What is Forest School

[@CarlyFloq]

Love it! just what little kids and even adults from time to time needs to learn and create real connection with nature. Fantastic for mental health too!

[@zedell1233]

Great video. All kids seem so happy. Going to have to point out to the last one that reading books isn't a bad thing! Look forward to watching more

[@forestcampclub]

great concept that deserves to be in every country

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Thanks very much. Forest School is spreading :-)

[@wolfmaan]

In 2022 Forest Schools are slowly taking hold in Canada. I am a part of the movement and it is glorious!

[@Cyrilmc222004]

Thank you so much I really really enjoyed watching you and listening to you talk about Woodland School. Please stay safe and well too xxx Mags

[@lovelight7005]

What a beautiful school ! I love it 💚

[@kurackurackurac]

This is one of the most beautiful things i have seen in a long time. Beautiful, you guys are heroes.

[@WoodlandClassroom]

+Orange the Orange Thanks so much for that - made me smile. Do you get involved in outdoor education much yourself? We're working on more videos so watch this space for more stuff :-) james

[@kurackurackurac]

No, unfortuonatly. I live in one of Europe's most forested countries, and my window view is all green. I'd like to know a lot more about forests and plants, but, you know, it just keeps slipping away :)

[@naturegirl1970]

Love this... kids are awesome. I cant wait until i qualify. Well done...all the best

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Thanks for watching! Please share this with anyone else who's asking this question. You can also find us on facebook at facebook.com/woodlandclassroom Follow us on twitter @woodlandclass

[@stustu4283]

Big thumbs up! My partner and I are talking about starting a forest school....we find your school inspirational

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Thanks Kimberly - best of luck with your venture. Get in touch if you have any questions about starting up.

[@jackiecharlton8543]

This is so brilliant and the subtitles so much appreciated. Will share with our group. I have no doubt that adults would feel exactly the same. We all need fun in our lives.

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Jackie Charlton Hi Jackie. Glad you liked the video. we thought it was important to have subtitles on to make it as accessible to as many folk as possible. Thanks for sharing, and we're currently working on our next videos so watch this space.

[@tedsyncity]

I think this is a great thing! Two thumbs up from me

[@nesslogan2516]

Great video! Outdoor education is so valuable. It supports children's development and the curriculum in many key areas encouraging gross motor skills, problem solving, language, team work, health and safety to name but a few! I think it should be a fundamental area of learning incorporated into every school... more and more schools are getting on board but there is more work to be done. Keep going, your invaluable to future generations! :)

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Ness Logan Thanks Ness. We agree. We would like to see Forest School incorporated into the curriculum for all children. So many kids learn better in an outdoor environment.

[@BumbleBee-ut7tf]

I love that comment! ... Being 'fuel to the fire,' and I'm pleased to hear that the young lad isn't stuck to the tele with glue : )

[@jackiecharlton8543]

It was so good to see. I spend so much of my time nagging and winging that it was such a pleasure not only to see the subtitles but that they made sense and were not voice recognition. Was it easy. I have been told it is but no one has actually explained how it is done. Would be good if I knew so could pass on instead of just nagging. Good to hear from you. Jackie

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Jackie Charlton Hi Jackie. It's not to difficult to get subtitles put onto the video but the maker of the video - in this case us - have to make it happen. We paid someone to transcribe the video and then we had to paste that document into various settings here to make it all work. So - please spread the word and share this video with your friends and colleagues at the community woods. Speak soon.

[@anotherluckydad]

Endless Thumbs up for the North East, U.S.A. Thank to you and yours.

[@WoodlandClassroom]

+William Affonso Thanks. I love New England. My mother lived in Vermont for a number of years - it's an amazing place to get kids outdoors into the wild - and you've got proper wilderness over there, not like the UK.

[@zuggrr]

You guys are amazing :)

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Thanks very much

[@funkyprepper]

Wow where is this? Great work friends

[@forestedforestschool]

Nice intro' to Forest School, I'm an FS leader too and love my job!

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Thanks Mark - good to hear from you. Yes, it's a rewarding way to spend your time. Have you been teaching long?

[@forestedforestschool]

+Woodland Classroom Hi, I've been in education for 20 years and always enjoyed bushcraft so decided to combine the two and have been doing FS for about two years.

