Forest Schools
Forest schools is outdoor education in which children (or adults) participate in life skills, such as learning personal, social and technical skills. The Forest school day would take place in a wood/ forest or a suitable outdoor space in which you can thrieve, by using team building skills, and using a hands on approach to learning.
Forest school aims to build on independence and self esteem within children in a natural environment, though personal skills are considered to be highly valuable, such as problem solving individually and as part of a team.
Freedom and responsibility has particularly played a beneficial role with children who may lack in confidence, or whos behaviour is challenging. Children can take on challenges such as tree climbing and whittling, as this will allow children to grow in idependence and extend on their current abilities.
Forest schools is often led by childrens ideas, as they develop their own interests. This is a good natural way of learning for most children as some may not enjoy classroom work or just may not be comfortable with a teacher standing in front of them, so this allows each child to feel secure in an outdoor classroom with a supervised lead, but still being able to challenge themselves with a task they want to do, in a structured organised manner. Boundaries are also often set by the children, giving them a sense of ownership, and encouraging them to understand others views. This naturally brings about group discussion, developing communication and language skills.
Forest school aims to build on independence and self esteem within children in a natural environment, though personal skills are considered to be highly valuable, such as problem solving individually and as part of a team.
Freedom and responsibility has particularly played a beneficial role with children who may lack in confidence, or whos behaviour is challenging. Children can take on challenges such as tree climbing and whittling, as this will allow children to grow in idependence and extend on their current abilities.
Forest schools is often led by childrens ideas, as they develop their own interests. This is a good natural way of learning for most children as some may not enjoy classroom work or just may not be comfortable with a teacher standing in front of them, so this allows each child to feel secure in an outdoor classroom with a supervised lead, but still being able to challenge themselves with a task they want to do, in a structured organised manner. Boundaries are also often set by the children, giving them a sense of ownership, and encouraging them to understand others views. This naturally brings about group discussion, developing communication and language skills.
Forest Schools Concept
Originally a concept developed in Wisconsin in 1927. Laona, Wisconsin claims the world's first school forest. The late H. L. Russell, Dean of the College of Agriculture, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, conceived the idea of school forests. His suggestion was supported by the land use planning committee of Forest County, and in 1927 a tract of land was purchased for the Laona school forest. The idea for a forest school was implemented by Wakelin McNeel who was a 4-H leader in Wisconsin. The first forest schools were located in Laona, Wabeno and Crandon, Wisconsin.
Later in the 1950s the idea was introduced in Sweden, Denmark and other countries of Europe. In Denmark it became an embedded part of the curriculum for pre-school children (under seven years) stemming from their småbørnspædagogik, or 'Early childhood education'. Children attending Forest kindergartens were arriving at school with strong social skills, the ability to work in groups effectively, and generally children had high self-esteem and confidence in their own capabilities.
This ethos was introduced to the UK during the 1990s. The growth of Forest Schools has been unprecedented throughout the UK with many practitioners providing quality provision true to the original ethos.
In 1957, a Swedish man, Goesta Frohm, created the "Skogsmulle" concept to promote learning about nature, water, mountains and
pollution. With an increasing focus on measurable outcomes, forest schools have gained acceptance as an educational method in their own right. In Denmark, nature schools are popular with both school teachers and children.
Originally a concept developed in Wisconsin in 1927. Laona, Wisconsin claims the world's first school forest. The late H. L. Russell, Dean of the College of Agriculture, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, conceived the idea of school forests. His suggestion was supported by the land use planning committee of Forest County, and in 1927 a tract of land was purchased for the Laona school forest. The idea for a forest school was implemented by Wakelin McNeel who was a 4-H leader in Wisconsin. The first forest schools were located in Laona, Wabeno and Crandon, Wisconsin.
Later in the 1950s the idea was introduced in Sweden, Denmark and other countries of Europe. In Denmark it became an embedded part of the curriculum for pre-school children (under seven years) stemming from their småbørnspædagogik, or 'Early childhood education'. Children attending Forest kindergartens were arriving at school with strong social skills, the ability to work in groups effectively, and generally children had high self-esteem and confidence in their own capabilities.
This ethos was introduced to the UK during the 1990s. The growth of Forest Schools has been unprecedented throughout the UK with many practitioners providing quality provision true to the original ethos.
In 1957, a Swedish man, Goesta Frohm, created the "Skogsmulle" concept to promote learning about nature, water, mountains and
pollution. With an increasing focus on measurable outcomes, forest schools have gained acceptance as an educational method in their own right. In Denmark, nature schools are popular with both school teachers and children.