'encourage and inspire individuals of any age through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a woodland environment.' www.forestschools.com

The Forest School website states that the first forms of Forest Schools came from Sweden in 1995, to teach children about the natural world.

Forest School Practitioners set up schools which continue throughout the year. They aim to offer a number of opportunities for the children, e.g. 'develop self awareness, self regulation or management of their real world.' Forest Schools are usually located in a Forest as the woodland offers endless learning opportunities, unlike traditional school yards.
   Blackwell and Pound as cited in Miller and Pound (2010)



Forest Schools, similar to all other learning settings offer targets to achieve. Some skills to develop are; social and emotional competence, well-being, health and risk taking, improved disposition to learn, creativity and physicality.
   Blackwell and Pound as cited in Miller and Pound (2010)

(TEC Connect, 2014)

Watching this video gives us an insight of a Forest School session. We can see how much the children enjoy learning in this environment and the freedom which they experience.
We can see the different 'subjects' being self-taught whilst playing and having fun.
For example, the children make up a story with the fairies in the forest. This activity could have been completed in a classroom environment, however, the freedom in the forest encourages children to use their imagination, as they are not confined within the walls of a classroom.

During the video, we saw a young boy carving a twig with a very sharp knife. Although this activity would never be thought of as a classroom activity, it worked well in the woods and you could see how much concentration was used when using the knife. Although, I did notice that whilst he was using the sharp knife it was 1 teacher to 1 child, this I believe would be impossible to implement when in the Foundation Phase setting, as the guidelines suggest 1 adult to 13 pupils.

We were able to watch another young boy climbing a tree; Forest Schools allow fidgety children, who dislike learning in a formal learning environment, to show others what they are capable of, and don't have to conform to a classroom structure. The boy who climbed the tree was proud, and it was evident to see that they couldn't wait to go back and tell the class what they had been up to.

Is this dangerous? Does this go against Health and Safety? Should Forest Schools allow these kind of activities?

In today's society, the older generation are lacking 'risk taking skills', therefore, if learning environments are encouraging such skills, the children should take the opportunity. It is vital that children learn, but more importantly have fun.
I understand that Health and Safety was brought in as a safety net, to ensure that everyone stays safe, however, it has become more like a straight jacket, where people are almost afraid to do anything.

A child who enjoys their education, is more likely to continue in education and strive in the future. Therefore, learning environments such as Forest Schools, where children have fun while learning, should be encouraged.