What Every Parent and Aspiring Teacher Needs to Know About Forest Schools and Alternative Learning

We all love to think of our little ones as intrepid explorers, ready to burst into the world and discover all the wonders it holds.

What we may love less is cleaning off their mud-crusted wellies after planning a day full of outdoor activities, battling the elements, and coming home to make dinner.

But what if your child could get all of the benefits of an outdoor education without you trailing behind, worried about every bug, plant, and rock in their path?

Forest schools are an interesting option gaining popularity among parents who want to give their kids a truly different education experience.

Today, we’ll walk through the world of outdoor education, exploring the benefits, issues, age-groups and potential activities.

We’ll also discuss the process of establishing a forest school, to give you a broader picture of the wild world of outdoor learning.

The Magic of Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning

As we move away from our traditional lifestyles and towards a tech-centred world, numerous parents are acknowledging the need to offer their children more valuable opportunities to connect with nature.

Forest schools, farm camps, and after-school activities spent outside are becoming fun substitutes for conventional childcare. Kids respond well to the emphasis on hands-on exploration and learning through play.

The National Literacy Trust found that youngsters flourished while participating in forest school activities, with one teacher sharing “I remember the transformation for some children who had struggled with indoor classroom learning, who became natural leaders outside as they designed dens, focused on chosen tasks, organised others, became busy and active, worked and interacted happily together.”

The Benefits of Forest Schools

Forest schools seem to bring out the best in children, allowing them to hone their fine motor skills, identify patterns and relationships within nature, and gain confidence in a new setting. Here are just a few of the key benefits:

1. Connection with Nature: Forest schools offer kids a chance to fully engage with the outdoors, even if they live in an urban area. Hopefully, this will instil within them a respect for the natural world, and teach them to rely on their natural inquisitiveness.
2. Enhanced Creativity and Problem-Solving: The unstructured and free-flowing nature of outdoor play inspires little ones to think outside the box and cultivate their critical thinking abilities, bolstering their self-assurance and adaptability.
3. Physical Fitness and Motor Skills: Spending time outdoors encourages children to take note of their physical wellbeing, can help them improve coordination, and enhance their gross motor skills.
4. Social Skills and Collaboration: Forest schools cultivate a community spirit and promote cooperation, inspiring children to communicate, work together, and forge strong bonds with their friends.

Activities and Age Groups in Forest Schools

You may be rolling your eyes at the notion that kids could get as much out of a day in the forest as they could a day in the classroom, but studies show that they’re picking up the same skills faster than their walled-in peers.

Forest schools allow children to join in on a huge array of activities that are customised to their age group, and nurturing their developmental requirements. Some common activities are:

Age Group	Activities
2-3 years	Nature Walks: Embarking on leisurely walks amidst the woodland, little ones will be motivated to keenly observe and engage with the environment surrounding them. They’ll learn about various flora and fauna. Sensory Exploration: Encouraging little ones to engage with their senses by setting up sensory stations in the midst of the great outdoors. Pupils are encouraged to touch, feel, and explore the diverse sensory experiences. This activity encourages sensory exploration, imaginative thought, and dexterity development. Storytelling: Nurturing their creativity to blossom as they listen and engage with tales about the animals and plants in their surroundings.Nature Art Projects: Embracing the intrinsic beauty of their environment, pupils will gather foliage, blooms, and branches to craft collages, or use natural resources as brushes for painting.
4-5 years	Shelter Building: Inspiring their ingenuity and critical thinking abilities by tasking them with erecting shelters utilising organic resources discovered in the woodland. Bug Hunting: Igniting their curiosity by involving them in bug hunting adventures. Pupils can use magnifying glasses to gain knowledge about diverse creepy crawlies and their dwellings. Plant Identification: Taking children on a guided exploration of the woodland, teaching them to recognise different flora and foliage. Group Games and Team Challenges: Involving your little ones in games that promote collaboration, effective communication, and physical exercise.
6-8 years	Fire Building: Teaching them the skill of fire building in a secure and regulated setting. Tool Usage: Introducing children to fundamental tools such as hand saws, knives, or loppers with close supervision and guidance. Wildlife Tracking: Teaching them about animal tracks, signs, and sounds. Ecological Studies: Introducing kiddies to the notion of ecosystems and ecological interdependence.
9-12 years	Nature Journaling: Encouraging students to maintain a nature journal where they can record their observations, sketches, and musings about the natural world.Survival Skills: Educating pupils on vital survival skills, such as constructing shelters, identifying edible flora, or purifying water sources. Orienteering: Introducing kids to the wonderful world of map reading and navigation. Environmental Projects: Encouraging the children to participate in practical eco-friendly endeavours in the forest school or local community.

