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| Forest schools
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The early childhood trend sweeping the UK
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In an effort to reconnect children with the natural environment and more experiences to be outside an increasing number of outdoor only and forest schools have opened across the UK.
These early childhood settings are located in woodlands and paddocks and children learn through outside play based learning experiences all year around. Some of the schools offer pop-up indoor spaces for the most extreme weather conditions (and for naps), but for the most part all of the learning, playing, eating and toileting happens outside.
Typically the forest schools have a fire pit, plenty of trees to climb, a selection of tools and outside equipment the children can use, a toilet tent and access to a fenced off area of woodland where the children can roam.
In addition, many of the settings have a nomadic approach so the children regularly experience a different location.
For Australian early childhood education and care providers pondering the logistics of minding groups of small children in the cold and wet conditions of the UK the concept probably seems very unappealing. However, the mantra of these outdoor only early childhood services is there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing, and many of the services supply the children with clothing capable of withstanding the most miserable of English winters.
In the UK forest based schools are assessed in the same way as conventional early learning settings and must adhere to all of the same requirements in terms of teacher accreditation and operating policies.
The surge in forest schools and outdoor early childhood settings in the UK is being facilitated by the Forest School Association a not-for-profit organisation which has supported 12,000 teachers to complete forest school training.
Findings of a study conducted by Forest Research in 2005 provided a body of evidence for the movement when it was shown that forest schools make a difference for children in the following ways:
- Confidence: children had the freedom, time and space to learn and demonstrate independence
- Social skills: children gained increased awareness of the consequences of their actions on peers through team activities such as sharing tools and participating in play
- Communication: language development was prompted by the children's sensory experiences
- Motivation: the woodland tended to fascinate the children and they developed a keenness to participate and the ability to concentrate over longer periods of time
- Physical skills: these improvements were characterised by the development of physical stamina and gross and fine motor skills
- Knowledge and understanding: the children developed an interest in the natural surroundings and respect for the environment
One of the key recommendations arising from this research was that forest schools should be more widely available and that they should be promoted to educators and parents to give improve understanding about what benefits they offer.
Parents have also driven the expansion of the movement, as increasing numbers of families look at ways to boost opportunities for children to be outside.
According to the Forest School Association being a forest school is not determined by a physical location but by the learning experience, on the website it says: Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
Speaking to Nursery World the founder of Little Forest Folk Leanna Barrett, who runs three full-time nomadic outdoor early childhood services said they have a waitlist of 170 families.
'My dream would be to revolutionise early education in the UK. Our children are incredibly creative and resourceful, and they don't get bored. They can make a game up from a couple of sticks. They are only restricted by their minds not their environment. It is much more collaborative and social, even the two-year-olds bounce ideas off each other.
'Parents are blown away when they come to see the nursery, saying it's so beautiful. But I always say it's not rocket science, it's just children playing outside and our role is resisting the urge to direct and overstimulate them.'
For more information about forest schools work and the guiding principles visit the Forest School Association website. |
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