A Forest School Journey

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.

 

References

https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/

Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years by Sara Knight

During my Forest School practice I have made a variety of foods over the campfire.

For this meal, I placed a metal grid over my fire and fried some vegetarian sausages over the flames. I roasted the mushrooms and spinach in some foil. They were left on the embers to cook through and then unwrapped and added to the frying pan. Foil parcels are great ways to cook with children as long as they are aware of the dangers of the steam which comes out when you open the parcel.

We tried some baking over the fire with some simple damper bread with added raisins. The dough was wrapped around metal skewers and then we held the skewers over the flames to toast the dough all the way around.

On our assessment week, we also made damper bread but it was a gluten-free version as a few of our group were coeliac. We made a savoury damper bread, using wooden sticks instead of skewers. We selected the sticks the day before and used a knife to strip the outer bark off. This is a great activity to do with children to practice their knife skills. When they are holding the sticks over the fire they need to be wearing fire gloves to protect their hands from the flames. We also boiled a garlic dip to dip our bread in, using butter, garlic, and parsley. This was all cooked in a frying pan over the embers.

At one of our practice sessions, we made a Caribbean rice bowl. After establishing our fire, we put a metal grid over it and used a large pan to fry some spring onions and peppers. We added some spices, garlic, black beans, rice, and a squeeze of lime. We then left the lid on to let the food steam cook and stirred every so often until cooked through.

A sheath knife is used to whittle wood and cut rope.

Using a Sheath Knife

When using the sheath knife, children must be told to keep the blade away from you and on the outside of your body. It is important for the Forest School leader to supervise all tool use and ensure that children are sitting in the correct position when using a knife.

Safety

The knife should be put inside its sheath when not in use, pushing it in until you hear a click. When standing or walking with the knife, the blade should face down. To pass it to a friend, hold the sheath and give the handle to the other person. When placed on the floor, the handle should face forwards and the blade inwards. A glove should be worn on the helper hand.

This is a risk assessment for the use of Sheath Knives at our Forest School:

Sheath Knife Risk Assessment

Maintenance and Storage

The knife can be sharpened using a sharpening stone. It can be cleaned with a cloth and oil. The knife should be stored in its sheath in a waterproof container.

Tool talk 

This is my sheath knife

This is the handle

This is the sheath

I take the sheath off like this

This is the blade

This is the cutting edge

When I have finished I put it back in the sheath like this

I stand with the sheath knife like this

I walk with the sheath knife like this

I pass the sheath knife like this

When I use the sheath knife I use it two arms and a tool away from anyone else except my partner

I use the sheath knife for cutting string and whittling wood

I wear a glove on the helper hand

When I am not using the sheath knife I put it down with the handle facing out and the blade facing in

When I have finished using the sheath knife I put it in the designated place or the toolbox provided

 

A bowsaw is used to cut any wood that is thicker than a two pence piece. When teaching this to children it is important to emphasise that the tool is used for “wood” only as many things are thicker than a two pence piece!

Using a Bowsaw

A bowsaw is used by two children, both kneeling in the “respect position”. The first child holds the handle whilst the second child holds the other side. Until the saw has made an indentation into the wood, both users should put their hands through the handle and hold the wood. Once an indentation has been made and the saw is less likely to bounce, the users can hold the wood adjacent to the saw. It is important to communicate effectively with the other person holding the saw. As the saw is pulled backwards and forwards, the two children use an agreed-upon phrase such as “push” “pull”. Before the children use the saw, the leader should ensure that this conversation has taken place and a phrase has been agreed upon. The Forest School leader should supervise all tool use.

Safety

A glove should be worn on the helper hand but not on the hand using the tool. When standing or walking with the tool, the saw should be next to your leg with the blade facing down. When passing the tool you pass the handle to the other person, whilst keeping the blade facing downwards. When the tool is placed on the floor, the blade should be facing towards the body and the handle facing outwards. The sheath should always be on the blade when not in use.

