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!

OP how many hours is this?

I honestly didn't know these existed for that age. I wouldn't have been able to cope with it all.

why are they there if they hate it? Confused.

also this crap about clothing - no. I still go running when it's cold but I really struggle when it's cold generally.

I can be outside all day if it's 20c or more, sure.

Hanging around outside for most of the day sounds appalling for the majority of the year. Plus having heavy periods at school was bad enough but with a whole day outdoors...?

I'm starting to think I've misunderstood something.

It is a shame that decent weather clothing is so expensive in the UK really - it's much cheaper here in Germany and I have definitely noticed a difference.

I don't know what the UK Lidl and Aldi ranges are like but it might be worth keeping an eye on their leaflets for the middle aisle as they are often a good source of this kind of clothing cheaply here.

I would have hated it as a child too, but it's only as an adult I've learned how better to dress for cold weather.

My son loves it. He has to take his wellies and an extra pair of socks but School provide the rest and he never comes home wet or muddy ( although I wouldn’t much care if he did)
We are quite outdoorsy anyway so the dc have lit camp fires and stuff before but DS did it in Year 1 and is doing it again in Year 4 and it’s the highlight of his week. He whittled sticks this week

I would have hated it as a child.

But, as an education professional who has worked in a Forest School provision, and as a parent, I love it. There needs to be more exploration and unstructured learning, and yes, even at secondary age. And the outdoors is wonderful!

It's unfortunate your DSs are feeling the cold. If there's nothing you can do to help in terms of layers and waterproofs, can you ask the school if they are able to help out? Especially if it's compulsory for them to be there. In primary, we always had a box of waterproofs (children weren't expected to provide these) and spare jumpers etc.

It’s one afternoon per week in theory but it depends on projects and exams. It’s not all den building and nature studies, half the time it’s just having a lesson outside because the school has the space. It’s a “feature” that sounds good but is a pita if you are trying to actually get some work done.

I love forest school and think all schools should do it. My dd goes to a sn school that has forest school on site, she’s 12 and she loves it. It’s great for getting kids outside and away from computers.

Dd’s primary has a small bit of woodland where they do outdoor stuff for 2-3 hours a week, covering numeracy, art, team building and so on. School provides good waterproof dungarees, with wellies and coats etc from home. They all love it and I think it’s great too.

❤️ Forest Schools.

I wish I lived in one! Both DC attend one and I teach outdoor ed at a Scottish Primary School.

It's all about the clothes. At this time of year you need woollen base and mid layers. Insulated boots.

And, a fire!

also, layers of clothing irritate me hugely as an adult, in this cold weather I wear a massive duvet style coat for commuting and then just take it off on the Tube. It's not stylish but it's a lot easier than taking off layers on the Tube or in the office.

as a child I would have found them even more annoying I think!

Our school has a patch of enclosed forest given to them in a will. The kids have been in charge of designing pathways and seating areas, clearing overgrowth, building a bug hotel, planting a little veg plot and putting little things like fairy doors on the trees. It's a few minutes walk from school and most days one of the classes goes down there to work/learn. Nothing cuter than seeing a bunch of 5 year olds sitting in a circle on tree stumps having a lesson. They love it!

Our school (I'm a teacher) did forest school training in our rubbish local park. I hated it and got covered in dog poo TWICE!

They need thermal base layers, then trackie bottoms, warm jumper and fleece, and then waterproof trousers and jacket, also wellies, decent gloves and a hat

Not for the poor, then.

Oj how about - tights under trackies, 2x warm jumpers, gloves and hat - you should have all of those available for your child anyway as part of normal clothing provision.

Coat. Yes, most children do have a coat in this country.

Wellies and waterproof trousers - can be obtained cheaply, probably £20 spend for both and you can hand them down.

Forest school and similar programmes are based on solid pedagogical principles and in the main they are a hugely positive feature of education. They didn't evolve in a vacuum either, they are an answer to the increasing problem of urban lifestyles that keep children indoors, doing sedentary activities or being shuttled to organised indoor activities by car. The benefits are enormous for most children in so many ways and I feel quite passionate about it (but then I teach bushcraft and knifework to children, so you would probably hate me anyway!)

In the nicest possible way, OP, your children are nesh . Wrap them up warm and tell them to get on with it and try to approach new experiences with a positive attitude. We live in a varied climate, and there is mud. This should not be news.

Getting to make fires outside, team work, co-operation, being able to show your own skill set, learn about nature, resilience..

What's not to like.

I thought Forest School was for Kindergarten/Primary age, not 11 & 13?

I know I would have hated it at this age, so YANBU! It is not for everybody.

Jeez I can barely get ds to wear a coat, let alone the full arctic gear mentioned here. Thank god we have missed out on this.

user I was surprised at the age of the OPs children too. My 13 year old would hate it with a passion and most likely refuse to go. He's more than happy at his concrete jungle senior school

Forest schools are massive round here - lots of deep woodland to explore. I think there are enormous benefits to it, but I do get that some kids will not enjoy everything about it!

The outdoors this time of year in the UK is all very well if you’re constantly keeping moving briskly on a walk etc.

So many forest school activiies seem to rely on staying in a small area exploring things and being creative . Fantastic in warm weather but it is a bugger for most people to keep warm for a long time in freezing temps, when they are doing minimal brisk walking. It doesn’t matter if you have the right gear. Movement is key to keeping warm.

MUst be pretty miserable for those kids feeling under the weather, or tired or older girls on periods too.

Or how about the school provide the stuff? You have no understanding of UK life on the breadline if you think £20 per child is easy to obtain (I can do it, but I’m bothered about all children not just my own). Have you seen the amount of payday loan ads on British telly?

Whaaaat? They don't need Arctic gear costing thousands of pounds, they need a jumper, a coat and a decent pair of boots. And a grip.

We've been on the breadline, all clothes second hand, no "spare" money etc. Our kids still played outside