Mama Beech

Recently, I was at a party with a few people whose children I don't know. Inevitably, I was asked what I do for a living and I gave an answer, followed by an explanation!  Every single parent lit up and exclaimed 'my child would love that!'. Then followed the 'she loves growing things and nature', 'he loves animals of all kinds, he can name all the bugs', 'she loves a mud kitchen and is always covered in mud', 'he loves birds', and 'you can't keep her out of our apple tree!' comments. A few of those I spoke to went off determined to find a Forest School near them, some had already started to Google Forest School on their phone, others were surprised that we provide Forest School IN school. Last month we also had our meetings for Parent's whose children start at our Primary School in September. Forest School is embedded at Chartham so are included in, and provide the venue for, the Welcome Meetings. Here I gave a brief idea of ...

Many of you will have watched the David Attenborough TV series Wild Isle . A beautiful in-depth exploration of the British Isles and its surrounding seas. It made it clear that the wildlife, ecological balance, and therefore the life led on these islands is facing decimation. Within the school curriculum there are pockets of learning regarding ecosystems, flora, fauna, pollution, and sustainability, which aim to explain what they all are before the class move on to the next subject. However, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and with the current predictions perhaps these lessons need to be a constant.  In Forest School we provide the opportunity for that theory to be seen in practice, week in and week out. Children are exploring and observing the natural world, encountering wildlife, watching life cycles and food chains play out, experiencing season changes, and are encouraged to support and preserve the environment they are in. Sadly, for most child...