Here is a risk assessment for the use of a Bowsaw at our Forest School:

Bow Saw Risk Assessment

Maintenance and Storage

The blades can be changed if one is damaged or dull. There are two types of blade available, one with a small serrated edge which is for seasoned wood and one with spaced serrated edges which is for green wood. To clean the blade, use a cloth and oil to remove any dirt. The bowsaw should be stored in a waterproof container to keep it clean and dry, with its blade cover on.

Tool talk 

This is a Bowsaw

This is the handle

This is the blade cover

I take the blade cover off like this

This is the blade

This is the cutting edge

When I have finished sawing I put the cover back on like this

I stand with the bowsaw like this

I walk with the bowsaw like this

I pass the bowsaw like this

When I use the bowsaw I use it two arms and a tool away from anyone else except my partner

I use the bowsaw to cut anything bigger than a 2 pence piece

I wear a glove on the helper hand

When I am not using the bowsaw I put it down with the handle facing out and the blade facing in

When I have finished using the bowsaw I put it in the designated place or the toolbox provided

 

Loppers are used to cut any wood that is thinner than a two pence piece. They are a good tool to begin with when introducing tools to children as they are relatively safe.

Using loppers

One hand holds the top handle and one hand holds the bottom. The loppers are used in a scissoring motion. They are used by one child but another child can hold the stick to help stabilise it.

Safety

When standing or walking with loppers, one hand holds the bottom arm and one hand holds the top. The blades face forwards. To pass the loppers you turn the handles and pass them to the other person. When the loppers are placed on the ground, the handles should be facing forwards and the blade should be facing you. No gloves are worn when using loppers. Loppers should be used two arms and a tool away from anyone else.

Maintenance and Storage

Loppers can be sharpened with the use of a round sharpening block. They should only be sharpened on the cutting edge side. They can be cleaned with a cloth and oil. They need to be stored in a waterproof container.

Tool talk 

These are my loppers

This is the handle

This is the blade

This is the cutting edge

I stand with my loppers like this

I walk with my loppers like this

I pass the loppers like this

I use the loppers two arms and a tool away from anyone else except my partner

I use the loppers to cut anything smaller than a two pence piece

I do not use gloves with this tool

When I am not using my loppers I put them on the ground with the handles facing forwards and the blade facing behind me

When I have finished using my loppers I place them in the designated place or the toolbox provided

A billhook is used for splitting or cleaving large pieces of wood.

Using a Billhook

A billhook is used by two children. The first child holds the billhook with one hand on the handle and two fingers pinching the end of the blade. The blade is then placed on the top of the wood that needs splitting. The second child uses a piece of wood or a mallet to hit the top of the bill hook and push the blade into the wood. Communication is important here. The first person tells the second how many hits to do and how hard to do them so that they can be prepared.

Safety

When standing or walking with the billhook, the blade should be facing down and the hook facing forward. To pass it to a friend you hold the top of the tool with the blade pointing down and pass the handle to the other person. When the billhook is placed on the floor, the hook and blade should be facing inwards and the handle pointing forwards.

Here is a risk assessment for the use of a Billhook at our Forest School:

Bill Hook Risk Assessment

Maintenance and Storage

The blade can be sharpened using a sharpening stone. It can be cleaned with a cloth and oil. The tool should be stored in its sheath in a waterproof container.

Tool talk 

This is my billhook

This is the handle

This is the cover

I take the cover off like this

This is the blade

This is the cutting edge

When I have finished with the billhook I put it back in the cover like this

I stand with the billhook like this

I walk with the billhook like this

I pass the billhook like this

When I use the billhook I use it two arms and a tool away from anyone else except my partner

I use the billhook for cleaving and splitting wood

I do not wear gloves when using this tool

When I am not using the billhook I put it down with the handle facing out and the blade facing in

When I have finished using the billhook I put it in the designated place or the toolbox provided