Forest School

Many Spring Nurseries across the UK are able to offer Forest Schools for our Spring children. Forest school is a child-led outdoor educational experience that allows the children to develop themselves through engaging with risk, problem-solving and self-discovery all whilst within an environment that is natural and helps them learn to care and behave in a thoughtful manner. Forest School is available to children of any age and is also being extended into schools nationally. It can be linked to the National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to provide educational outcomes.

Our Forest schools enable each child to develop themselves in an inquisitive manner and build positive relationships with the natural world. By using the outside space we help children understand how they fit into the world and what their part is to play. The learning is based around the children and their interests and will change day to day as the world does, offering children different unique learning experiences. Forest school is great in all weathers as different weathers provide a different environment for the children to explore!

This method of outdoor play provides children with the opportunity to take risks while in an environment that is slightly controlled, and it also helps with holistic development which is something we have a large focus on at Spring.

Forest school is an incredibly inclusive method of learning and play, with children who have special educational needs having a great developmental benefit from it. At Spring we are huge advocates of forest school and enjoy seeing the benefits to the children we care for. Our Forest Schools place a large emphasis on equipping the children with emotional and social skills as well as self-reflection which will stay with them into adulthood. Children get to use all their senses and really enjoy the hands-on freedom to investigate our environment and participate in this exciting learning experience with their peers.

All of our Forest Schools have a qualified Forest School Leaders who has completed a Level 3 in Forest School Training which gives them the ability to understand and support children during their time in our Forest Schools.

While much of the learning within the environment is child-led, an idea of some of the activities they will carry out are Building Bug Hotels, creating cairns, whittling sticks, creating crowns from items they find, den making, making their own clay, and anything else they can imagine!

Forest School Principles

  • Forest School is for all children and young people.
  • Forest School builds on a child’s innate motivation and positive attitude to learning, offering them the opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning for themselves.
  • Forest School is organised and run by qualified Forest School leaders.
  • Forest School maximises the learning potential of local woodland through frequent and regular experiences throughout the year, not a one-off visit.
  • Forest School helps children to understand, appreciate and care for the natural environment.