Mama Beech

The two unavoidable topics at the moment are how much 'education' children have missed, and the effect lockdown & C19 have had on their mental health. Schools are less than an fortnight away from welcoming back all pupils while Outdoor Activities/Clubs will be able to commence soon after. Hopefully this means Schools who have had Forest School on hold can re-start sessions, and that Outdoor Learning Provision can open their doors to children who may have spent most of 2021 so far sat in front of a screen.  T he need  to allow for a 'carefree' summer of play was addressed in  The Guardian  : “As part of a wider recovery process, children should be encouraged and supported to spend time outdoors, playing with other children and being physically active" 'Catching up' with 'lost learning' is very important, but there has to be a balance or mental health will be further affected. Children's health physically and psychologically underpins learning...

The looming date for school opening up to all pupils is being discussed more and more (the date varies across the UK). For many Forest Schools this signals their opportunity to start running sessions again. There are so many ways Forest Schools deliver time outside that there has been a huge range of effects the pandemic has had on this provision. Some colleagues are awaiting the schools they work in to re-start sessions. If a school uses land off site it hasn't always been possible to deliver sessions, needing journey plans or volunteers to travel to site. Independent Forest Schools have often fallen under the heading of a 'leisure' provider and have struggled to be recognised as a form of education. Some of these small businesses have been closed for almost a year. Forest School Leaders who have contracts with schools have been on furlough, or just on hold, and unable to provide sessions at all during Lockdown. Some of us have sites on school grounds and have never closed...

I love a Snow Day. By that I don't mean a day off work because the commute has become epic, I mean a day outside in, or after, a decent snowfall!  It's not something that happens too often in South East England, and when it does it rarely lasts, so when the temperature dropped at the weekend it was exciting! Sunday is not a Forest School day - or a School day for that matter, but it was a busy day for children as they ventured out into the snow that had fallen overnight, and was still falling! There was a lot of fun had by all. Children and their families were out with a sled, or a tray, or anything they could find that would slide down a slope!  People finally saw their wider communities, socially distanced, but in the same parks, on the same commons, doing the same things, side by side in shared celebration of snow!  Children who have spent much of this term stuck in front of a screen were outside from 9am until the sun went down. Outside in the fresh air. Outside ...

Wellbeing is a difficult thing to gauge. O btaining a sense of wellbeing  requires different things for different children, and requires different things from each of us who work with them to help them achieve it. Since the coronavirus disrupted life as we knew it, the need to maintain a balance of comfort, health and happiness has become more and more important in day-to-day life. Of course wellbeing isn't just being OK in the minute, although it can often be a good time start, as a relief from whatever is causing stress today .   Many adults are struggling to cope with Lockdown Restrictions, most of us are used to a very different existence, children are finding it difficult too, especially if the adults around them are not coping well. Research suggests the pandemic may affect children and vulnerable groups more than the general population (ie: Holmes et al 2020 ), so a Forest School active and experiential approach to learning is very important. There is a lot to feel worr...