Mama Beech

I know lots of Forest School Leaders are doing a great job of flying the flag for Outdoor Learning. I am biased, but it is a great part of OL and feeds into all others as well as classroom life. I know many FSL have found life within a pandemic was frustrating as sessions were cancelled or reduced, and now that we are emerging into a world with a better understanding of covid, getting children outside has suddenly increased in demand. For all those independent Forest Schools I hope this growing interest leads to a surge in sessions to make up for the lost time and money to your businesses. The children do need you! For all those independent FSLs out there, I hope schools are snapping up your services and making the most of the expertise out there and are bringing it into schools. I also know that neither of these options are that simple in practice. But they are in theory. Parents and schools and other organisations need to be thinking about the summer and planning for the new academic...

As the world struggles to get back to some kind of normal taking children outside is increasingly being recognised as a necessity and not just good practice. It really doesn't matter if the children go outside to play cricket, to do Forest School, have an extended playtime, take a lesson outside, or do something specific for the day. Let's be honest, you can't peek into a nesting box while in the classroom! I keep saying that Forest School is just one form of outdoor learning, and this week was an opportunity to prove that with Outdoor Classroom Day: 'Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day. On two days of action each year, teachers take children outdoors to play and learn. All year round, the Outdoor Classroom Day community campaigns for more time outdoors every day.' The next date will be in the Autumn so if you haven't already - now is a good time to sign up ! With a remit that literally means exiting 4 walls...

Eight great articles that support going outside, being outside, and learning outside! How it can help life post covid, and aid adulthood. How it improves mental health and supports learning INside! Grab a cuppa... PIONEERING RESEARCH TEAM CHAMPIONS DEEPER CONNECTIONS WITH NATURE From The University oF Derby Call for more play time amid ‘schoolification’ of UK childhood from  Sally Weale   Should Outdoor Learning in Schools be Compulsory? from  Joe Bogumsky 10 Tips for Improving Active Play at Your School  My School - My Planet Green space during childhood may improve adult mental health 'Why are kids learning inside?': How the Covid pandemic could take education outdoors in Scotland for good The Wildlife Trusts call for every child to have a daily one-hour nature boost.

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...

Everyone's life is still upside down! School's have to react daily to ongoing changes, many Forest Schools are closed, parents & carers are both working from home and supporting remote learning, and it looks like nothing will change until March 8th... It can be stressful, and despite the fact that we are over 10 months into this fluctuating situation , it's definitely unknown territory to navigate! Throw in a bit of understandable fear about jobs and income, childcare and health, and school life and home life can feel unsettled, even for the children. The only thing that remains constant is their want - and need - to play. As adults we see play as down time. Play is our hobby, it's our leisure, but for children it's their main source of learning, and as necessary as breathing! Grown ups see play as unproductive, even though we may expect colleagues to 'play with that idea' and come back with something productive, it is what we do when NOT working.  For a...

Lockdown has been devastating for a lot of Outdoor Learning providers, forest schools are just a small section of sports and activity clubs/events that are on hold right now. The regulations make it either logistically impossible or financially difficult for many of them to open. Schools that are signed up to providers, or employ staff to facilitate outdoor learning on school grounds are in a very lucky position. Their sites remain open and outdoor learning is easier to run within their own risk assessments while catering for Vulnerable/Key Worker children.  Can you spot the free range children in this picture? But normal service has not been resumed ! In January 2020 we had three 2hr long full sessions of Forest School running per week. We also had a gardening club, and assorted outside interventions that meant various small groups were working on the Royal Forestry Society Junior Forester Award , the RSPB Wild Challenges , the RHS Campaign for School Gardens , and the Woodland...