This area of the website celebrates the rich and varied experiences the children have in our school linked specifically to our Forest School and Outdoor learning. Our school ethos values outdoor learning, we see each and everyday the positive affects that outdoor learning has on both our children and adults!
Our Forest School ethos ensures that all children access a Forest School session a day a week throughout the whole school year. We end the year with a week long celebration that involves the children being out in the woodland for a whole week, we involve family members on this celebration.
Mrs Cornes and Mrs Bowyer are both Level 3 Forest School Leaders and ensure that the children extend, develop and thrive throughout the whole school year in the woodland, planning for a progression of skills from simply being confident in the woodland to using tools and enjoying cooking around the fire.
- Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children
opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. - Learning outside the classroom gives children contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are
unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. - Playing and learning outside also helps children to understand and respect nature, the environment and the interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and lifecycles.
- Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness.
- Children need an outdoor environment that can provide them with space, both upwards and outwards, and places to explore, experiment, discover, be active and healthy, and to develop their physical capabilities.
- The outdoor environment offers space and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. Very young children learn predominately through their sensory and physical experiences which supports brain development and the creation of neural networks.
- For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.
- Learning that flows seamlessly between indoors and outdoors makes the most efficient use of resources and builds on interests and enthusiasms.
Just like we plan for our Nursery curriculum, we observe and follow closely the interest of the children from week to week. We really value our Forest School offer and if you would like any further information about how this would work for your child in our Nursery please do not hesitate to get in touch.
The link below shows a fantastic video introduction to Forest School if you would like more information or to really understand what Forest School is I would highly recommended watching it…
