New to the idea of Forest School? Don’t worry, here is a short introduction of information we have collated to help you unpack this broad concept! 

Forest School is not a physical building nor is it a specific location at which sessions are held. Forest School is a pedagogy that places nature at the very core of education. It prides itself in being child-led, and is where no two sessions are the same! There is no fixed curriculum and fixed schedule, only children and their intuition!

In Forest School, we respect every child’s decisions and they have the full autonomy to choose and pursue their own learning every session! 

A Forest School session starts off with Morning Circle where coaches inform the children the reasons why their friends are absent (small gestures like this can help reduce worry, anxiety and confusion amongst children!) and would go on to give a short brief that goes like - 

“In Forest School, you can go anywhere you want and do anything you like, as long as we go together!”

Thereafter, the children will discuss the plans for the day! In Forest School, we adopt the “total consensus” approach over the typical “majority wins” approach to decide on what to do. That is, every single child in the group must agree on the activity or the place to go, and this is how Forest School respects every child’s opinions and decisions!

I have been in a session where the children took almost 30 minutes to decide on which path to take, even though both led to the same place. It may seem like a tedious process, but you really get to see how children learn to express their opinions and reason with their friends, and that is truly a wonderful sight to behold!

In a NatureDen forest school session, children get to play freely, explore forest trails, find interesting flora and fauna, slide down riverbanks, scale steep and slippery slopes, climb trees, build objects from sticks, string and their imagination and it is usual to work with tools when they are assessed to be ready! Children also get to practise fire-striking (which takes coaches really long to master), try their hands at whittling wood, practice knot-tying, use lashings, create woodwork using the tools (to make bows and arrows, picture frames, musical instruments, etc) or engage in group games. 

There are endless possibilities for the children to explore their interests in Forest School, as long as their safety is not compromised and as long as they respect and cherish the environment. We strive to protect plants and animals and we never ever cut anything from living plants - whenever “materials” are needed for activities, only fallen branches, sticks and leaves are used. 

While the coaches design lesson plans and may offer suggestions to the children, the children are also given the freedom to lead the sessions, initiate and direct their own learning. This helps to build higher intrinsic motivation and resilience. 

The session then closes with a Reflection Circle where children take turns to share what they enjoyed and what they did not like about the session!