Mama Beech

As leaders, we spend a lot of time anticipating and facilitating the area and the activities. We react to the children's curiosity, investigation, and interests. We encourage them to do a little extra, explore a little further, and discover a little more. We respond to requests and questions, discuss possibilities, introduce ideas and information, and we follow the lead of the children. On bad days we are patrolling and constantly reminding children to stay safe, or be kind, or to adhere to boundaries. Those days are not frequent, but children will always bring class disagreements and personal feelings to basecamp, and even if it's resolved before they arrive, they cannot always shake off the negative hangover from it. Occasionally a session can struggle to get past playground squabbles no matter what space, communication, or support the adults offer. On good days we move from group to group, individual to couple, observing what they are doing, ensuring they are safe, and aimin...

The very Mediterranean-looking Scilly Isles are confined to the summer and Term 1 of the 2022/2023 School Year begins! (Sorry - I just needed one last look!) It will be a bit of a rollercoaster as we establish a whole new way of delivering sessions, build what is now a Forest School Team, and continue to develop outdoor learning opportunities at Chartham Primary School. We are entering a difficult year for schools - and the population in general - in England. The predicted costs of energy is potentially crippling for many businesses, families, and educational settings. The effects will be financial but could also easily affect other aspects of school life. Heating and lighting are not something we have to budget for, but the impact of staffing and funding could yet reach outside into the woods. Right now, we are forging forward as planned. There are now three fully qualified, enthusiastic, and skilled Forest School Leaders on staff and three very different areas of the school grounds s...

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...

Most of the effectiveness of Forest School comes from the quality of time spent outside. Children repeatedly doing both new things and returning to things they consider important expands their interests and their expertise. We know that repeated actions grow both muscle memory and strong neural pathways, but immersing yourself in something you love to do builds confidence and self-esteem. Discovering something new adds curiosity and motivation into the mix! Knowing that Forest School will be there next week means the fear of missing out is less, freeing children up to decide what they want to focus on now, and what they will be happy to try another time. I have a lot of suggestions aimed at me that start with "next time, can we...?".  Many children will work on a project such as peeling or whittling and ask to leave it in the shed until they come back. Others try over and over to master a skill, with varying degrees of success, with no goal or judgement except their own. The...