Nature Is One Of The Best Teachers
Getting hands-on and learning in the natural environment is growing in popularity in both schools and nurseries and that is why here at First Steps we have decided to adopt the Forest Schools Approach. It roots go back to outdoor learning pioneers in the UK in the early 1900s and to Scandinavia, where play in natural surroundings has been seen as important since the 1950s. Forest School is a prime example where children have the opportunity to learn through play, though the understanding and adherence to certain social and physical boundaries and rules, to understand the bigger picture, to know that on a holistic and emotional level, how the world works.
Despite the name, Forest School can be held anywhere from grassy parks to woodland and beaches. It involves regular visits where the children can ideally attend sessions all year round, so they can experience all seasons. Sessions are held regardless of the weather as long as it is deemed safe. Just think of the fun and learning potential of making rain shelters, ‘writing’ in mud or experimenting with things blowing in the wind. Through regular sessions children can experience risk and challenge and develop skills that are hard to teach inside the four walls of a classroom.
To you it may look like your child is simply having fun outdoors, but the First Steps team are planning, observing and adapting sessions to react to children’s interests and the ever-changing natural environment, while also building on their knowledge, skills and confidence. The Forest School sessions are child-directed, so the range of activities that can take place are huge, but they all take advantage of natural resources and reinforce children learning to respect and care for the natural environment. These can include: sensory walk, climbing trees, playing in puddles or streams, den building, team building games and many more. In just our first week of First Steps Forest Schools each set of children made the experience their very own with one group focusing on dinosaurs and another taking full advantage of the outdoor space by climbing trees and find every pebble to throw and skim into the stream. Children are given the space to explore but, don’t worry, there are high ratios of adults to children, and early sessions establish rules which continue to be reinforced.
During our first week of Forest Schools the children spent time at Upton Country Park which is filled with all of the elements needed for a successful Forest Schools experience. The children flourished in this new environment for the first time, and were able to tell the staff all about past experiences and show off not only their physical skills, but their critical thinking and understanding of the world too. Don’t worry if you haven’t had a turn yet, more invites will be going out each week with lots more exciting locations to explore!
Why not take a look at our guide to outdoor play for some tips on how to support your child in the outdoor environment….
