Forest school programmes offer a broad spectrum of experiences and unique learning opportunities without rigid expectations or predetermined outcomes.
Freedom of choice, self-direction, and intrinsic motivation are the cornerstones of its play-based, holistic engagements with the natural world. I find them unmatched by any other educational model. There is no other subject or area of the curriculum that follows many separate, ever-evolving learning objectives. There is no other “classroom” like this, with no literal or proverbial ceiling.
The Forest School ethos is rooted in experiential learning, autonomy, and environmental stewardship, drawing on a rich heritage of educational theory and practice. One can observe influences of Jean Piaget’s Constructivism, Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory, Nicholson’s Theory of Loose Parts, Gibson’s Affordances, and the elements of Place-Based or Reggio Emilia Education.
No two sessions are the same as there are too many variables: learners’ needs and interests, the weather, seasonal abundance or scarcity, the knowledge and experience of the leaders, the site, and its diversity of habitats. Yet, they are equally valuable, and they all have that magical power and potential to sustain lifelong learning and plant the seeds of belonging, empathy, integrity, resilience, creativity, wonder, and curiosity.
Without pressure, in their own time, every person finds something to get involved in, to experience the flow stage when the time disappears- to be at one with nature and belong.
Belonging
Through repeated interactions with the natural world, the participants develop a sense of belonging and environmental stewardship. They become invested in caring for the species they share the space with. The learners realise that they are part of the natural world in the same way as a robin or a willow tree is.
With time, they become aware that nurturing and caring for the environment is an act of self-care, that we are all connected, and that there is always a purpose for every species. This familiarity and continuity can contribute to a heightened sense of belonging, as children feel a deep connection to the specific forest or outdoor space where their Forest School experiences take place.
Empathy
Multisensory experiences help the students become aware of their feelings and attuned to their emotions. Once they recognise their own feelings and emotions, they can show understanding towards others. The students acknowledge that sometimes it is ok to feel angry or annoyed and that emotions are not permanent. They become less judgemental and more inclusive, realising that everyone is different and has a different skill set.
The students become aware of the scale and various habitats. I will never forget when a child watched a ladybird walking on a yarrow leaf: “Wow, that leaf is like a whole tree for this small ladybird!”. This awareness” also opens up an area for ethical decision-making and conflict resolution. If we pick the flowers now, no seeds will be available for the next year, and the wildlife will have less food available in the winter. If we remove the stinging nettles, the painted lady or red admiral butterflies will have no host plant to lay their eggs. You might not enjoy walking into nettles without wearing a pair of long trousers, but sometimes it is not about us. There is a bigger picture.
“Sharing and no usurping” is the ethos we follow in Forest School. May it be a long bow, a staff, a hammock, a den, or a peeler, being involved in collaborative activities and roleplay helps the students develop a mindset and skillset for empathetic problem-solving through turn-taking, conversation, and compromise.
Integrity
Being aware of the bigger picture and the consequences of personal choices has a positive impact on sustainable practices. Noticing how bad personal choices can negatively impact the world other species live in is an eye-opening moment for many students.
What happens to the soil in the forest school area when over 15 million steps are taken every year? Would any plants remain in the forest if everybody could drag a branch through it? On a few occasions, when everyone wants to use willow for their craft, the tragedy of the commons springs to my mind, and it is a perfect opportunity for a discussion: is it ethical to use all of the materials and leave nothing for others and the wildlife? Have we planted enough? What could the alternative be? Their moral compass gets stronger and stronger, and at the same time, they become more and more creative.
Resilience
A vital ingredient in the recipe for building learners’ resilience is to allow for exposure to the elements, getting wet and drying off later in the classroom, getting cold and warming up by the fire or with a cup of warm infusion, falling and getting back up on their feet, dismantling shelters and building them up again. As Forest School Leaders, we help the learners to recognise the hazards, discuss the potential risks, and agree on how to safely manage them. Of course, there are instances of a scratch that needs a band-aid or a sting that might be painful. But they get through it and rarely give up! They ask themselves the following: what can go wrong? How do I keep myself and others safe? What if that does not work?
