Mama Beech

This first week of term arrived in the wake of the worst recorded storm to hit South East England, and in the midst of other storms circulating assorted areas of the UK which sent further wind and rain our way.  I spent last weekend imagining the worst. Our canopy can't blow down and it's supported underneath by a tripod, but I imagined it would've been shredded by the gusts that whipped across farmland around us and then raced across our field hitting Forest School at full pelt. We have two tarpaulin-topped dens and I assumed the tarps would be flying across the South Downs quite happily. We have many mature trees which have sections which are dying off and many sturdier trees had fallen according to the news... So felled twigs, branches, boughs, even trunks, were inevitable. I wasn't looking forward to Monday morning! I have no idea how we managed to weather the storms almost unscathed but we did. No torn canopy, twigs everywhere, a couple of small branches, but all t...

There are quite a few words for 'teaching'. Instruct. Demonstrate. Drill. Direct. Lecture... Words that conjure imparting knowledge to be demonstrated back somehow. The curriculum relies on this, the repeating of this knowledge is how data is collected to prove how successful the 'teaching' has been. And frequently these words can describe what happens in Forest School. We instruct how to climb trees. We demonstrate how to use tools. We drill safety rules for all to memorise. We direct activities, usually subtlety, but we steer them towards discoveries we know are waiting. And on request, we can give a lecture on information on bugs or trees or birds... Most of the time at Forest School 'teaching' looks like mentoring, fostering, participation, modeling, listening, engaging, facilitating... Children see us much more as equals outdoors, all exploring together. They will bring ideas and ask questions. We extend their investigations, encourage their endeavours, joi...