Woodland Learning

Forest School and Woodland Education

Woodland Learning forest school

Forest School is an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults, regular opportunities to achieve, and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a local woodland environment. This can be a part of delivering the core curriculum, at an after school or holiday club, as an “alternative” curriculum, for family learning or adult training and development.

Woodland Learning can deliver Forest School as the ultimate woodland learning experience and can help others work towards this goal through taster sessions and support whist they achieve Woodland Learning Forest School 1 their own qualifications. All these involve learning practical woodland craft skills, woodland and wildlife understanding and woodland games and activities.

Woodland Learning works in close partnership with schools to raise funds for and deliver a full Forest School or Woodland Learning program. The program is tailored to suit each school and funding package but the following examples from 2008/9 give some idea of possibilities. They include working directly with the children and staff training and development.

Examples:

Eastrop Infants School, Highworth

Woodland Learning Forest School 2 This school brings year 2 pupils to Cuckoo Pen at Coleshill for Forest School on Friday afternoons. Each child visits the wood in every season, observation of the natural world is the main them of every visit. The teaching staff are very involved in the woodland visits and ensure there is a strong link with work they do in class. The children have made dens using natural materials, made a fire and cooked on it, made up monster stories and made clay monsters, made up games using things they find, followed deer tracks, discovered loads of different fungi, played hide and seek, climbed trees and have had a great time!

Year one children visit Stanton Park all together once a term for a themed adventure, again based upon nature and the seasons. The theme of the first visit was “We’re going on a bear hunt”. The children all brought their bears and followed a trail of bear prints around the lake to our round house (cave) where we found a large bear waiting! The next visit will be about materials and the children will select natural materials to make a pig’s house, which will then be tested for strength by a wolf!
Reception children will also visit Stanton Park where they will help the Jolly Postman to post letters in the letter boxes of various woodland dwellers.

The school are also developing their school grounds in partnership with Woodland Learning. They have planted a mixed native hedge (every child planted a tree) and an orchard. The children also enjoy their living willow dome.

Every child visits the wood through the seasons.
Learning delivered by Woodland Learning in partnership with teachers and TA’s.
Nature and enjoying the natural environment are core to every visit.
Forest School was introduced to all the school staff on a teacher training day where they cooked their own lunch in the wood.
The local Lions Club lend their mini bus to the school for their visits.
Every classroom has a nature table.
All woodland learning visits are risk assessed.
The Nursery are supported to run their own Forest School.

Nyland School, Nythe, Swindon

Woodland Learning Nyland School This special needs school initially received £9,750.00 from Awards for All for each class of pupils to visit Stanton Park for Forest School throughout the year. The school grounds are being developed as part of the project. There is a new woodland, a temporary shelter to be put up when we need it, a fire pit and log seating and wonderful vegetable gardens. The children taking part often find classroom learning difficult and most have excelled outside in learning and behaviour.

Each class has a 6 week block of Forest School sessions at school developing the grounds or at Stanton Park.
The children are given reward points which they can accumulate to get a party invite.
The children work towards certificates in various competences including basic green woodwork, shelter building, fire lighting, woodland art and music instrument making.
The school has all it’s own tools and equipment needed for the grounds development and Forest School.
All the pupils have waterproofs, wellies and overalls to use.
At Stanton Park Forest School takes place in a specially designated small wood.
All staff attended a development day at Stanton Park where the learned more about Forest School and built the main structure for a shelter in the wood. This was based on a round-house design. The day was led Woodland Learning and Chris Park of Acorn Education.
All school Governors have attended a presentation about Forest School.
The project formed part of the school’s Eco-Schools award.
The school were the winners of the Swindon Quality of Life awards.

Shaw Ridge Primary School, Swindon

Woodland Learning forest school 4 Shaw Ridge School had a Woodland Learning trip to Stanton Park for 60 year 3 pupils. They took part in workshops related to The Jabberwocky poem. The visit was coordinated by Woodland Learning with workshops led by teachers, Woodland Learning and Swindon Ranger Service. The workshops were making clay monster faces on trees and writing about them, making sculptures and fire making and den building. The visit was paid for by parents donations.

Goddard Park Community Primary School and Children’s Centre

Woodland Learning - Goddard Park Goddard Park has a long history of involving the children in learning about and enjoying their local natural environment. Most Forest School sessions take place in a woodland planted in the school grounds with Ruth Parsons nearly 20 years ago! The school was instrumental in the development of the Harry’s Hazelnut storysack and the parents have long maintained the wood and have helped improve outdoor learning facilities. A member of staff has completed his level 3 Forest School Award and three parents have achieved their Introduction to Forest School Level 1 awards.

Woodland Learning runs Forest School sessions for Year 5 pupils once a week. The pupils attend for a term and carry out activities to promote team building and taking responsibility. They have built benches, grown brilliant vegetables, made scarecrows, built shelters, made up plays, had a conker competition, climbed trees, built a trim trail, made pencils and played loads of games and drunk gallons of hot chocolate and toasted lots of marshmallows on a fire they made themselves. There has been a special emphasis on building the confidence of a few pupils who find learning in class difficult. These pupils have been given certificates for excellence at Forest School in assembly and have been invited to join the other groups as helpers because they are so accomplished. This has improved their confidence and standing with their peers.

Year 5 take part in Woodland Week run by the National Trust and Woodland Learning at Coleshill every year. They have the chance to see a big wood situated in beautiful countryside and to see how it is managed. They play loads of games, build dens, measure trees and do orienteering.

Woodland Learning also runs and after school club for year 3 and 4 pupils where there are fun activities and loads of games. Each term end with the children putting on an outdoor party for their families.

A course for families with young children called “Woodland Storytelling” ran for 6 weeks in the wood. The course aimed to show parents how they could use children’s favourite stories to make a visit to the woods more interesting. A different story was featured each week. Red Riding hood was the most popular! I still see some of the parents each week and know they do visit the local Country Park more since the course. Two of the parents have gone on to achieve their level 1 award.

Part of the work with the year 5’s and the After School Club has been to grow vegetables in the lovely raised beds made for us by the caretaker. We had a great crop last year and decided to take a selection to the National Children’s Produce Show at Ryton Organic Gardens near Coventry. Some of the pupils and their families and I went to the show in the school minibus. We didn’t win anything but we had a fantastic time and met Prince Charles!

School really does involve the local community in everything including Forest School and the school grounds projects.
Long term staff contribute considerably to the continuity of the project.
The year 5 Forest School has an emphasis on team building and building the self esteem of pupils who find learning in class difficult.
Some pupils have really excelled at Forest School and have developed their practical skills.
The parents really care about providing the best outdoor environment possible for their children.
The After School Club is for fun and play.
Parents have joined in family learning and have developed their skills.
Woodland Learning is very much a part of the school community.

Woodland learning

Please contact Ruth Parsons directly to discuss what you would like to do. Ruth will happily visit each school or nursery to give advice free of charge. Woodland Learning charges £220.00 a day plus expenses for Forest School and Woodland Learning projects.