Creativity
I would love to share an observation by one of the children’s Educational and Child Psychologists, Katherine Fourtier:
“21st-century children are heavily programmed from morning to night. Not just school, organised sports, and music lessons, but even their videogames and online entertainments provide all the structure and content. Even so-called constructive play like Lego uses fixed predictable forms. The freer the forest school experience is, the more they will naturally rely on their inventiveness to interact with the space, the nature within it, and each other. Inventiveness builds confidence in their own processes.”
I could not agree more with these words. The more the children play with natural resources, the more they forget about the world of affordances. A stick is not just a stick anymore.
They can think outside of the box and be intellectually playful. This brings me to a story of “Banksy”- an ever-morphing banksia seedpod. It had “a passport” made especially to join the Year 6 students on their residential trip to the Ardennes a few years ago! It had D&D stories read to and was well taken care of. Hopefully “Banksy” will enjoy many more adventures after the school holidays. The freedom to create, play, and engineer is invaluable. Without it, a catamaran for the blue tits or tulip petal sushi would have never existed! Freedom is crucial in sustaining students’ motivation and fuels their efforts.
Wonder
“Wow! Look at that rock! “Isn’t that moth beautiful? “Feel how soft this is!”
“Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Those are the exclamations Forest School Leaders hear daily. Non-judgemental appreciation and awe have healing powers as they allow us to forget about all of our daily frustrations and take time to simply admire, observe, and reflect. The focus of those unstructured moments does not lie on the completion of a task but in enjoying the process filled with fascination and wonder. We are all amazed when we learn that a swift bird (Apus Apus) can fly for ten months straight without landing or that some seeds can sprout after thousands of years of dormancy. However, sometimes, it is not about learning facts. The sole moment of stopping to appreciate beauty or discovery boosts mental wellness. Stopping and lingering a little longer to really examine and notice what is fascinating (the gills of a mushroom, the symmetry of a bud, the method of movement of an earthworm). The emotions of awe and appreciation take us out of ourselves and our own preoccupations and can be enormously helpful in contrast with any experiences of disappointment, stress, or frustration in daily life and learning.
Curiosity
This brings me to my last “seed”. Maybe the most important? The one perennial in the garden of lifelong learning. Children are inherently curious. We all hear them say: Why? Yes, but Why? That inquisitiveness must be cultivated and nurtured as there is so much to learn about, explore, and discover.
So many lessons can be taken from the natural world as it has had nearly 4 billion years of “trial and error”. By spending extended periods in nature, children observe various stages of life cycles, patterns, and interdependencies within the natural environment. They observe the adaptations and protection mechanisms that plants and animals develop. The shock absorption properties of a teasel seedhead or the structural colour of a feather. This exposure can spark their curiosity about the living and non-living elements of the world around them.
- What does it do?
- What can it be used for?
- How did it evolve?
- Why does it do that?
- How much water can we save if we mimic a nasturtium leaf?
- Can it be mimicked?
- Imagine a bus, a plane, or a train that does not need to be washed!
- A nature-based potential for problem-solving.
Forest School offers a wide spectrum of experiences to stimulate children’s curiosity and a desire to learn more. The students want to learn about biomimicry, ethnobotany, dendrochronology, mycology, physics, etc, and they do, but not from behind the desk. It is the hands-on, holistic, and interdisciplinary learning that they are interested in.
Forest School at the BSN
The BSN’s journey with Forest School began nearly ten years ago, in the autumn of 2015. The first Forest School training was offered to the teaching staff at all Junior Schools, who could choose their qualifications: Level 2 (Forest School Assistant) and Level 3 (Forest School Leader). After a year of training, submitting a portfolio and passing the practical external examination, the first programmes were rolled out and continue to enrich the Junior Schools’ curriculum to this day.
Marta Nowak
Marta Nowak is a qualified Forest School Leader, based at JSV. Marta joined the BSN in January 2009. She holds a BA in Cognitive Linguistics and level 3 Forest School Qualifications. She has a lifelong passion for ethnobotany, biomimicry, and nature-based, holistic education.
