Forest School
Forest School at Alkrington Primary School
Forest School is an inspirational child -centred approach. It takes its roots from the Scandinavian ‘friluftsliv’ or ‘free air life’ culture. The approach arrived in the UK in 1993 and has been adopted across the globe as the positive outcomes of Forest School continue to be seen, felt and celebrated.
Forest School offers some much -needed solutions for the many challenges of modern life. When sessions are frequently attended, participants benefit from increased resilience, creativity, confidence and self-esteem along with the development of skills such as problem solving, supported risk -taking and a strong connection to the natural world
Forest School is guided by six key principles;
PRINCIPLE 1 - Forest School is a long-term process
PRINCIPLE 2 - Forest School takes place in a natural wooded environment
PRINCIPLE 3 - Forest School promotes holistic development
PRINCIPLE 4 - Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks
PRINCIPLE 5 - Forest School is ran by qualified practitioners
PRINCIPLE 6 - Forest School uses a range of child-centred processes to create a community for development and learning
See our ‘Forest School: a guide for parents and carers’ brochure attached for more information
What should my child bring?
- Waterproofs—school have spare sets but please provide your own if you have them. All-in-ones make toileting complicated
- Spare clothes—ESSENTIAL as children WILL get dirty and wet!
- Plastic bag—for the wet/muddy clothes
- Layer up—layers can always be removed. It’s more difficult to warm up a cold child in Manchester than cool them down.
- Wellies or walking boots are a MUST. Be sure to add thick woolly socks in winter.
- Long sleeves and trousers—even in summer to avoid nettles and bites.
- Hats—woolly in winter, brimmed in summer.
- Gloves—plus a spare pair as they’ll likely get wet. Waterproof gloves are great!
- Water—Forest School can be thirsty work.
- All PPE will be provided by school when necessary for specific activities.
“There is no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing!” A.Wainwright
For further information about forest school at Alkrington Primary School, please see the Forest School Brochure below: