I began my Forest School journey by helping out on a woodland trip with some other staff members and a different group of children than the one I am used to. I really enjoyed it but struggled with the lack of structure as I was used to lesson planning and having very structured days. After this, I decided to apply for the Forest School Leader position at my nursery and was excited to start my journey with my colleague Kathryn.
Before our training week, I was really nervous as I didn’t know what to expect. I enjoyed the week though and realised that the Forest School ethos really worked with my own ideas of EYFS teaching. I also made a group of Forest School friends who I have since gotten to know better and we have formed a helpful and supportive group. I came back to the nursery with lots of ideas and started leading trips to the woods, obviously without any tools or fire.
When I began looking at the portfolio I was really overwhelmed at first. I started doing a bit at a time and started this blog. I really enjoyed learning about different woodlands and getting out into the woods to look for different fauna and flora. I was able to use this knowledge in my sessions to help teach the children about the woods. I started practicing my practical skills on a weekly basis by meeting up with the friends I’d made on my training week and started to introduce bits of this into my sessions too such as knot tying and putting up shelters. I also began researching theories of learning and the Forest School approach and began using this in my Forest School sessions but also in my general day to day practice at nursery.
Our assessment week took place the week before the UK went into lockdown due to coronavirus. It was a scary time and I loved being in the woods and working on my tool use and fire skills. When I finished my assessment week I felt a lot more confident about the practical aspects of Forest School. Sadly I was only back at work one day before the lockdown began. My colleague and I have worked hard during lockdown, creating our Forest School handbook and our policies and procedures. I am now feeling excited and confident to properly start our Forest School sessions when we can!
The main role of a Forest School leader is that of a facilitator. They do not teach the children or tell them what to do, rather they provide them with the opportunities they need to learn and develop. This means they spend a lot of time during Forest School sessions observing the children so that they know what they need in terms of development. Each session is planned in advance but is adapted in response to any children’s emerging interests or needs. After each session, the Forest School leader reflects on their practice and is constantly adapting and improving through this reflection.
Another important part of being a Forest School leader is ensuring that the environment is safe through the use of risk assessments and that all of the children’s basic needs are covered. Without this, the children will not be able to reach their full potential during sessions as they may feel unsafe or unhappy.
LDFSP 3.1 Describe how external and internal impacts can impact on social behaviour
The above diagram shows Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is a model which splits children’s needs into five stages. Each stage must be satisfied before a child can move onto the next. The first four stages are the child’s basic needs and the fifth stage is where a child can learn, develop and grow. Many behaviours can be attributed to the need to satisfy some of these basic needs.
In the table below I will discuss the positive and negative impacts that different factors can have on the behaviour of children.
LDFSP 3.2 Explain how a learners behaviour could impact on own and others learning and development
A child exhibiting negative behaviours will not be learning or developing effectively during Forest School sessions. They may cause disruption to the session and even low-level disruption can impact the rest of the group. In some cases, they may cause harm to themselves or to others in the group. Their behaviour may also mean that the Forest School leader is focussing on them more than the other children which will affect the other’s learning and development, and in some cases, their safety.
On the other hand, if children are exhibiting positive behaviours they will be more engaged in the sessions and will get more from them. Their social skills will develop as they will encourage other children to join in too.
LDFSP 3.3 Evaluate methods of encouraging behaviour that is appropriate at Forest School
The Forest School ethos encourages good behaviour by giving children the opportunity to take risks in a relatively safe environment so that they are less likely to engage in dangerous behaviours. Children are given trust and respect by Forest School leaders, developing their self-esteem and therefore improving their ability to recognise and control their emotions. We must also ensure that every child’s basic needs are met. Forest School leaders recognise that every behaviour has a meaning and may reflect a child’s needs. If a child is misbehaving we can consider the hierarchy of needs from the bottom to the top and try and understand why a child may be behaving the way that they are. Once we understand the reasons behind the behaviour, we can try and help the child.
Please see the link below which is the Behaviour and Antibullying Policy for our Forest School sessions:
I worked together with my colleague who runs Forest School sessions with me at our nursery to create this policy. Please see the link below which is our evidence for how we worked together.
