Whether a child enjoys making potions in the mud kitchen, collecting interesting sticks or sliding down mud-filled banks, they are interacting with the natural world in a way that is meaningful to them. 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.
The first and most important question to ask when considering how to extend your outdoor offering is: does our setting actually need a forest school, or could it be a woodland or outdoor explorer project? Forest school is an ethos and 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. Sessions are led by a practitioner who has a Level 3 forest school qualification.
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