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Great to hear it. There does seem to have been a growing swell of interest in taking more and more learning outdoors and bringing nature based activities into al sorts of subjects - or maybe that's just the circles I move in *l*

[@forestedforestschool]

+Woodland Classroom Definitely, we (Scouted.org.uk) have just added a Maths Outdoors and WW2 history sessions to the portfolio!

[@simplesiru]

I was just wondering, Besides building self-confidence and independence activities, are there any resources which could help them in their intellectuals (subjects) ? How will the children be able to catch with with their academics and how will they be able to prepare for the primary/elementary schools when they grow up?

[@和家徐]

They will study by theirself.emmm yes.I also wander but you Know building self - confidence and independence is harder than studying subjects.somthing that only can build when you are a child .If you lost ，maybe it's forever🤔 so……forest school ，I think it's no problem.

[@jeffers-7525]

Im relatively new to forest schools, but one thing i see in my sessions is that forest school helps them develop strategies to learn cognitively, emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. So in a Nutshell they are learning how to learn rather than what to learn.

[@louisemurray2461]

How safe are our children and are all adults vetted? What are the safety factors and certificates involved and what approval from councils are in place? Is their overnight activities and stays? Appreciate the feed back as I grew up in a rural area on a farm and think it sounds good as long as it is governed and approved by child safety programmes in place!

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Hi Louise, thanks for your comments. I can only speak for how we run our own sessions though there are also some recognised standards that most Forest School leaders will adhere to. Four ourselves, we and anyone we hire are DBS checked and there's always at least one first adder present for sessions. In terms of safety you have to do a risk assessment for each activity and produce safe methods of working, which can change according to the age of kids or their abilities. Nationally there is a recognised qualification for Forest School leaders (Level 3 certification) which includes many aspects of safe working as well as loads of interesting stuff about the benefits of teaching kids in an outdoor environment. You can take a look at the Forest School Association website which will have some advice on how forest schools operate and what their members sign up to. We are members of Forest School Wales which are a similar organisation to FSA. There can be overnight sessions, we don't do them ourselves yet, but staff would need additional training beyond the Forest School leader certificate to undertake these as a higher level of childcare is involved. Some councils really support forest school projects and link up with freelance leaders or encourage school staff to deliver sessions, it can depended for place to place. the good news is that the movement is growing and more and more people are becoming familiar with it. If you want to know more, drop us a line :-)

[@mariadelmardiazceldran4603]

Hello. I am Maria I live in London I will start my Level 3 course in October. I cant wait! But I am worry because I dont have any idea. My experience in Forest is just walk around 😅 Should I need study o prepare something before my training? Thanks

[@bilbobagshot8891]

v useful video - does what it says on the tin. thanks.

[@larryPhDinCurriculumAsimpleguy]

Hi! what a nice video! Thank you. I currently dealing with a project on FNS, I just wondering that do children in FNS go to their nature classroom everyday? Or do they just go out like once per week?(and if children do in this way, what happened to them in the other days of a week?) Thanks in advance.

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Hello - glad you liked the video. To answer your question, lots of schools and setup have different arrangements. In Scandinavia it's very intergrted into school life and timetable. In the UK it can be built into the school programme (for very lucky kids0 or it can be an occasional day out to the woods. Ideally Forest School programmes should be run over a long period of time with the same children so that progression can take place, and the child can build a relationship with the natural world. We run session with school and groups but also as kids club throughout the week including after-school sessions, home education and a parent & toddler group.

[@larryPhDinCurriculumAsimpleguy]

Thanks again for your detailed explanation.

[@saswatimukherjee9505]

Amazing illustration. Thanks for your uploading it. Can you share your opinion about why it is named as "Forest School"..

[@pablocuervo5763]

Hi, I'm really interesting in this idea.In Spain i think there not are primary forest schools (from 6 to 12) but there is the begining.

[@fungalbob]

There are some alternative schools in Spain, but nothing quite like a Forest School--- yet!

[@ShantellyLace2]

How long are the children with you? How many days? Hours? Months?

[@WoodlandClassroom]

Hello - sorry about the delay in getting back to you. The answer to your question really depends on which session we are running. Following the Forest School approach it's ideal to have a high adult to child ratio so that the children can get more attention from the activity leaders. We run full day activity sessions which usually run from 10am - 4pm, so 6 hrs. We run an after-school club in the woods too which is a couple of hours and that runs throughout school term time. If a school were to run their own Forest School programme then it's better to run session over a long period (at least 6 weeks) so that children can get used to and comfortable with the outdoor learning space, gain confidence and become inquisitive about nature in that space. I hope that all helps. James

[@faouell]

qui a choisi cette video en anglais ?

