The Setup of a Forest School!

When creating a forest school, there are four stages that one needs to go through. The first stage is Identify. It is important to include your colleagues, manager and head teacher in the possibility of creating a Forest School. They will be able to provide support, advice and help to ensure that you are gaining the most out of the whole experience. To create a Forest school, you will need a qualified Practitioner, a site where the program will run from, and a group that will benefit from the regular, long term experiences as a community and within a natural space.

The second stage is Training. In order to provide the foundations to develop a Forest School for your school, group, centre or yourself, the right training needs to be done. One of the core elements of your training will provide you with the basic needs along with the appropriate resources and condition to enable learners to feel safe, comfortable and apart of the group.

The third stage is Consolidate. During this stage, you will be applying the learning you have experience during the training period and applying those to your own school or group. You will also be working with your colleagues in order to introduce the approach to leaning and development within Forest Schools. Also within this stage you will need to develop a portfolio that consists of evident that can allow you to recognize examples to where the approach of Forest School as had an impact on the learners. This portfolio can be used as your qualification evidence.

The Fourth and final stage is called Qualify.  In this stage, you will need to make sure you are equipped with the right knowledge, understanding and skills needed to become a Qualified Forest Schools Practitioner. Also in this stage you will be planning any further programs and developing the Forest School provision as well as being able to let others understand what is capable and what is needed to being their own Forest School journey. 

If you want to read more this information was gathered from:

http://www.forestschools.com/how-to-set-up-a-forest-school/

Visit my Pinterest board to view more about what the set up of a Forest School looks like: http://www.pinterest.com/melicribari/forest-schools-set-up/

Forest Schools and Training

When it comes to the training needed for a Forest School, there are four levels in which one can take. Level one is for those wanting to provide help during Forest Schools. Individuals taking this level will need little to no experience with working outdoors because it aims to build their knowledge and confidence in the safe tools and equipment that is used. Level two is for those who want to provide a support in the Forest Schools. In this level it will give you different creative ideas for activities that you can bring into the learning in your own setting. Level three allows an individual to independently run a Forest School. In this level, on will learn how to best design and run a Forest School program and how to approach and apply it in a safe and effective manner. Level four is for one who wants to train others. In this level, the individual undergoes training that will allow them to educate and guide others who are interested in learning about Forest Schools.

Any further information about these training levels can be found on the following website: http://www.forestschools.com/training/

Go to my Facebook page to view a video on Forest Schools and Training! https://www.facebook.com/forestschoolss

You can also view my Pinterest page to get more information about the training needed! http://www.pinterest.com/melicribari/forest-schools-and-training/

Forest Schools and Health & Safety

Children these days aren’t getting enough experiences to learn or play outdoors. Not only are they not getting enough vitamin D in there system, they are also lacking the physical exercise that they would normally get if they were outdoors. By providing children with the opportunity to spend time outdoors, it can increase their confidence, promote a healthier lifestyle as well as improve their self-esteem when it comes to their emotional and mental well-being. Being outdoors may motivate the children to living healthier by speaking to their parents about their experiences, which may bring to their family to do the same at home.

(This information was gathered from: http://www.wild-learning.net/index.php/what-is-forest-school/health/)

For more pictures and information about the benefits Forest Schools bring to our health, visit my Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/melicribari/forest-schools-and-health/

Video on Health and Safety in Forest Schools

To view a video of the health and safety within a Forest School, please visit my facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/forestschoolss