Join us for a Forest School session 1- 3pm Tuesdays, term time only. Contact us to book your place, or find us on Facebook Woodland Explorers (Wharfedale Montessori School).
Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where the approach first began. It arrived in the UK in 1993 and has grown from strength to strength since then.
We are very fortunate to have our own large woodland that both our Preschool and Primary classes have access to all through the week.
Click here to learn more about the History of Forest Schooling in the UK.
“The process helps and facilitates more than knowledge-gathering, it helps learners develop socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and intellectually. It creates a safe, non-judgmental nurturing environment for learners to try stuff out and take risks. The approach inspires a deep and meaningful connection to the world and an understanding of how a learner fits within it. Our approach to risk means that learners constantly expand on their abilities by solving real-world issues, building self-belief and resilience. We believe that risk is more than just potential for physical harm, but a more holistic thing, there are risks in everything we do, and we grow by overcoming them. This helps participants to become, healthy, resilient, creative and independent learners.
There is lots of research out there to support the outcomes of the approach, but we know that it isn’t just the educational outcomes and research that matter, our learners and leaders love it too!”
https://forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/
In 2021, Ofsted commented that
“There is an extensive range of activities on offer throughout the afternoon for all pupils. This includes a weekly Forest School session in the school’s own woodland. This is set within a nature reserve which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is used by the school to develop pupils’ understanding of the world. Pupils really look forward to their work and take responsibility for their wider learning”.
During the school holidays you can continue your forest adventures with our Head of Children’s House, Zoey, at Woodland Warriors: http://www.woodlandwarrior.co.uk/
Find out more about Forest school here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b2vC-ecUuU
