Development

There are so many ways to develop learning outside. Certainly there is a marked different between taking whatever you plan to do inside out, and outdoor learning which utilises the space and environment specifically. But both have a place in the school curriculum.

Forest School is one part of learning outdoors, it's pretty well known, and requires training. After that CPD isn't always straight forward or cheap! I have learned over the years that sharing good practice, online and in person is the easiest way to find good ideas, but now and then I also stumble across an event or course which potentially adds something into how Forest School is provided.

For instance local walks and talks, in woodland or parks these are often free, or come with a small fee, and allow you to go on something like a 'Tree Identification' wander with like minded people. Sometimes this just reinforces your confidence, often it throws up a nugget of information you never knew!

Online, the Open University offers OPEN LEARN, hundreds of different courses you can sign on to for free. Many cover child development, or the environment. Their Citizen Science course is interesting as is the intro into the i-spot community.

This summer I also discovered an online MAKATON course which for me was both a refresher lesson in the basics an the introduction of new signs. This was with Ali Pennington, there is more info on Facebook here and was a very useful introduction into the most used signs and words in Forest School. MAKATON is very useful with young children with speech delay, Children with English as an additional language, and for some children with SEND. I have to say whenever I've used it ALL the children present love to learn and use it!

Then of course there is the development of the site used. This is a constantly altering space. Even without new ventures, or the opportunity to expand existing facilities and activities, natures' growth, the turning seasons, and the weather never leave the landscape alone. The taming of hedges and cutting of grass is thankfully not my job, but the team who look after such jobs are there for basic maintenance, not for cutting sticks and willow whips, or tidying tunnels through bushes, or ensuring pathways through the long grass are accessible... It's not their job to litter pick or prune either, and keeping just the basics of site management to allow maximum use and advantage of Forest School space is time consuming!

In the days when I spent all day every day in an Early Years Classroom I used to lament that I could easily spend one whole term just prepping the space and arranging it to provide the best learning environment and opportunity... outdoors is possibly even more demanding with the scope to take up 2 terms in developing the space outside!

A new school year is the perfect time to recap on what worked well in the past and what needs to change in the future.

This week I finally had the opportunity in my schedule, and school Summer Holiday opening times, to head into Forest School and have a look around. 

I did this with trepidation. There has been a heat wave. There has been a couple of storms. Our site is frequently 'visited' unofficially and the evidence of this can vary...

Luckily a quick survey showed no real damage on site, the weather altered and a good deluge did more good than the hosepipe ever could! Most of our baby trees were a little wilted but upright and growing. The pond wasn't down to a puddle! The Pixie Place was intact and although the wind had battered a few bamboo frames that supported some growing hedges, nothing looked beyond help! A little TLC and tidying should return it to how it was left in July, and then we can concentrate on what happens next!

So here I am putting together a 'to do' list for the first week back.  

This is proving to be never ending. Between restoring the false sense of order after weeks of drought, attacking a season's growth, maintaining the wildlife we HAVE encouraged into our school and investigating how to attract MORE, planning for the future... there is a lot to cover.  

Of course we are still moving forward into the 2020/21 school year slightly blind because it is an unknown time for education, after lockdown and still in the midst of a pandemic. We have ever changing directives and guidance on top of the usual prep for a new intake of pupils, staff changes, and the needs of each year group altering. The knock on effect of social distancing on school visits and transport. The safe use of the building and the safe use of school grounds... Last week I talked of the constant issues being thrown into the RISK ASSESSMENT (click to see it) arena when trying to get ready for Forest School! Every time I think everything has been considered something else pops up!

Although the forecast is for the September start to be a mild extension of Summer, we are heading into Autumn and then Winter. Any transplanting and pruning needs to be season appropriate, and we need to be ready for the eventual change in weather when it comes. 

We were committed to using our outdoor environment more before we needed to accommodate coronavirus into our provision, allowing the use of the safer 'open air', while allowing the children the space to let off steam and enjoy an outdoor curriculum. The development of our grounds is not just for Forest School. There's lots of space to share, but utilising it to it's fullest usually means ensuring it is prepared for optimum use! 

The less time required to ensure an area is fit to teach a lesson in, the more use it will have. Some spaces will remain open and flexible for multiple uses, but others that already lend themselves to specific areas of the curriculum can be enhanced to create an outdoor classroom that can be easily accessed and quickly tidied away. Hopefully they will remain versatile enough be of use from EYFS through to Year 6. Such spaces do not evolve over night, so need planning and developing, and frequently actually physical digging or building or creating. 

We also hope to be involved with the WILDER BLEAN rewilding of bison project and hope to start a new round of planting trees with the support of the WOODLAND TRUST. All these projects are ongoing and need to fit around everything that next term is going to bring.

So there is a lot to contemplate, and plenty to keep us all busy! 

Meanwhile there is a week left of 'school holidays'. It would be nice to think it will be a work free rest, but there's always something that needs to be at least thought through!

And a list to try and complete!