AIBU to hate Forest School?

[thetreelooksnice]

That's it. My kids hate it. They get cold and muddy. It was OK when they were younger but now they want to stay in the warm to study!

Swinging on a rope swing? For goodness sake that's Cubs or playing at home. Meanwhile our children are struggling with handwriting. And the school tell me they don't have time to practise that.
I have no problem with it as a fun activity. But you only have five hours a day, at school and I'm not sure it's a very effective way of imparting lots of knowledge / skills.

My child's ability to get a job will rest more on his writing than his ability to make a den.

head it sounds like you’re a fab parent and give your dc opportunities and experiences.
The forest school was partly created due to many children not being given the opportunity to go outdoors much, work together and build soft skills such as communication, teamwork, empathy etc.... Yes a lot of this can be brought in to the classroom but a change in environment can really help any age.

Hera, How is roasting marshmallows and racing snails contributing to society ? It’s just playing outside?!

Kids don't do a lot of outside play nowadays, or risk-laden play. I can see the soft skills argument.

Trying to say this nicely, Head, my trump card is DS got excluded once because of a writing problem... don't you practice writing at home? We have done!!

Exactly! That's my point! I'm busy trying to practice writing at home - effectively being the schoolteacher but cutting down on play at home as they are busy dong that at school. It's upside down!

I think parents who don't bother to get their children playing outdoors are even less likely to be teaching them handwriting At home.

If you agree that team work and outdoor risk taking are good things (I accept many people on this thread disagree), then those can be harder to achieve at home, though, if you don't have a pack of handy kids for the team work or your working in daylight hours. So there is merit in school doing those things, potentially, while quiet handwriting can be done after dark in the evening. Little & often.

Our forest school does not involve risk taking (sigh).

No they aren't hard to achieve at home. Yes we have lots of children nearby to play out and siblings to learn teamwork fight with. And the light isn't a problem. Even Cubs do night hikes. Mine are used to going out in the dark.

But some children grow up in homes without tables - how on earth do they practise their handwriting on their knees?

@furchesterhotel

So if it's not about survival, it's middle class?

So working class kids never go camping or build dens or tree houses?

You what?

My child's ability to get a job will rest more on his writing than his ability to make a den.

I’ve hired dozens of people over the years. I’ve no idea what their handwriting is like.

If you can't do your maths it might be fun to make mud pies

Or for the the teacher to look for other, potentially more engaging or understandable, ways of teaching the maths.

When I was in secondary a theme park had a physics teaching programme. Scoffed at by parents as pointless, but I still remember it as the day I finally got some fairy fundamental principles of physics.

And I was, objectively, a high achiever.

It’s good for the pre schoolers. They seem to do it in most state schools, in some form or other, as far as I’m aware. It’s not a middle class activity at all, in my opinion.

Most state schools!? None around here do. Purely preserve of the private schools with land and time in the curriculum.

Or there are some outdoor nurseries but not once they're school age :(

stuffstuffeverywhere Yep that's exactly what you have decided I said lol!

Well that’s a shame Cappuccino. The state schools involved don’t have any real land (aside for one which has a couple of playing fields). It is done at the local parks, in the playgrounds (nature area if they have one) or nearby public accessible land. That sort of thing.

That's brilliant! I wish ours did. Ours seem more concerned with squeezing every ounce of maths and English out of the kids. They hardly have time for fun stuff as it is never mind going out on adventures.

I'm really impressed it's become normal in your area, especially if it involves taking them offsite. That's pretty cool of the schools.

One way Foest School can be used - and has been used successfully IME - is to promote engagement with and enjoyment of school. Of course, on MN it it absolutely the norm for both parents and children to be engaged with the schooling process, but most schools with have some children / families who are disengaged, and in some schools this will be a a large and influential proportion of the pupil body.

