Supporting Forest School Leaders & delivering excellence in education!
Equipping educationalist, youth group leaders and many more besides to deliver great, safe outdoor experiences as well as meeting curriculum needs. Regular training sessions are run and Wrekin Forest School. Sessions can also be brought to your environment too! See our ‘Events’ listing for 2024 dates and prices.
CPD training……..inspiring, bespoke training delivered to you for all your team to meet the individual needs of your school environment. Helping you link the curriculum to outdoor learning, inspire site development & give you practical solutions to problems. Getting a whole school onboard with learning outdoors. Staff meeting or whole day sessions. Let us put together a bespoke experience to reinvigorate your team or just get you started.
Being a Level 2 Outdoor Learning practitioner….gain skills and confidence in taking their curriculum outdoors. This course is a wonderful adaptation of Level 3 that allows educational establishments to get kids outdoors and still meet learning targets.
Getting children out of the four walls of a classroom is critical for so many children, too often children flounder in an enclosed environment, but once outside in the natural environment they can thrive. We endeavour to show that children and young people can have the opportunity to shine outdoors.
I am passionate about getting kids and adults outdoors, together we can change lives and still tick essential boxes.
This is a practical, accessible & supportive course helping you to make a success in implementing a programme of Outdoor Learning.
Course Content Summary:
- To feel confident that FS & outdoor learning opportunities are an essential aspect to any child’s educational experience, mental & physical wellbeing, we will look at some theorists and their philosophies & consider the importance of a holistic approach to learning & development.
- Participants begin to understand how to develop their sites & use new skills to enhance the overall educational & learning experience & environment of children in their own setting no matter what area that may be.
- To be confident to provide a stimulus to learning whilst providing a setting for children to explore freely & to evaluate possible learning from each experience.
- To use collaborative activities, for example ‘Nature Detective’ search sheets…touchy feely finds….leaf hunt, colours or shape, in pairs or groups. Instilling cooperation with peers.
- To demonstrate that being outside can enhance teamwork, develop self-esteem, allow children & young people to assess risk, develop relationships, make mistakes, assess own learning & tick curriculum boxes.
- Participants confident to implement new skills & approach & assess risk considering the benefits versus the risk.
- Assess the appropriateness of tools for age and ability groups.
- Where to start & progression.
- Create a piece of self created woodcraft to take away to use in their future teaching….a mallet, spinning top, spiky hedgehog, maths game, medallion, whistle etc
- To be confident to explore topics and deliver sessions that can tick curriculum requirements whilst maintaining child led activity.
- Feeling confident to expand the way children & young people respond in their outdoor environment, expanding their understanding of empathy & self-esteem.
- To allow trainees to gain confidence in using games to expand team work amongst children without the need for there to be right and wrong.
- Understanding the purpose of shelter/den building. Confidence with tying at least two knots.
- To be confident to explore topics and deliver sessions that can tick curriculum requirements whilst maintaining child led activity.
- Feeling confident to expand the way children & young people respond in their outdoor environment, expanding their understanding of empathy & self-esteem.
- Confident to light a fire for a purpose. Confident to use a fire in a safe way with children to complete a task.
Personal, social and emotional development
Build self esteem, foster an environment that encourages independence, co-operation, team work and builds self confidence. Respect for living things and each other. Sharing experiences with peers and adults. Learning to assess safety for themselves and take measured risks. Connecting with natural is known to develop mental wellbeing.
Discovering ways to use the outdoors to create an inclusive environment using creative and engaging learning opportunities where all will grow.
Mathematical development
Handling and using natural objects gives purpose to counting. Sorting shapes, colours and sizes. Measuring, problem solving and calculating. Observing and making patterns in nature and recognising shapes whilst exploring.
‘How many children can fit in our boat?’ ‘How many cones can we collect today?”
Use The Hungry Caterpillar story to explore repeating patterns with two different green painted stones to make the caterpillar body.
Physical development
Simply being on the move. Spatial awareness, balancing, negotiating and moving obstacles. Using a variety of real tools creatively and safely. If an activity can move from the school hall to a natural space the benefits grow. Shelter building allows children to access a range of skills from physical development to Personal and Social Skills to using language to communicate and cooperate.
Communication, language and literacy
Listening to instructions, discussing findings, new vocabulary, sharing ideas, story telling, songs and rhymes. Mark making in the mud. Keeping a diary.
The Hungry Caterpillar ticks so many boxes, including story telling and order the story with painted story stones, tactile and textures makes learning so much more fun.
Creative development
Dancing, music making, picture making using natural materials. Mud painting. Role play and imaginative play. Goldsworthy is a great example of outdoor art.
Lesson Plans for Outdoor Learning
Over many years of Forest School and outdoor learning I have created fantastic lesson plans and wonderful story packs all designed to get your learning outdoors. Fabulous shelter building packs too.
Call 07888851813 or contact us by email:
info@wrekinforestschool.co.uk