[@jackiecharlton8543]

Will do!!!!!

[@kt7629]

this is great but how will the kids learn to be academically intelligent? They will struggle in the long-run with school when they get older.

[@pauletheridge2412]

Ideally you have the two compliment each other. If you observe children in a typical classroom there are those who naturally excel, the average, and those that struggle. Most of the latter will continue to struggle in the years to come as parent involvement and teacher time is finite and children are shuttled ahead regardless of competency. A Forest School allows for a different type of learning and understanding of oneself in relation to his greater self, the universe. Actually knowing with your heart that you are soil, water, air-truly the earth coming to life and becoming aware of itself, allows a child to go deeper into the ideas of humanity and fearlessly explore what is interesting and not surrender to challenges and frustrations. In a class you are given a problem to solve in your head. If you are fortunate you have a talented instructor and he can guide you to mastery. Can one teacher do this the majority of times with the majority of students in a variety of subjects? A tall order. Kids at a Forest School and other similar programs I have observed are first and foremost happy and eager for the day. How many kid's going off to regular school are frightened, confused, stressed, and exhausted before they even get out of bed? Now think of how receptive to new information those respective brains are. Adults in any learning setting have to have an uncrushable positive attitude. Kids know when teacher has checked out. In Forest School, peer to peer learning is substantial and seems to have a deeper impact than top down droning, regardless the energy behind it. Each child is a teacher and student simultaneously. A mix of ages and skills all in one place affords creative problem solving in "kid time", not on the adult clock of "I've got 5 minutes to lecture, 10 minutes for activity and one minute to wrap up then move on". We have our entire bodies to learn with but in the average classroom we are just using our eyes, ears, and voices. Outside you are immersed in everything nature throws at you and you see children relax, experiment, fail, try harder, succeed, and grow stronger not just intellectually but physically as well. The power that exudes from a kid that has conquered the tallest tree after weeks of struggle or mastering the use of a tool to build a sturdy fort or having prepared a lunch for mates that everyone enjoys is very inspiring. So most everyone struggles with one thing or another. At Forest School you get to struggle together and not feel alone or helpless. If the child comes to know that struggle is good and failure is almost a given, she will also know that they are necessary steps to growth, competency and success. This confidence is now who they are and they can move into any subject matter with excitement and acceptance.

[@kt7629]

​@@pauletheridge2412 I love that forest school provides this for kids, it really is amazing! I'm still concerned though with my original point. Regular schools include all or most of the same aspects at a lower extent than forest school. Not every student is sad or frightened going to regular school, from what I have seen most kids are not. Most schools have three recess breaks and the additional breaks a teacher may include- ex exercise break, reading break, etc, have art and gym classes; children "relax, experiment, fail try harder, succeed, and grow stronger" as well. The kids have time to play and learn from play but also keep stimulating the intellectual side of the brain and learning academic concepts that are essential for the later school years. The one clear disadvantage of forest school is that the kids do not learn that, and will undeniably have a lot of getting used to with the school curriculum, which is already set to be challenging in the first place. Sadly, (because I love the idea of forest school) forest school does not last forever, and those kids will be even more overwhelmed to get used to the curriculum after learning about nature and themselves outside all day, compared to the kids that are already conditioned to academically learn and study, and actually learned how to. Taking away that part so early in the kids development is not so good, they will struggle in the long-run. However, I don't agree with the regular school education system fully either, especially for the older students and most definitely the secondary and post-secondary workloads, sitting inside and overworking the students; that is where I wish something more like forest school could be implemented instead. I do see all the good and wonderful aspects of forest school and they might over weigh the one con I can think of. I believe we should always be revising and improving our education systems, including maybe adding more academic subject matter to forest school and not just learning from experience, learning confidence, counting from mushrooms and being experts on the animals.

[@pauletheridge2412]

@@kt7629 Thanks for the note back. Yes, always room for improvement and offering a well rounded curriculum is important. The Forest Schools that I am familiar are supplemental programs to what kids are already doing. The one I work at has different groups of kids throughout the week and all of them either home school, do co-ops or there school has integrated the Forest School into there school year as a weekly or monthly feature. Where I live children no longer have recesses due to standardized testing and spend the entire day inside the buildings. So hopefully one day we'll figure it out.

[@kt7629]

@@pauletheridge2412 Agreed!!!