Forest school is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn outside and connect with nature.
Drawing upon the principles of outdoor kindergarten practices in Scandinavia, it provides experiential, hands-on and child-led learning in the natural environment.
During the Covid-19 situation we are taking special measures with all our Forest School sessions. Contact us to find out more.
What we offer
Our workshops are delivered by experienced and qualified Forest School leaders. They have been proven to help children build confidence, self-awareness, and social and teamwork skills. Children have time to connect with themselves and others, understand their inner needs and become owners of their own freedom. They can explore the environment following their own interests and pace and develop a deeper affinity with nature while improving health and well-being.
Forest School focuses on creating a safe space for children to develop emotional intelligence, empathy and connection, without the impositions that are typical of a school environment, such as directed learning, rules and scheduled time, compulsory objectives and the pressure related to performance. Our sessions offer children a space where they are free to decide what they want to do, how and when. The adults facilitate this process.
Activities include:
- making a fire and campfire cooking
- learning bushcraft skills
- making natural material crafts
- exploring the space through games or challenges and learn about local habitats
- climbing trees and test the benefits of taking risk within a safe environment
- lots of time for essential free play
How Forest School Works
Usually we take the children to a green space closest to their school. As we are located in central London, this is usually a local park. We make the best out of the green areas that we can access and feel lucky that Hackney offers so many nature spots and diverse habitats, despite being a densely-populated urban area.
Our Forest Schools help children to connect with the nature around them, learn to enjoy it, and feel responsible for it. We particularly welcome children with less access to green spaces, and with needs, so that we can offer an opportunity that they might not access otherwise.
Our current projects are funded by Children in Need. For local primary schools, we offer 12-week programmes - weekly sessions with a selected group of children (usually 15).
NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR AUTUMN TERM 2020!
We also offer a range of sessions with focus on different topics and can provide one-off workshops or full programmes for schools, community groups and children’s parties. Please contact us for further information or to make a booking.
