Forest School

Nature can have a hugely positive impact on children’s learning and development, so we take full advantage of our beautiful surroundings all year round. Children play, explore, create and discover different things across different seasons, learning to understand and celebrate the world around them.

Does your child love to play outside, to splash with water, build with wet sand or mud, dig in the dirt, plant flowers, hunt for minibeasts, make mud pies and be creative with natural materials?

We strive to take children’s learning out of the classroom and into the great outdoors allowing children to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, be physically active, build stamina and enjoy the fresh air.

In the outdoors, children attempt new challenges and solve problems they would not face in a classroom, adding a sense of excitement and adventure. Being outside also allows children to express themselves freely without space constraints. They can jump, they can shout, and they can explore to their heart’s content.

From mud pies to minibeasts, and from den-building to digging in the dirt, we love seeing the children get creative and enjoy themselves outside!

Forest School helps children build a strong relationship with the natural world and teaches them to become more resilient, confident, independent and creative.

Forest school leaders

Each nursery has an on-site Forest School, allowing children to try new things such as tree climbing, using tools and building fires – all under careful supervision from our qualified level 3 Forest School Leaders and key workers who help them make decisions about staying safe.

Our Forest School Leaders work with key workers across our three nurseries to build and refine a long-term process of outdoor learning and development that:

⦁ Encourages an active lifestyle
⦁ Connects them with nature and the environment
⦁ Builds a love of learning outdoors throughout the changing seasons
⦁ Provides sensory, emotional, interactive and imaginative play experiences
⦁ Develops maths, science and speaking skills
⦁ Encourages independence
⦁ Builds an understanding of risk
⦁ Helps them have fun!

So whether it be rain or shine, snow or winds, our children will be happily exploring the outdoors in their wellies and waterproof trousers (they’re even part of our uniform for the older children). In the words of one Forest School Leader, “there’s no such thing as bad weather; just bad clothing”!