Contact with nature is critical for our physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. It has positive effects on our ability to concentrate, to learn, to solve problems, to relax and to be creative. Forest School has been created to get children outdoors which is not only a great way to connect with nature and the environment, but it is an amazing teacher too! It is glorious to see children playing outside and exploring.
Forest School is the perfect place for exploration, imagination, physical play and it is a great confidence builder encouraging resourcefulness and a love for nature and the world around us.
The immediate and long-term benefits of Forest School for children are undeniable. It’s an exciting time in Early Childhood Education. Our Bears in the Preschool Room will be active participants in Forest School.
“What`s important is that children have an opportunity to bond with the natural world, to learn to love it and feel comfortable in it, before being asked to heal its wounds.”
– David Sobel Place-Based Education
The Forest School ‘Camp’ location is only down the road and our Forest School Group will walk there. Our Forest School Learning will start in our Sunshine playground until we can be confident that the children have developed skills and procedures which will keep them safe in the Forest School setting.
The research around Forest School programs shows many benefits.
Some of these are…
- Increased confidence, motivation and concentration, increased social, physical and language skills, deeper conceptual understandings and respect for the natural environment
- Increased social and imaginative play
- Understandings of and relationships with the children are deepened, while families and wider community attitudes towards natural places for play and children’s risk management can be enhanced
Some possibilities for experiences at Forest School include:
- exploring the environment
- playing games
- developing bush skills of knot making
- whittling
- cubby building
- story telling
- climbing trees
- learning about the birds
- bugs and plants we encounter
- engaging in replanting native flora
- mining and creating with clay
- creating stick people and much more
These encounters will develop independence, resilience, patience, team building, cognitive and emotional skills as well as foster curiosity, creativity and sustainable living practises.
