Why Is Forest School A Long Term Process?

So, this week I have taken to dusting off the old golf clubs, one to be exact, and venturing into the back garden with 23 balls.

The reason I mention this number, will become clear in a moment.

In 5 days I have become a relative ‘chip shot’ master…

Into a small underused bin that was hanging around the house.

To be truthful I have fell back in love with old game, however frustrating it can be!

This re introduction to golf hasn’t gone smoothly at all…

During these few days I have narrowly missed the garden lights, a glass top table, next doors cat….several times, the garden shed windows and heard the sweet ping of garden furniture metal against ball countless times.

Oh and you remember those 23 balls…. well it’s now 21 considering two took an unlucky bounce of a paving slab, becoming lost to next doors more untamed area of garden.

However, now on day 5 of this escapade I am getting more handy with the club and actually slotting a few into the basket…. even if they are ‘fluked’.

It’s what has led to me wanting to do it more and more.

This proves one thing though…

Persistence pays off and practice makes permanent, even bringing joy to a person.

The same could be said for Forest School. There is a reason why it is a long term process.

For values, skills, attitudes, a sense of belonging, confidence, trust and all things inbetween to be formed or shaped more productively…

It is persistence, time and practice that favours us all. Including and especially our children.

The long term nature of Forest School may make you feel uncomfortable I get that and you can dip in and out…but don’t expect your child to gain the massive benefits that Forest School provides.

It has to be weekly over a period of 3 to 4 months at the least and yes it may seem like a long time but 3–4 months minimum… situated inside 18 years of your child’s life…. you do the maths.

The value and lifelong skills gained will massively outweigh the perceived time spent at Forest School.

Do you know what will happen then, when you and your little one begin to see the results?

You’ll both want more and more, just like me wanting to chip a ball more and more.

That is why we build a community and not a fleeting fad.

You really are just one session away.