When I started a full-time outdoor nursery, Little Forest Folk, in 2015, most people questioned what I was doing. People wanted to know what would make me leave my secure job to start a nursery chain. And the answer to that is simple. Because I am passionate about the benefits that outdoor learning brings to our children and the type of people that it shapes them to become in the future. Since 2015 we have launched a further six nursery sites and most recently Liberty Woodland School in 2019, the UK’s first full-time outdoor primary and secondary school.
What is Forest School?
Forest School is an education programme that takes place primarily in outdoor environments, typically in natural settings such as forests, woodlands or other natural landscapes.
Parents can be aware that children and young people adore forest school and many schools now offer a weekly forest school session, but why is outdoor learning so important an experience to offer to our children?
Many parents associate forest school with the early years, seeking out glorious forest nurseries where young children can spend their days immersed in awe and wonder, happy in freedom of time and space, focusing on developing their independence, their curiosity, their creativity, their resilience and their confidence.
At our school we don’t stop with outdoor learning. Yes, it’s vital in the early years that we provide our children with the foundations for the rest of their lives, however this style of learning can and should continue in primary and secondary years. In our school, as in many schools, Forest School isn’t the goal. Forest school or outdoor learning is merely the vehicle by which an education can be delivered which develops young people into those most likely to succeed in the 21st century.
If we start from the end, what do we dream of for our young people to be, to have, to achieve when they are adults? What skills, attributes and knowledge do we want to develop in our young people to ensure they have every possible door of opportunity open to them in the future? If we look at the World Economic Forum 2022 The Future of Jobs report, we can see what skills are being highlighted as essential to develop. We should be focusing on these skills each and every day within education in order to prepare our young people for a world that is ever changing and ever evolving.
Forest School, or outdoor learning, when delivered well, offers a myriad of opportunities to develop these crucial and high demand skills such as complex problem solving, critical thinking and analytical skills. Young people can engage in hands-on, experiential learning through activities such as observing wildlife, identifying plants, building shelters, and problem-solving in a natural setting. They encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and decision-making skills, as children learn to navigate, risk assess, hypothesise about and understand the natural world. These skills are developed in a way that is not only deeper, but it’s more fun and leads to learning being more memorable.
Creativity, originality, ideation and initiative all come from giving children the freedom to explore how to tackle challenges and real world problems. Emotional intelligence and emotional wellbeing are developed through the supportive and nurturing natural environment. Through rich PHSE teaching young people can be developed into emotionally resilient, empathetic and self-regulating individuals. We know that in the uncertain, exciting and challenging world ahead of our young people, emotional intelligence and resilience has to be made an absolute priority for overall well being. Simply being in nature has a calming effect on the mind and can help reduce stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions.
Leadership skills and the ability to socially influence are developed through cooperative play, teamwork and communication. Young people learn to work together, to share resources, to think critically and problem solve together, sparking off each other and building upon each other’s ideas. Social bonds are strengthened along with a strong sense of community. We often see children who are quiet indoors becoming leaders in a forest school environment.
Forest schools provide opportunities for children to face challenges, take risks, and develop resilience and adaptability. Nature can be unpredictable, and Forest Schools offer a safe and supportive environment for children to learn how to take risks, overcome obstacles, solve problems, and develop coping skills. This helps children develop resilience and adaptability that can be then applied to other areas of their lives.
Not on the list of most in demand skills and attributes in the WE Forum report is the incredibly important connection to nature that forest schools provide. A deep, meaningful and regular connection to a natural environment fosters a sense of wonder, awe, and appreciation for the natural world, leading to a lifelong affinity for nature and a desire to protect it. As Sir David Attenborough said, ‘Nobody is going to protect the natural world unless they first love it’. It constantly amazes me how socially responsible and incredibly talented innovators we have at our school. They are the next generation who are going to change the world. Spending time in nature and learning about the natural world from an early age has cultivated a strong sense of environmental awareness and stewardship. Our young people have developed habits we can see will last a lifetime of sustainability, conservation, and environmental advocacy.
As parents, if you have the opportunity for your child to engage in regular, deep, meaningful and purposeful outdoor learning or forest school, grab it with both hands as it is an enriching educational experience that will have a positive and lasting impact on your child’s life. Your child will thank you for it as it makes them happy, gives them freedom and supports their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Your future young adult will thank you for it as it will have provided them with the gift of developing the skills and attributes they need to be the most successful people of the 21st century.
Leanna Barrett is the founder of Liberty Woodland School and her first book, Little Forest Folk: How to raise happy, healthy children who love the great outdoors is out now available from Amazon.