“The wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity for the human spirit.” Edward Abbey



We are excited to be able to offer a Forest School program at Davies Lane led by a Level 3 accredited Forest School Leader. 



Simply put, Forest School is based on the fundamental rights of the child: the right to play, the right to access the outdoors and natural world, the right to access risk, and the right to engage with a healthy range of emotions. The ethos recognises that all children are unique and therefore focuses primarily on the approach and process of each child’s learning, rather than what is produced. The priority is placed on the all-round, holistic development of the child as an individual.



Forest School learning is child-centric and child-led. The role of the session leader is to provide facilitation, support, guidance and encouragement, while the children are free to engage with the activities and resources provided as they choose. Freedom of choice is key: at all stages, children are given their own time and space to process their own tasks, thoughts and emotions in their own individual way. Outdoor (especially woodland) environments are key to this ethos and support this approach to learning.



By engaging with a Forest School program, children develop skills and traits that transfer across the wider curriculum. Sensory stimulation, physical exploration, practical skills, contemplation, philosophy, ecology, storytelling and agriculture are just some of the possible themes of Forest School sessions. We use a model called “SPICES” to nurture children’s development in six key areas:

 

• Social – activities might encourage children to co-operate with others and work in a team. They could carry out tasks that can not be easily achieved alone, such as putting up a shelter, or roleplay forming a new self-sustaining community in the forest. Through this, they learn to recognise their own skills and talents and what they can bring to a group.

• Physical – all Forest School sessions take place outdoors, and children have the opportunity to run, jump, climb, crawl and explore the space to its fullest. Gross and fine motor skills are also developed through the use of tools and ropes.

• Intellectual – children gain facts and knowledge about the world around them, including all relevant links to the Science, History and Geography curriculums and beyond. They could observe the life cycle of a butterfly right in front of them, use a compass to follow a map, or use plant fibres to make string just like primitive humans thousands of years ago.

• Communication – whether verbal or non-verbal, children are given opportunities to express themselves, share their ideas and experience different forms of communication. They might learn about storytelling as an oral tradition and practise it themselves, sing songs and rhymes around the campfire, or translate Viking runes.

• Emotional – we want all children to have a positive emotional experience at Forest School sessions and all our activities are planned with this intention. However, we understand that children are human and they get upset, frustrated, angry and nervous at times. Forest School is a safe space for children to experience and process their full range of emotions with guidance and support from the session leader.

• Spiritual – nurturing children’s sense of awe, wonder and respect for the incredible natural world and recognising that they themselves are part of it and can be a force for good. We aim to have children experience what we call “Wow Moments”: seeing a flock of birds in flight, growing and eating their own fruit and vegetables, or meditating in the middle of a patch of wildflowers.

 

These sessions not only support and guide children to develop discrete skills relevant to the National Curriculum, but also nurture the child’s personal growth. Through Forest School, we want all children to build their confidence, emotional maturity, teamwork and problem-solving skills. Perhaps most importantly, we also want to instil a shared ethos of sustainability, respect and responsibility for the incredible world that we all share and encourage children to think about the future and their place in it.