Mama Beech

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...

That's it! Training days are over. 18 students lamenting the end of face-to-face learning but excited to head off to their own sessions! A mix of nerves, doubt, gung-ho attitude, and enthusiasm hangs in the air! The most evident thing for me during training was how infrequently using tools and focusing on making happens in school. With a ratio of 1:15, limited time, and only one Forest School trained adult on-site, it simply never happens! In the past I have used a bow saw with reception children, we have created wood cookies, I have used drills and loppers, we have had penknives out... but I've done very little of it at Chartham.  Because we are covering PPA, we only have two adults with a class. If I start an activity that requires me to focus on 2/3/4 children, then the TA who accompanied the children will be left with the vast majority of the class alone. Using tools over the last couple of months has shown that it's not always about Forest School Leaders learning new s...

This week we have two days of Skill Training before our 18 FSLI students disband. Some are doing their 6 weeks of planning and delivering sessions this term, others in the new school year  in order to meet the criteria to qualify. A small minority of them have only been to a few Forest School Sessions themselves, the majority have attended with their own children or with classes of pupils, but forging forward to finding your own way to run a session can be daunting - even with children/classes you know! Last week, two of my colleagues on the course delivered their very first Forest School Sessions!  Helen is running sessions with a Year 2 class, while Kalina is working with a class in Year 6. Having supported me very well for over 60 sessions, Helen still says: " Preparing for my first session as a Forest School Leader (in training!) provided a few sleepless nights and a little bit of ‘panic planning’. I had it in my mind that the children might get bored so felt I should give...