But isn’t Forest School just faffing about in the woods, building dens and climbing some trees…?
In this piece I’m going to be addressing the perception that forest school is simply kids faffing about in the woods, building some dens and climbing trees- Because that what Forest School is…. right?
Well not quite.
I can understand why people may think these activities alone are forest school, as in their context they are the physical representations of Forest School to the wider public.
These activities have the purpose of developing a child physically.
But Forest School is much, much more than that. There is so much that is going on that is invisible to the casual passer by and these elements are what makes Forest School way of learning so unique, powerful and incredibly effective.
I’m talking about the development of their cognitive skills, how they might think through a problem perhaps, their social interaction, how they negotiate, barter and work together with other children, their emotional development, how they can control their emotions both positive and negative to a given moment or action and demonstrate resilience when faced with adversity and those all important intra personal skills.
Those that occur within the mind or self of an individual. Things like motivation, self esteem, self care, self regulation, empathy and decision making to name a few.
Forest School is about a holistic approach. The development of the whole child and all of their parts, not just one piece at a time.
I will expand more on this over the coming days as it’s such an important focal point of Forest School.
All this is achieved through child led outdoor play, the most powerful and complex learning tool that children are born wanting and knowing how to do.
I suppose that’s where the representation of faffing comes in.
Play is not relief from serious learning, play is serious learning!
As I’ve just briefly explored and this is one of the key facets that sets Forest School apart from other learning tools.
So next time you go into the woods and you see a Forest School session, just think about all the elements you can’t see.
Remember you’re just one session away…
