Forest School is a fantastic opportunity for children to experience learning different skills in the outdoor environment. Forest School learning is an inspirational process that encourages learners to develop confidence and self-esteem, through hands on learning outdoors, whilst learning new skills.

During the sessions, children use a variety of small hand tools to make some items out of wood, play a mixture of nature games, encouraging team building skills, learn how to identify plants and trees and will get a chance to build a raft and a den and cook on a fire.  

Examples of activities:

• Group and team building games • Nature games and activities • Sensory awareness games and activities • Flora and fauna identification • Fire building • Fire lighting • Cooking on a fire • Shelter building • Making items with hand tools • Whittling • Use of rope bridges and swings • Exploration of the area • Forest art and crafts • Nature music • Willow weaving • Exploring habitats • Woodland sewing • Mud sculpture

 Key skills:

-Communication

-Team Work

-Independence

-Problem Solving

-Agility and Balance

-Survival skills

-Knowledge about nature

-Tool skills

-Creativity

Children will:

-grow in confidence

-develop team work and problem solving skills

-learn to communicate effectively with each other

-learn new physical skills

-learn how to stay safe outdoors

-develop an interest in the great outdoors and show respect for the environment 

David Attenborough once said, 'No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced. Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it. The natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living'.