Forest School

1. Home
2. Curriculum
3. Outdoor Learning
4. Forest School

What is a Forest School?

The concept of the Forest school philosophy was first introduced into Britain in the 1990s from Scandinavia.

A Forest School is a practice that uses a special child-centred approach to learning in an outdoor /woodland environment.

Children attend sessions regularly over a period of time.

Sessions are carefully planned to promote good self-esteem, confidence, social skills, physical development and self-awareness. This results in independent and creative learners.

The natural environment and resources are used to inspire and motivate pupils leading to positive learning experiences.

Activities include shelter building, learning to tie knots, identifying trees and creating habitats for insects. Children will also take an active part in the maintaining and development of the Forest School area.

Look what we have done so far:

We had fun being "Explorers"

This was the week we explored the woods and went on a scavenger hunt!

We found natural materials that were round,spherical and cylindrical. We also found different shades of green and different coloured sticks!

Different seasons = new opportunities

Andy Goldsworthy is an artist that creates amazing art using natural materials...

Class 1 had a go at making pictures out of leaves, twigs and grass...

Why not have a go yourself at home?

Remember to wash your hands after you have finished!

Class 1 have been creative with chalk...

We drew pictures outside...

Miss Yeoman has a friend who has a horse and we drew a picture of him. His name is "Harrison" it was linked to the learning in the classroom.

I was in my garden when I noticed all the different shadows on the ground. I had an idea that you could make different shadow puppets. You could use paper, sticks or straws! Here is one made of pipe cleaners.

You could then perform a play or recreate a story with the shadow characters you have made.

Our gardens are full of life with lots of different creatures... You could have a go at making a Bug Hotel to encourage Mini-Beasts to come and stay... Take a look at some of the ideas on the side bar at the top of the page.

Have you noticed that the birds are busy making their nests and looking for food. You can help them by making a bird feeder for your garden... Click on Miss Potter's Bird Feeder challenge. You will find this on the side bar.

VE Day

What is VE Day?

VE Day is a day to celebrate Victory in Europe. This is when the Second World War ended in Europe in 1945.

It has been 75 years since this happened.

Why not make a special piece of art to commemorate this occasion?

Here is what I did…

I painted a pebble I found in my garden.

I used Felt tips and a bit of glitter.

Get creative and have fun!

"Knots" to learn

I hope you are all enjoying the wonderful outdoors and the lovely sunshine. Nature is bursting into life. Plants, flowers and trees are growing. The birds are singing and making nests. It is a great time to get out and explore your garden.

Why not give my knot and lashing challenges a go? Just click on the side bar at the top of the page. Get some rope or string... Get outside... and get tying those knots!

Outdoor Learning at Firbeck

Class 1 had a theme of "The enchanted Forest"

They have used natural materials to create masks, forest creatures and art work.

Class 2 has been learning about the weather... we had some very windy days!

We flew kites, made "Helicopter" seeds and learnt how the weather affects the growth of plants.

Spring 2: Classes 3 and 4 have had a couple of outdoor experiences so far...

The children in class 3 are now experts on how seeds are dispersed. They sorted pictures of different seeds into different groups.

Is this seed dispersed by animal, explosive, wind or water dispersal?

Class 4 has been thinking about settlements. We made our own settlements for a family of ants.

We also learnt how to make a tripod structure by lashing sticks and poles together.

Why is this structure called a tripod?

Why not have a go yourself?

Click on Miss Potter's Outdoor Challenge on the side bar at the top of the page to download "How to make a tripod"