Forest schools?

[mam29]

keep reading and hearing about forest schools recently
discovered few near me but still confused exactly what they are

do kids attend these schools every day or set day a week?
is it just for holiday clubs, preschool groups, school trips or rainbow trips ect?

whats the benefits?
whats the cost as im sure one said 200 for whole day!

was looking at holiday clubs and found something called woodland rangers sounds similar to forest schools but cheaper.

saw one that does writing in forest course sounds fab.

anyones child attend one or been to one?

could i do similar stuff at home? or as a family
?

Our school is a Forest School. It is actually a normal infant school but subscribes the Forest School ethos. I think one of the teachers has to be a trained Forest School teacher and the accreditation goes with the teacher and not the school IYSWIM.

Basically he children have a dedicated outdoor woodland area and they go outside for lessons -working in the outdoors/building dens/looking at wildlife/working as a team/solving problems. Not all day every day but all the classes have sessions each week pretty much regardless of the weather.

No extra cost just part of the school curriculum.

Hi Mam29, this may be a little late as a reply but here goes:

I run a forest school that would be classed as an 'outside provider' ie. schools come to me rather than use their own grounds and staff. The cost that you found for £200 a day would be the cost for a whole school group per session, not just for one child. Each forest school will have its own programme of events and also probably specialise in a certain age group. It's worth talking to local providers who interest you and go from there.

The key thing about any Forest School is that it subscribes to a certain 'ethos' mainly being: sessions are outside in a natural environment (think 'wild' not 'manicured'); the focus is on child-led learning so plans frequently go out the window (I've had some grand plans that have been shelved in favour of digging in mud!); there is a high ratio of adults to children (so you can use tools and give children plenty of freedom without compromising safety and also have the time to listen and chat effectively); the forest school leader should have a Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification (safety, ethos, techniques etc); all activities that we do are designed to boost self-esteem and confidence as well as interpersonal skills (think firelighting in teams so that they learn to communicate and share as well as achieve something quite difficult); sessions are regular to allow development of skills and relationships (otherwise it can just be a jolly in the mud!). Of course, the kids don't know all that, they just have a whale of a time! Sessions take place in all kinds of weather (except high winds) so good clothing is a must!

As well as the benefits of being outdoors, moving lots, connecting with wildlife, they can also include an improved sense of well-being, improved interpersonal skills, improved confidence and also improved behaviour. However, this all depends on the forest school provider - they are not all created equal! As I said, give your local forest schools a call and have a chat, find out what they do and then decide if you like the idea of it or not. There are a lot of very skilled people out there and all the ones that I have met are really lovely people who are happy to talk. We all do things slightly differently so it's best to find the one that suits you and your children.

I hope that helps!

Jackie