Forest School

At Danegrove we are developing our own Forest School on site. 

All children will have an opportunity to participate in some Forest School Sessions during the year.

“The best classroom and the richest classroom is roofed only by the sky” Margaret McMillan.

Forest School Ethos

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process that offers opportunities for holistic growth. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supports risk-taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner-inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture,  seen as a way of life in Scandinavia, where Forest School began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.

Aims of Forest School

• To provide children with experiences that encourages an appreciation, awareness and knowledge of the natural environment. 
• To learn to respect and care for their own local environment.
• To abide by rules and set standards of behaviour, to work cooperatively in groups and to respect each other. 
• To develop children’s self-esteem and self-confidence through the setting of small achievable tasks.

Environmental Considerations and Conservation

One of the principles of Forest School is to promote environmental awareness and encourage sustainability. The children are taught about respect and responsibility for the whole world around them. Both the children and adults are encouraged to respect their environment and to be aware of conservation issues of the wild area around them.

The aim is to promote respect for wildlife, which will be achieved through detailed session plans and evaluation. If appropriate, reclaimed, recycled and sustainable resources will be used to maintain and develop our Forest School site.

Encouraging children to care for the environment is an essential part of Danegrove Forest School. In order to encourage the children to look after the site, we will always leave it tidy and never damage anything growing in it. We will only collect things that are on the ground and leave the area as we found it. The Forest School Leader will monitor the site so that it does not become overused and an alternative area will be found and risk assessed if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do we need to wear?

The children will need to come to school dressed in old clothes on their Forest School Session day.

In a separate bag they will need:

• Waterproofs (or a change of trousers)

• Wellies

• Hat, gloves, scarf (if cold)

• Sun cream, sun hat (if hot)

During the session

Children participate in a variety of activities which are totally inclusive, thus catering for all ability levels. They are taught a variety of woodland skills through practical hands-on activities. They also learn how to light fires safely. The children learn the care and safe use of a wide range of tools. This is a tightly supervised activity on a 1:1 ratio of adult to children.  It is introduced gradually and in small steps. Children are encouraged to listen attentively to instructions and to take responsibility for their actions. This is achieved by games that also encourage respect for the environment.           

Plenary

The children sit at base camp and discuss their session, if they wish, sharing their view, findings and opinions. Back at school, children will remove wellies outdoors or stand on sheeting (if very wet), before entering the classroom and wash their hands.