Mama Beech

Anyone who has visited this blog before, followed Chartham Forest School on  twitter , or found posts on facebook will know that even though we offer Forest School sessions at our school, we are not exactly facilitating  Forest School   at the moment. After the first Lockdown in March this year we made a decision regarding reopening in  June  - that classes would be outside as much as possible.  This was driven by two main facts: T he first being that the outdoor environment was safer than the indoor environment. Inside we had to get to grips with one way systems and smaller classes, and children socially distanced in classrooms, alongside helping pupils learning at home. There was a lot to juggle.  The second being that different children had had different lockdown experiences. Some may have spent a lot of time in their garden, may have taken daily walks with their families,  may have had much more time to engage in self chosen activities and may...

When you are a member of different online Forest School groups you realise the diversity of practice there is to choose from. The differences depend on many things. Some Forest School's provide all day sessions, some all day every day, and need to track what they do as they have a wide curriculum to cover, and if they are providing education in lieu of a state school. Some Forest Schools are independent businesses offering a 2 hour session as child care, or as an educational add on, or as a leisure activity. Some, like ours, are set within a school and are part of the curriculum their school provides. Forest School can therefore be enjoyed on school grounds, or private land, or rented sites. They may be specifically for this use, may share some or all of their space, or may to open to the public. The site used and the reason children attend will influence what a Forest School Leader can offer children in the way of outdoor experiences. None should be judged as better or worse. If y...