Mama Beech

There is an unwritten yet universal law that states if it's Forest School Celebration Week, and four days of campfires to burn, the hottest day of the year so far will dawn! The children obviously don't mind, but as the Forest School Leader cannot move too far from the fire, adults have the fun of Eau De Bonfire on all clothing and hair as well as the sensation that human melting is actually possible! Planning this week is fairly easy - prepping it takes a little effort. As we are currently still doing shorter sessions for 14 classes ensuring I am prepared for a 4-day campfire plus treats tends to involve a full car boot and a bit of heavy lifting! Although we DO have trees, and a small amount of woodland we don't have anywhere near the natural resources on-site to fuel a fire from 9 till 3 from Monday to Thursday! So we bring in kindling and firewood. Then there are the treats. The consensus amongst the children is 'Marshmallows please!", so we need 14 bags of tho...

So far, I've had one of those good weeks when everywhere I look there seems to be more evidence that Outdoor Learning is not just important but essential. It's something I believe - hence the job - but often it's not a pedagogy shared by all. This week started with a weekend that celebrated both the Spring Equinox and International Forest Day, both of which were barely acknowledged on social media let alone any other kind of media! Both are days that ought to be celebrated in schools. The Vernal Equinox especially is a definitive acknowledgement of time that for millennia humans looked upon to follow seasons and define the passage of time. It pre-dates religions as we know them, it's universal, and it's all-inclusive. Understanding it means basic geography and science, includes maths and links to representation in art and writing and PSE links to how it makes you feel.  The same can be said of Autumn Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. Each marks a season...

Tomorrow is the Spring Equinox. Whatever the weather is throwing at the UK at the moment we are hurtling towards April and Winter has passed. There is so much to do and so little time in which to get anything done! Blowing gales and 'unauthorised visitors' leave a wake across school grounds, the outdoor environment needs maintaining to ensure that previous hard work and development isn't lost, and the evolvement of the site needs planning. Seasons change and bring new challenges to the outdoor area, these are set in nature and a learning resource to be harvested. It's something Forest School has no choice but to use, our 'classroom' is deciduous, we are open to the elements, we have to work with the rain or the snow and alter our activities to either accommodate or to celebrate the differences.  Finding an ants nest is a learning opportunity, the discovery of an eggshell beneath a tree is a learning opportunity, watching a pheasant strut out of the bushes is a l...

Both School and Forest School is up and running with ALL pupils! Since the start of the year we've felt like a one form entry school with very low numbers!  This has meant teaching staff have been juggling remote lessons, recording lessons, being online and in-class teaching on a rota. Plus Forest School has been open to all bubbles with Risk Assessed restrictions and procedures in place to minimise transition. The basics of which are: As Forest School Leader I never enter their classrooms Classes are brought outside to basecamp by a teacher/TA Any tools used are wiped down between bubbles We sit at basecamp for less than 10 minutes at the start and end of sessions The nature of Forest School is that once the children are free to explore they disappear in all directions! Some to climb trees, some to build dens, some to bug hunt, bird spot, treasure find, others to dig, etc. I am never face to face with a pupil or group of pupils for longer than 5 minutes! I move around to see what ...

Next week School and therefore Forest School will be open to all students.  This weekend the staff of an entire education system will brace themselves for the unknown! It will be great to have smiling faces back in classrooms, but the assessment needed, the short term and long terms plans required to move forward, and the expected spectrum of needs, is going to take a lot of management!  As of next week 14 classes will be taking shortened Forest School sessions in the 'woods' in an attempt to continue the Outdoor Learning journey some have been aboard all year, and to reintroduce those who have had a break from it. The aim is to use this time to allow space and freedom to follow self-chosen learning for all. Encouraging movement and exercise for those who have been housebound, and an emotional outlet for those who need to connect with nature, can only serve to make the children healthier, and time to talk for those who have things to say can only make them happier. Once again ...