Forest School
In my last semester of school, I had recently completed a practicum at a Forest School where I fell in love with inquiry, play, and place-based learning. This type of learning originated in Denmark and Sweden, which branched off of the “free-looft-shliv” which is a movement translated to “open-air living”.
A little bit about Forest Schools
Forest schools go by many names, such as Rain-or-Shine School, Nature School, Bush School, Outdoor School, Tree School, and more… Forest schools are still relatively new, with the first Forest school in Canada opening in 2007 in Ottawa, Ontario. And although there are so many names and variations of what a Forest school is… someone had to decide what defined a forest school, and the Child & Nature Alliance (CNAC) did just that.
Principals of a Forest school (CNAC 2021)
1) Takes place in any outdoor space, including urban green space, playgrounds, forests, creeks, prairies, mountains, shoreline, and tundra.
2) Is a sustained process of regular and repeated sessions in the same outdoor space, supporting children to develop a reciprocal relationship with the Land, and an understanding of themselves as a part of the natural world.
3) Views children and youth as innately competent, curious, and capable learners.
4) Is led by educators who share power with learners through play-based, emergent, and inquiry-driven teaching and learning methods.
5) Values children’s play — self-directed, freely chosen, intrinsically motivated — in and of itself. FNS programs provide adequate time and space for children and youth to dive deeply into their play.
6) Views risky play as an integral part of children’s learning and healthy development, and is facilitated by knowledgeable, qualified educators who support children and youth to co-manage risk.
7) Relies on loose, natural materials to support open-ended, creative play and learning.
8) Values the process as much as the outcome.
9) Prioritizes building reciprocal relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, who have been learning from this Land since time immemorial.
10) Practices, policies, and programming reflect and prioritize the building of engaged, healthy, vibrant, and diverse communities through consideration of access and equity in our decisions and actions.
Now that we know that Forest schools are outdoor-based, repeated space, child-led programs that encourage children to learn and develop skills that rely on prioritizing relationship building and engaging with the land. What are the benefits?
From my perspective, here is are key learning experiences that come from outdoor learning:
Risky Play: is play that involves risk and learning from the risk.
Eg. Risk of falling off a playground, climbing a tree, or using a hammer to name a few… Participants who experience Risky Play gain awareness from their experiences which allows them to gain a better understanding of risk. This awareness allows participants to better understand their limits and know where their boundaries are when it comes to safety. Obviously there is a huge line between risky play and neglect. There are ways to minimize the risks such as teaching participants how to use tools properly, safety rules (eg. you may climb a tree as high as a teacher can reach, that way if a child does get stuck or falls you can help them), and site checks so that participants may gain the full experience of risky play, with consequences that are within reason.
Play-Based Learning: As it is for many animals, play is intrinsic.
This means that play is instinctual, it is not something that is taught but it is something we humans do naturally that helps us understand the world around us. Through play, we explore, move, and engage with our surroundings and learn. Play is imaginative, fun, explorative, spontaneous, and is individually rewarding.
Inquiry-Based Learning: emphasizes the participant’s role in learning.
This is when a participant questions how something works, why it exists, or what is its function? Rather than being told what to learn the participant of Inquiry-Based Learning explore their surroundings and ask questions or share ideas on what they are learning about.
Real-Time Learning: is when a participant can learn in the moment.
Real-Time learning is very much connected to inquiry-based learning in that the participant is learning in the moment. Asking a question and gaining the answer in the moment.
Fosters a Love for Nature: Through my research, many studies showed that Outdoor Learning fostered a love for nature and care for the environment. Students who participated in these schools showed higher respect for nature, appreciation for nature, and take responsibility to take care of nature.
Healthy Development: is the development of social, emotional, and physical needs.
Outdoor learning benefits Healthy development in a variety of ways from physical health through physical fitness, fine and gross motor skills, reduces stress and anxiety, Improves confidence, builds social skills, and fosters the formation of identity. It builds confidence and competence in movement which has been proven to help participants to be active throughout their lifetime.
Social-Emotional Learning: is developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal relationship.This type of learning is crucial as it is how we interact with those around us, react to situations we are faced with, and what makes our coping mechanisms. These skills are the base of how participants cope with challenges and are an integral part of how we integrate ourselves into our communities.
Other research has also expressed that outdoor learning is a more beneficial form of learning for participants with varying abilities, those who are on spectrums, and those with mental health conditions.
All of these skills are an integral part of growth and development and key to success in learning, so why isn’t every school a nature school?
This is the question I ask myself as we sit through a global pandemic… Well, the issue seems to be that there is a fair amount of research stating that this type of learning is important and sometimes even more beneficial than traditional school methods. However, the argument that can be made is that there are simply not enough studies. I also know that there are many teachers who do utilize the outdoors in their daily classes, and to those teachers I appreciate you! However, this question of why aren’t forest schools recognized as institutions has led me to my rabbit hole where I have looked into the requirements of what makes a Forest school and I have realized that Forest schools face a ton of barriers. Insurance, finding locations, and the lack of a school board. And if there was a school board would be able to be unique enough to fit every schools needs? The current schools that are in Alberta are majorly focused on pre-school-age children because it is not seen as an educational institution like schools are due to its lack of governing body. This does not mean that it is not possible, it just has not happened yet in Alberta from what I have seen. Many organizations are working hard to promote outdoor learning (CNAC, Outdoor Play Canada, Forest School Canada, to name a few). But this still leaves me with the question of how do we get outdoors and learn?…
Here is hoping we can find out together. Thanks so much for going on this adventure with me.
Hope to catch you outside.
-Jen
