Very British Weather







Rain is sometimes THE best thing!




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Indoor Forest School

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On rare occasions, we need to cover a Forest School session INSIDE. It may be because the weather prevents a session, it may be a staffing issue, it may be an introduction for children who will find the outdoors challenging, but whatever causes it, there are times when setting up activities in a classroom is suddenly needed. I've said before that I have a large IKEA blue bag that I keep certain activities in, these are not necessarily ones I can/will use in Forest School, like jigsaw puzzles, colouring, cutting out, etc. It's fairly quick to add some of the nature table items, bug ID, and bird guides, etc. into the bag to make what is basically 'nature learning' feel a little like Indoor Forest School! One week in December started with me under the duvet with a fever and headache, and a PCR test pending. School canceled Forest School because waiting each day to decide what the following day's timetable would be was too hectic. So once back in on the Wednesday indoor...
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Forest School and GCSEs

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Earlier in the year, I wondered aloud - well, in print - why Forest School isn't automatically offered as an add-on to teacher training. I know of a few universities that organise visits to sessions, and even one or two that buy in extra training and regularly send the students to a session to participate, not just observe, but it isn't standard practice. Whether Covid is on the rise, mutating again, or slowly dying out, in this post-lockdown world getting children outside as much as possible is the healthiest option! Outdoor learning has proven time and again that it promotes well-being and increases positive mental health , as well as promoting physical health . With the new GCSE in Natural History on the horizon Secondary Schools may well find embracing Forest School an easy way to introduce the subject. Of course, Forest School is not yet embedded in all Primary Schools, those that have it may well find their pupils at an advantage when choosing such a GCSE a few years aft...
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2025 A Great Start!

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The end of Term 3 means we are halfway through the academic year, so perhaps that's why it feels like September was a long time ago while simultaneously it feels like everything is still new and settling in! In all honesty, the Termly alterations to the Forest School Timetable means we never feel properly settled into any schedule and it does take a toll on how we plan and provide sessions. We are currently on fortnightly sessions for the whole school, but with a six week term, interrupted twice by storms, we haven't really got into the swing of things entirely! It hasn't changed the dedication of staff, the aim to provide the most child-led learning possible, or the engagement of classes when outdoors. The new year dawned and the very first sessions were mostly a welcome back session. Staff chatted to children about their school holiday, listened to their highs and lows, and encouraged them to explore everything that may have changed. Lots of children hadn't had the op...
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