Forest School is a child-centred learning process, providing learner inspired, hands-on experiences in the natural environment. It's creative and can increase a child's confidence as they problem-solve and learn to manage risks. Forest School encourages children to explore the natural environment and learn in it.
How Forest School can boost your senses?
Forest schools help children build confidence, self-awareness, and social and teamwork skills. Over the course, children have time to connect with themselves and others, understand their inner needs and become owners of their own freedom.
Summer Term
This term F1 have thoroughly embraced their introduction to forest school. They are learning and following the forest school safety rules. By session 4, the children had become independent in choosing their own equipment to carry out things that they had already learnt. The children are beginning to respect the environment and protect the mini beasts they find, showing compassion and empathy replacing upturned large objects with care.
They have enjoyed mini beast hunts and games that help them to identify natural materials. They have threaded grass, daisies, dandelions and leaves to create a lion’s head using fine motor skills.
The children enjoyed bark rubbing, making paint brushes from sticks, leaves and grass, observing the patterns they made when using them to paint. F1 have enjoyed looking at the tadpoles from the pond and talking about the changes they have seen.
Summer Term
This term F2 have excelled with confidence, becoming curious explorers. Independently choosing their own learning from the opportunities given. Each session, F2 have been able recall our forest school safety rules which keeps them and others safe also; learning to respect and care for their environment.
The children have displayed a concise understanding of prior learning after foraging, upturning large objects and exploring their environment, whilst searching for natural materials and mini beasts. During their scavenger hunts, they have discussed their findings with adults and each other enhancing their understanding of the world, also their communication and language skills.
F2 have shown resilience in tying their first knots, making magic powered wands using wool and natural materials to decorate.
The children have shown they can work well within a team when playing team games within the sessions.
We have been looking at the life cycle of a frog and observing change. To extend this process we built a very small pond in foundation so the children can regularly look for changes as the tadpoles develop, under adult supervision.
The children worked hard to weed a large planter, developing gross motor skills to dig over the soil using hand spades and forks. The children have planted wildflowers and carrots and monitor the growth at each forest school session.
Spring term 2
Year 3 had to dig deep and show their resilience skills when using flint and steel to create a spark to light the cotton wool. We made keyrings by chopping wooden disc into different shapes using a knife and mallet then sanding them smooth.
Spring has been a great time in the garden we have been able to explore and investigate nature waking up and showing us all it natural beauty. We seen the buds appearing on our trees, daffodils shooting up and leaves cats tails growing on our Willow arch. We used Willow sticks to create heart wands and covered them with decorative wool to put in the borders of the garden for Mother's day.
Spring Term 1
We were very lucky this term to be able to take a few of our year 5&6 to Wild things in Bestwood country park. We have gained some great skills and learned lots about the area and woodlands. We had the pleasure of meeting Honey a local horse that uses the pony tracks. We gained confidence in using tools to chop wood, saw branches and knifes to whittle bark from sticks. We took part in team building games from Orienteering with maps and following arrows, den building and target practicing with bows and arrows.
Thank you Wild things for the great experiences.
Year 4 Spring term
Year 4 got creative with the objects that nature provided and using their knot skills were able to build a frame to display the artwork in.
We also our imagination to create team games for the whole class to take part in.
We finished the school year with our winter wonderland in Forest schools.
We enjoyed games, songs and our favourite S'Mores, marshmallows toasted over the open fire and placed in a biscuit and hot chocolate to warm us up.
This term year 1&2 have enjoyed exploring the Forest school gardens where we unearthed minibeasts and their homes.
We used our skills and hand tools to sharpen wooden sticks and our body parts to measure the correct size branches we needed.
The adventures continued when we discovered how we could use natures gifts to create games and to create scuptures with (our imaginations ran wild).
Year 4
Nature presents you with so much amazing science , you can't help but be fascinated. We explored and discovered the effects that the cold frost brings to the gardens the natural patterns and shapes it leaves behind on leaves, plants and water. It created curiosity and wonder for year 4.
Year 4 developed cognitive, creative & communication skills while working with rope and tarpaulin to create a den to fit the group inside. They used their long term memory to recall previous knots skills to help them support their structure.
We used our resilience skills to create a spark to light cotton wool using a flint and steel rod. Remaning in our respect position to keep us safe ,we used willow sticks to bake our toffee apples over the open fire which brought our Forest schools sessions to an end this half term.
In Forest schools we are incredibly lucky to have our own pond and this year was extra special. We have had lots of residence move in to our pond which has given our children the opportunity to be able to watch the growth and life cycle of a frog. This has amazed the children and made them become curious.
Key stage one enjoyed exploring the school environment as the seasons changed bringing new life into the gardens and different colours. We seen nature in different ways and used its nature materials to create games and art work.
During our Forest school sessions we have travelled back in time from the Stone age to the Vikings experiencing den building , making our own tools to hunt and defend our villages and cooking over the fire. This is a great way to bring the classroom learning alive and make connections.
https://youtu.be/EGzaXK0f2Ws
During Covid restriction we made our first video with Ignite for Notts Tv called Wollaton Watch. We were able to showcase our Forest School activities and the enthusiasm and curiosity it brings out in our pupils when they are in amongst nature. This was an exciting opportunity for our school and we would like to say a big thank you to Ignite for asking us to take part.
A new group and new adventures interacting with nature to help our children nurture their creativity, promote good mental health, inspire problem solving and build confidence.
Using the outdoors not only is it space to investigate, it is also an outdoor classroom to learn in . From lighting a fire safely, recognising the plants and trees around us and listening to natures noises.
We are using our senses to explore our space touch , smell and feel nature all round us. Gathering an abundance of things to sculpt, stick and make great art projects. As a team we will be using skills to build dens, create a bug hotel to encourage them to stay there. And finishing the sessions with a treat over the fire whilst reflecting and reviewing on our afternoon.
This term we will also be involved in making a video with Ignitefutures company about our Nature areas so very exciting watch this space. Wollaton watch coming soon !!
Our Outdoor Programme includes Forest Schools sessions, outdoor learning with a lead practioner for each class once a year and a commitment to at least 1 lesson outdoors each week per class. The program aims to provide highly positive, engaging and rich opportunities for all. We are committed to providing practical, real life and creative opportunities which broaden our pupil’s experience, providing them with skills for future and lifelong learning.