Play has been shown to be extremely important as it helps children to make connections in their learning by thinking in abstract ways, using their imagination, and developing an understanding of how others think and feel. Play should not have a purpose but should be open-ended and focus on the process rather than the end product.
Playing outside is very beneficial to children, promoting their wellbeing and allows them to build on their physical development while working on muscle strength and coordination. It has also been shown that exposure to sunlight can give us a natural boost and therefore have a positive effect on children’s mental health.
in 2004 The Playwork Principles were written by the Playwork Principles Scrutiny Group. The principles are:
1. All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological, and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well-being of individuals and communities.
When a Forest School leader plans sessions, they are based on the children’s impulse to play. Any learning goals are implemented through play and exploration.
2. Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed, and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas, and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.
3. The prime focus and essence of playwork is to support and facilitate the play process and this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training, and education.
Sessions are planned based on individual children’s interests and needs. However, a leader will often direct the session away from the planned activities if a child shows a particular interest in something different. This is where “in the moment planning” comes into effect. During sessions, children do not have to take part in any activities if they do not want to and are free to explore and play in their own way. In my own sessions, I will plan activities and tell the children that they are available. It is therefore up to the individual children to decide whether they would like to take part or whether they would like to do something different instead. Staff will adapt to what the children choose to do.
4. For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas.
Forest School naturally includes many aspects of the curriculum, including science, maths, and art. However, sessions are not planned in the same way as school-based lessons. Forest School leaders are interested in the holistic development of the child, not just the learning objectives.
5. The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.
Often, a child will suggest something they want to do in the woods and it is the job of the Forest School leader or staff members to figure out how to do it. An example of this is a session where children were very interested in We’re Going On a Bear Hunt. They wanted to play “bear hunt” so I suggested using a shelter like a cave and the children enjoyed running in and out, pretending they were bears. This could then be extended to allow the children to try building their own shelters using natural materials.
Looking for bears in the cave!
6. The playworker’s response to children and young people playing is based on a sound up to date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice.
All Forest School leaders and staff members have up to date training in child development and play. This is from training and from personal development. Forest School leaders are always learning and developing their pedagogy.
7. Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.
The Forest School leader evaluates and reflects after returning from each session. When I return to the nursery I fill in a sheet which helps me to consider how the session went and how it could be improved next time.
8. Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker interventions must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well-being of children.
Forest School Leaders are constantly risk assessing the area and the activities to ensure that the children can take risks in a relatively safe environment. We encourage the children to push themselves and encourage risk-taking when it benefits their learning and development. An example of this can be seen in the photo below, this child had been enjoying swinging on the ropes and decided to see if they could hang from the rope, using their legs as well as their arms. They were awarded with a large sense of achievement and their physical development benefited too.
Types of Play
There are several different types of play and all of them can be facilitated through Forest School sessions.
Symbolic
This type of play allows children to explore and work on their understanding of concepts, using objects to symbolise things from their experience. In the woods, the children will use natural materials to symbolise people or objects in their play. They often do this with pinecones in our woodlands and like to create “families” of pinecones or build things using them.
Rough and Tumble
This is close encounter play through which children can determine their own strength without causing any harm or injury to each other. It gives the children a feeling of exhilaration and helps them to use up excess energy. This kind of play is well catered for in Forest School sessions through running, climbing, and physical games.
Socio-Dramatic
This is role-playing where children may re-enact experiences of a personal, social, domestic, or interpersonal nature. The children may role-play visiting the shops, cleaning the house, or looking after babies. In nursery, this play takes place in our role play area where there is a kitchen and baby dolls. In the woods, this play still takes place but takes more imagination from the children. They have enjoyed playing games such as collecting natural items in baskets and pretending they are doing the shopping.
Social
This type of play is how children learn about the rules of social engagement. It is often linked to socio-dramatic play. During Forest School sessions we encourage the children to work together to complete their goals. An example of this was when we played Hungry Birds and the children needed to work together to find all of the “worms” that were hidden in the area.