A well-run, properly challenging Forest school programme - particularly in KS1 / early KS2 - can engage and motivate some hard-to-reach children by providing them with an opportunity to learn, and more importantly succeed, in an environment that they enjoy. In turn, this improves their engagement with the parts of school - sitting still, writing neatly, listening quietly - that they find very difficult.

A traditional approach to such children is often punitive - sit still or....., write neatly or you'll have to spend much more time in extra skills sessions for it, finish x or you will stay in at break.... - but a Forest school-based approach can be much more of a carrot, and a way in which their natural energy and practical nous can be channelled productively.

I suppose the point I am making is that while you may cry 'But they should be spending that time doing handwriting!', for some children that handwriting is NEVER going to happen unless you get the engagement with the schooling process first.

Get a positive attitude to school, and the handwriting can follow.

If the 'engaged' children don't get anything directly out of Forest School, the indirect benefit of having engaged fellow-pupils is almost certainly worth the time investment.

That said, I do think it is mainly a KS1 / early KS2 thing, though a good FS facility can be used to teach Science, Art, setting work in English etc intermittently in higher years.

Yes, children CAN do the same at Cubs / Woodcraft Folk etc. However, the families for whom FS has the greatest benefit are almost certainly not those who get their children onto the waiting list fr Cubs at 4, who will buy the uniform and sew on the badges, who will get them to meetings every week...

Yes, children CAN do the same at Cubs / Woodcraft Folk etc. However, the families for whom FS has the greatest benefit are almost certainly not those who get their children onto the waiting list fr Cubs at 4, who will buy the uniform and sew on the badges, who will get them to meetings every week.
You may have a point there.

It's 2 hours once a week. If you can afford thermal layers, then layer up on normal clothing.
Its beneficial for all children to get out in all weather's, we do as adults. It's not as if we don't go to work if it rains.
They learn all sorts of essential life skills, like working with others to problem solve, team building, art and design essential people skills.
Its good to challenge them and push boundaries slightly.

Also, it isn't compulsory, you can if you want to ask for your child to remain behind.
Although they are likely to complain of being bored.

Get them out there! It's fun learning. Encourage it and give them waterproofs.

I would say that the OP's children are probably in the group least likely to benefit from Forest School.

• They are upper KS2 / KS3
• They are much more likely to be from a demographic likely to access Cubs / Scouts etc
• They are in a private school, where children and parents disengaged from education are rare.
• They live in a rural area.

So IN THE OP'S CASE her point is not unreasonable. However it does not follow that ALL FS, if well run, is not worthwhile.

I've never heard anyone complain about forest school including children.

My children love forest school!
Some children now a days are always looking to adults for something to do. Hence getting bored.

Forest school enables children to become imaginative thinkers, gives them independence, promotes language and discovery amongst other great benefits like resilience.

My kids don't get to go to forest school as often as they would like due to restrictions in school and the sheer amount of kids the school has to cater for.
However. I'm glad that I found forest school as its given my children experiences and freedom they would never have had. Experiences I had as a care free child.

Twiggyy "However. I'm glad that I found forest school as its given my children experiences and freedom they would never have had. Experiences I had as a care free child."

Do you mean you went to Forest School as a child? if not, then who gave you those experiences? Your parents? Just playing out with friends? If so, why are you relying on school to give your children those experiences?!

Thetreelooksnice
My experiences came from the freedom of just playing out with friends. Society frowns upon children playing outside now and my children often complain there is no one to play out with.
I am a forest school leader. I don't rely on schools to provide my children with outdoor actives and free play. As a family we spend lots of time outdoors together and there's never usually any structure to it.
However my children would love to access the programme weekly. Lighting fires and bushcraft. My children are also in the guides and scouts and imo these experiences have made them well rounded kids.

My child's ability to get a job will rest more on his writing than his ability to make a den

Making a den will build confidence, develop problem solving skills etc etc.

I’d much rather someone who had done forest School or Cubs etc than someone who has been sat writing lines etc.

My dcs come alive when they’re outside. I wish our school did forest school.