What is a Forest School?
It is an educational approach that:
Involves regular and repeated access to the same natural environment.
Promotes experiential, inquiry-based, play-based, and place-based learning.
Supports risk management where children learn to work through challenges, experience risk, and learn from mistakes and successes which helps to build self-confidence.
Involves teachers playing a facilitator and mentorship role - lead by example, support child interests, learn with the child, provide resources and materials to extend learning, and observe the child’s progress.
Involves individual and collaborative learning opportunities.
Allows for the learning experiences to change with the seasons, landscapes, presence of loose materials, who is in attendance, and the child’s interests, among other factors.
Benefits
Increased patience, self-discipline, focus, and self-confidence.
Improved problem solving skills and critical thinking skills.
Improved observational, social and, communication skills.
Reduced stress and anxiety, more groundedness
Improvements in cognitive, physical, and emotional well-being.