23rd November 2022
Wish I had a Forest School
Forest schools are amazing if you have a forest or even trees but don’t use not having these as an excuse, it’s not the only way for children to access outdoors at your school or setting.
Outdoor classrooms have been a statutory part of Early Years for 15+ years now, not playtimes but classrooms. Once a upon time free flow was called for, access to the outdoors at all times during the session. I personally think the modern child needs to be taught outdoors especially if they are developmentally delayed in any way because outdoors is the best place to move and movement is the best thing to accelerate development.
Creating a space to play outdoors, be free and to learn is, for our modern children, a way to experience childhood that is often lost in tablets, TV and trashy toys! I have always (15 years) had an outdoor classroom. First, it was a piece of the play ground. Then a chicken wired fenced off area to now where I have the most wonderful space, roofed by the sky and with a vast field and bike track to roam on as well, I am extremely lucky.
So why do I wish I had a Forest school?
The word ‘natural’ has come into play in a world where children get very little experience of outdoors and we’ve lost the beauty of our outdoor classroom. Opting for pine cones indoors with plastic Ivy around sacking material displays, which are beautiful, but will they help the modern child with the current childhood issues being presented in the classroom?
Behaviour has been a symptom of Covid, with socialising and physical movement delay for our modern child. Touching a pine cone will give a sensory experience but running in a space outdoors and finding pine cones will give a much wider learning experience. The benefits of outdoors far outweigh the problems, which are often staff who don’t like outdoors or the weather.
Staff need to be aware of why the children need to access outdoors – I have an outdoor classroom CPD training that can be accessed via one of our paid subscriptions on School of Spread The Happiness that you can use with your staff.
The modern child needs you to open your doors. Take them outside, if your curriculum is balanced on the formal side, go running for ten minutes before an input. You will see a difference.
Got a group who don’t seem to remember things? Take them outdoors and play a physical phonics or maths game.
“The natural outdoor learning environment produces longer lasting impact on a child’s memory.’”
– Waite 2007
Parachute games are a great way to spend ten minutes outside.
Adventures outdoors are stimulating and you can role play the story outside. This week our book was The Three Little Pigs. I told the story inside then I said the receptionist had seen a Wolf on the field and would we go and find it. I had cut up an old piece of fur fabric and I had pieces in my pocket which, as we ran around, I placed carefully. We only had ten minutes looking for the Wolf but the stimulation led to us creating a rhyme, language and communication of a high level, and during their P.E. Session Reception used the rhyme to get round the obstacle course.
If I have inspired you to GET OUTSIDE please forward this email/link to someone in your team or cluster so that they can be inspired too.
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