Creative
Children are often engaged in creative play, through using their imagination to design and create different things. This can be through making and building physical items or expressing themselves through dance. It can also involve the creation of different games and role-play adventures. In our sessions the children have been very creative, including building houses and shelters for animals, designing pictures on the floor using pine needles and pine cones, and in the photo below, creating a bird nest for the birds after being inspired by the Hungry Birds game we played.
Communication
This is play using language, words, or gestures. Examples of this kind of play at Forest School include play-acting during role-play games, telling jokes, singing, and poetry.
Dramatic
This is similar to Socio-dramatic play except that the events that the children are role-playing are those in which the child is not a direct participator. This includes acting out stories, which is often done at Forest School. The children I take to Forest School love to act out the Bear Hunt story because the environment is similar.
Deep
This type of play is extremely common in a Forest School session. It is play which involves taking risks to help develop survival skills and conquer fear. During Forest School sessions the children may use tools and fire or conquer their own personal fears such as heights, climbing, and insects.
Exploratory
This type of play involves exploring the environment or items found in the environment. The children in a Forest School session explore the woodlands and manipulate and explore materials through handling, throwing, or banging. An example of this can be seen in the photo below where one of the children was investigating the noises he could make by banging sticks on different things in the woods.
Fantasy
This is play where the child may rearrange the world and role play things that would not usually happen in real life. This can be found in lots of role-play games that the children create in the woods.
Locomotor
As the name suggests, this is locomotor play which involves children moving in any or every direction. Children love to run around in the woods and the uneven terrain adds a new dimension to this kind of play.
Mastery
This type of play is where children try to master their environment by changing it. It can involve digging holes, building shelters, and making fires.
Object
This is using objects by using hand-eye manipulations and movements. During Forest School sessions this can involve using real tools or using natural objects as tools. Another example can be seen in the photo below where one of the children was making crayon rubbings on the bark.
Recapitulative
This is where children can explore ancestry, history, rituals, stories, rhymes, fire, and darkness. It is where children have the opportunity to access the play of earlier human evolutionary stages. This is captured in Forest School sessions with the use of fire.
There are a number of studies that show how Forest School develops learners’ resilience, confidence, independence, and creativity (see the references at the bottom of this page). Here is a brief summary of the main ways in which Forest School benefits them.
“Resilience is the ability of an individual to adapt to change and stressful situations successfully, in a healthy and constructive manner” – Sarah Blackwell (2015)
Resilience is an important ability for children to develop as they grow older as it means they can cope with the many challenges they will meet. It is known that children develop their resilience through experiences rather than through teaching and this makes Forest School sessions perfect for resilience building. Forest School leaders plan sessions that introduce risky elements such as tools and fire very gradually when the children will benefit from them. This helps to build confidence, independence and teaches the children how to stay safe. Small, achievable tasks are planned into sessions that give children the opportunity to make mistakes, learn from them and have a sense of achievement at the end.
Forest School sessions take place regularly over a period of time, giving the children the opportunity to become more confident in the new environment. As children become more confident they are more likely to take risks and initiate their own play, using their own creativity. The majority of a Forest School session is made up of free play, giving children the freedom, time and space to explore their own interests, make their own decisions, set goals and solve problems. The role of the Forest School leader during this time is to act as a facilitator and assist and scaffold learning when needed. Regular sessions also mean that the routine and rules of Forest School become embedded and children can become more responsible for their safety. This then builds their self-confidence and independence.
References
An Evaluation of Forest School in England (2005) – Richard Murray and Liz O’Brien
A Marvellous Opportunity for Children to Learn – A participatory evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales (2006) – Liz O’Brien and Richard Murray
Impacts of Long Term Forest School Programmes on Children’s Resilience, Confidence and Wellbeing (2015) – Sarah Blackwell
As discussed previously, Forest School is based on a holistic approach to learning. One of the major factors in holistic education is the development of self-esteem and emotional intelligence.
