Forest school

[mumofone]

Please can someone tell me all about forest schools? How you Join? What they are etc? I notice most outstanding providers do them...do we have to?

[moggy]

All info here: What is Forest School? | Forest School Association (http://www.forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/)

You can do training (basic level 1 is £200 locally) so it is expensive.
A Forest School leader needs Level 3 (£900 course locally), an assistant needs Level 2.

But you can offer a Forest School-style 'approach' in some form by using a particular forest area regularly and using activity ideas in the style of Forest Schools.

Those with Level 3 can make a career of going into schools running Forest Schools, or being employed by a nursery to run a Forest School- that is how these nurseries do it.

[moggy]

Please can someone tell me all about forest schools? How you Join? What they are etc? I notice most outstanding providers do them...do we have to?

No, you don't 'have' to! It is a style of eduaction, like Montessori, that some parents like to buy into. I love Forest School (FS) ethos and try to use an approach where we are outdoors a lot, in the woods using a particular area a lot, activities with natural found materials.

But full-on FS involves children in high-risk activities- like very young children using a bow-saw and knives to carve wood... you really need to know what you are doing, hence the training is important. There might be Forest School sessions you can attend with your mindees- check out your local Wildlife Trust as they run them sometimes.

[BallyH]

I'm not 'in a/run a' forest school. All my lo's attend a preschool that has one so, if I can, I will compliment their planning otherwise we just go into the local woods.

[hulahoops]

There is a forest school association that you can buy into but tbh I don't think it's worth it.
I try to spend as much time as possible outside, even eating outside where possible. Apart from anything it keeps my house clean and tidy!
I use a website called woodlands Trust nature detectives for activity ideas and adapt them to suit the children. We go into the woods with pots and pans and have our mud kitchen there.
I would class myself as an outdoor childminder rather than a forest childminder