Could You Be a Forest Teacher?

Perhaps you’re reading all this and imagining yourself at the head of a pack of adorable little adventurers, ready to take on the day and whatever excitement (and weather) it throws at you.

Starting your own forest school could be the start of something amazing, however, you have to be ready to put the work in to make sure you’re giving your students the best experience possible.

Before setting up camp and ringing the school bell, let’s have a look at some aspects you’ll need to consider:

1) Qualifications and Training:

Unfortunately, knowing how to ease a stinging nettle burn with dock leaves does not a forest teacher make.

Luckily, formal qualifications are not always necessary when starting a childcare business, but it’s highly recommended you gain some kind of relevant certification, such as forest school leader training or an early childhood education qualification.

So, while you won’t need to get a degree, you should get your nose into some books! Many alternative educators get their start by enrolling on an online childcare course, which is a low-risk and affordable first-step for them to become a teacher.

Distance learning experts, the Association of Learning, say that for many considering getting into childminding, the misconception they have to gain a degree stops them from trying:

They let us know: “People are put off being educators or starting their own childcare businesses because they think they need to go back to university.

If more people knew they could take a course and learn the skills to become a childcare provider from home in less than a year, more people would.”

2) Location and Permission:

Choosing the perfect spot for your outdoor school is one of the more important aspects to consider. Find a nearby woodland or meadow that has an exciting range of wildlife and plants for your students to explore.

Consider the accessibility factor, safety measures you’ll take and how far away it is from residential areas (you don’t want to make it impossible for your students to find you!).

Once you’ve found the ideal location, contact your local authority, landowners, and environmental agencies to make sure you sort out the necessary permits and restrictions.

3) Curriculum and Activities:

Obviously, the parents of your pupils won’t be well-pleased if their children come home telling them all they learned today was how to make mud pies!

Designing a curriculum of worthwhile activities for your students is key. Make sure it aligns with your educational philosophy, encourages students to learn and foster a deep connection with nature.

4) Safety Measures:

Hopefully, you’re naturally inclined to consider the safety of children in your care. When it comes to running your own childcare, it’s paramount to consider every potential risk.

You’ll need to carry out risk assessments for the area you’re planning to run your school from, as well as for the activities you plan to do.

Educate yourself on first aid procedures, and make sure you’ve got a well-stocked first aid kit (odds are, even with the best planning, you’ll need it!).

Establish very clear guidelines for the behaviour you expect from the students, set up emergency protocols and make sure that both your students and their parents understand them.

5) Financial Considerations and Budget:

Unless you’re offering your services for free (actually, maybe especially if you’re offering your services for free) you need to carefully budget and financially plan your forest school.

Consider all of the expenses you’ll have, such as training costs, site rental fees, insurance premiums, equipment, and transport. Make sure to look into funding sources or grants that are available to you.

So…What do you think?

For children, forest schools and other outdoor childcare methods provide a new and exciting way to learn.

For educators and parents, it can be a refreshing way to encourage their students to flourish and develop outside of the limitations of traditional learning.

If you’ve found that your child isn’t responding well to the classroom, maybe alternative learning could be the solution you’re looking for.

Similarly, it could be an exciting new business venture for you to delve into the world of childcare beyond the usual brick-and-mortar. There’s only one way to find out!