“Emotional intelligence helps us to be aware of and control our own emotions, to understand them, and to manage and use them to attend to any given situation in an appropriate way.” (The Gottman Institute, 2017)
For young children, it is difficult to understand the strong emotions that they often feel, especially if they are disproportionate to the situation. It is important that children are aware of how they are feeling and that they understand how important their emotions are. They need the opportunity to practice tolerating and using their emotions to develop their self-control. The way in which we respond to events has an enormous effect on the outcome of such an event. The higher a child’s emotional intelligence, the more choices they may have on how to respond, and therefore the greater and effect they can have on the outcome of an event.
Forest School can help children to develop their emotional intelligence by providing new and challenging experiences. Through developing a relationship with the woodlands and challenging themselves to new experiences, children are building on their knowledge of how they can manage and regulate their own emotions. They are learning to become independent and resilient learners how can reflect on their experiences. Forest School also provides opportunities to develop intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.
Intrapersonal – This is the ability to know, understand and motivate ourselves. It can be developed in Forest School sessions through the use of child-led activities. Teachers will help children at first if they struggle with this and will encourage them to make small achievable goals. Over a period of time, children become more confident and will take charge of their own activities and challenges.
Interpersonal – the ability to manage our relationships with others and empathise with their emotions. Forest School is a highly social way of learning and encourages group games and working together.
Self-esteem
A child’s self-esteem has a huge effect on their emotional development.
“Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It’s based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can sometimes feel really difficult to change.” (Mind, 2019)
Children with high self-esteem are confident, make friends easily and are happy playing with others or on their own. They have a positive image of themselves and are proud of their own achievements. They are more likely to bounce back from mistakes and learn from them. Forest School sessions can have a positive effect on the self-esteem of children as they encourage children to take risks, challenge themselves and learn from their mistakes. The high ratio of adults to children means that learners feel safe in their new environment and are able to develop their independence. The use of tools and fire teaches learners that they are trusted and gives them a sense of achievement. There are 5 factors which can help develop our self esteem, as shown in the star below:
self-awareness – the ability to recognise how our emotions and feelings can be affected by ourselves, other people and the environment.
self-regulation – the ability to regulate our emotions.
self-motivation – the ability to use our emotions to achieve a goal.
empathy – the ability to empathise with our friend’s emotions and understand the effect we can have on them.
social skills – the ability to play with our friends, or to work together
All Forest Schools are as different as they happen in very different locations and have very different learners and practitioners. With this in mind, there are six major principles in a Forest School. These are summarised below:
1) Forest School sessions must be frequent and include planning, adaptation, observation, reflection and progression of learning.
It is important that sessions take place regularly with the same group of learners over an extended period of time. It has been said that the more sessions, the deeper and more meaningful the play of the learners. Ensuring that sessions take place regularly means that they can be planned, adapted and reflected upon. It means that a Forest School leader can observe the children and plan further sessions based on what the children need to work and develop on.
2) Sessions take place in a woodland or a similar natural environment.
Whilst a woodland or forest is an ideal setting for a Forest School, many take place in whichever natural environment is available to them, whether it is a bit of woodland behind the school or a field with a few trees. Working in a natural environment helps the children develop a relationship with the natural world. Forest School leaders are responsible for monitoring the ecological impact of their sessions and work within a suitable site management plan which has been agreed with the landowner.
3) Forest School aims to promote holistic development and create resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
During our Forest School sessions, we are working on developing the whole child. The image above is the Forest School star. It shows the learner in the middle and the five areas we are working to develop on the outside. The five areas are:
self-awareness – the ability to recognise how our emotions and feelings can be affected by ourselves, other people and the environment.
self-regulation – the ability to regulate our emotions.
self-motivation – the ability to use our emotions to achieve a goal.
empathy – the ability to empathise with our friend’s emotions and understand the effect we can have on them.
social skills – the ability to play with our friends, or to work together
We also work on the physical, social, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and spiritual aspects of children’s development, as can be seen in the above star.
Physical – The uneven terrain helps to develop the children’s balance and activities are planned which involve using fine and gross motor skills such as tool use and climbing. In our sessions, we have included activities such as walking along logs, climbing trees and working on our upper body strength by swinging on ropes.
Social – There is a great emphasis on working together with friends to achieve a goal. This can be seen in creating dens, scavenger hunts, and group games. In our sessions, we have included activities such as group scavenger hunts and more active group games.
Cognitive – Lots of thinking takes place when learning about the woods and when planning how to achieve a task. In our sessions, we ask the children questions when they are thinking of things they might want to do. When a child asked about a big damp log, I modelled wonder and curiosity and talked to them about how we could find out what was underneath it.
Linguistic – This is particularly important in EYFS where children are still learning language. Through describing things they have found or talking about things they are happening, they may come across language which they would not usually use indoors. We encourage this in our sessions by talking about the things we find and what properties they have such as big, small, smooth, prickly and rough.
Emotional – The children are learning how to identify and regulate their emotions. They gain a sense of achievement when completing tasks and also develop their resilience. In our sessions, we encourage children to try things out for themselves first and provide support if needed. We celebrate achievements such as if a child manages to get to the end of a log, with or without help.
Spiritual – The children are learning how to respect and look after the woodlands. They also enjoy moments of calm and relaxation. We encourage them to take a moment when we arrive to use their senses and see what they can see, hear and smell.
4) Forest School provides the opportunity for learners to take appropriate risks
Sessions provide the learners with the opportunity to take risks based on their own motivations and interests. Tools and fires may be used but only when it is deemed appropriate and beneficial for the learners to do so. Forest School leaders will complete risk-benefit analyses for all risk-based activities and have risk assessments in place.
5) Sessions are run by qualified practitioners who continuously maintain and develop their professional practice
All sessions are run by practitioners with Level 3 qualification (minimum) in Forest School. Practitioners consider themselves as learners too and are constantly reflecting on practice and developing their knowledge. Practitioners must also have paediatric and outdoor first aid qualifications. All sessions are backed by relevant working documents including relevant policies and procedures. There is always a high ratio of adults to children.
6) Sessions use a learner-based pedagogical approach and are responsive to the needs and interests of the learners
Sessions are predominantly play-based and are based on the interests of the children. They provide opportunities for all learning preferences and have been carefully planned by the Forest School leader. These plans are often changed depending on what the children are interested in.
An important part of my Forest School training has been to learn how to identify a range of fauna and flora, both on the site where I take our children, and when I’m out and about. Since my training I have been interested in identifying any plants and trees I come across and have enjoyed looking at the differences between them. The ability to identify flora and fauna is extremely important in a Forest School leader for a number of reasons.
Some plants are harmful to humans
As part of Forest School visits, we have to risk assess the environment to ensure that it is safe for our group. There are a number of plants and fungi which are dangerous to humans, whether it’s just from a sting or a worse case of poisoning. Although the children are told not to put anything in their mouths during our trips out, it is important to safeguard them by having an understanding of which plants we need to watch out for so we can reduce the likelihood of the children coming across them.
Here is the poisonous plants guide I have created for our sessions:
A knowledge of which woods are the most useful for different activities can make a Forest School session much easier! Making fires, in particular, requires different types of wood. The ability to identify the surrounding trees means that a Forest School Leader can more efficiently collect the right wood to make a great fire. It is also useful to know which woods are best to use for things like weaving and building.
Having a positive impact on our environment
In our sessions, we teach the children that we need to leave the woods exactly how we found it by collecting any unnatural resources like playdough, paper, and pens before we leave. Our Forest School sessions should also have a positive impact on our environment and we can help to conserve our woods if we know which plants and animals are considered endangered. In the woods, we visit there are a number of such animals and plants and it is very important for me, as a Forest School Leader, to be able to identify these species when we see them.
Educating our children
This is perhaps the most obvious reason of all! In our Forest School sessions, we are aiming to educate our children about the woods and if a child asks me what a certain plant is, I need to be able to tell them. By having a knowledge of the different flora and fauna in our environment, I can pass this knowledge onto my group. It is just as important to show children how they can find out what species are if they don’t know, I therefore show them how to use different guides and keys when we are unsure.
A Forest School Journey 