Playhood’s setting for children is a Montessori nursery located in the garden of a home on a residential street. We have a covered outdoor classroom, green space, devoted areas for digging play and for planting and nurturing plants, as well as the landscaping and flowerbeds that surround the space. The Montessori approach leads with hands-on and sensory experiences that anchor learning in relatable experiences; understanding “education” to be purposeful, joyful and holistic in developing the child, so they appreciate their context in the world. Well, the thinking actually grandly encompasses the interconnectedness of the entire universe(s?), of course, in Maria’s vision for ‘cosmic education’. Fostering respect for all living things; noticing and valuing relationships is at the heart of this.

Today we reflect on our community’s experiences with Forest Schooling and how this has influenced our pedagogy here.

''No-one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced'' - David Attenborough.

Last year, [research](https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-is-allegedly-the-greenest-city-in-europe-081022#:~:text=London came out on top,and 63 green spaces respectively.) showed that London’s 3,000 green spaces make it the leafiest in Europe and our Mayor [plans](https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/parks-green-spaces-and-biodiversity/parks-and-green-spaces#:~:text=With 3%2C000 parks of varying,by railways and roads combined.) to increase the proportion of open space to 50% by 2050. It’s already designated by the UN as an ‘urban forest,’ as trees account for a fifth of its density, and Playhood is fortunate enough to be within easy reach of THREE of the six officially ‘ancient’ and original woodlands which survive in our city. Some Playhood parents have tried forest nursery for their children locally, and beautiful wild Queens Wood is where our staff and mums and dads head with the children on regular outings.

These sessions tune into seasonal markers and change while following the kids’ curiosity and independent discoveries; from tracks to berries, birdwatching to puddle-splashing. Last week, some litter was strewn about and the children were appalled that people could do this! They intuit our role and responsibilities within natural ecosystems. We’ve dug-up and shaped clay, made leafy raceways, given the children their own cameras to document the adventure, and studied frogspawn and insect life together - always balancing inquiry and touch with respect for the creatures - enjoying the absolute immersion in nature you can still find in London, and must, if studies on the value of this to both mental and physical health are correct…

Just two hours a week outside in a natural environment can make significant positive impact, where the mood uplift can last for hours. More so when combined with exercise. Trees themselves absorb pollution through all of their parts so they’re playing a huge role in restoring our wellbeing in their digestion of carbon dioxide! Trees are just so good that it’s logical to wonder, why not spend ALL our time amongst them, especially our youngest humans, whose brains are at their most plastic (having the ability to adapt, aka learn)? The first few years of life develop the vast majority of our brain’s connections, so the richer in experience, the better.

“Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær!” (”There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices!”) - Norse Proverb.

The idea of ‘Forest Schools’ began in Denmark in the 1950s. “Friluftsliv” meaning ‘free air life’ is a valued lifestyle habit across Scandinavia that’s been growing since the 1990s on the UK education scene. Most of our local state primaries have training and dedicated areas for Forest Schooling sessions, while forest-based nursery schools and after-school clubs have been growing rapidly, too.

Forest Schools curriculum are student-led and play-based, with great emphasis on the right and ability to understand their own process of learning and develop skills following their own impulses. Everyone in a Forest School programme is considered equal and valuable, able to explore and eligible to be confronted by challenges and risk that are appropriate for development and growth. Immersion in the forest has individual benefits to self-esteem, focus and attention, coordination and balance and fine motor skills as well as the communication practices of using their voice and developing positive relationships with others.

Boosting their sense of self and independence, Forest School children learn how to assess and take healthy risks. Practitioner:student ratios are often high to ensure support and safety in some of the activities involving things like climbing, fire, and tools. The specific expertise of the adult guides distinguishes Forest School from sessions of ‘outdoor learning’.

A quick summary of the Key Principles:

Long-term commitment to regular forest immersion. The cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review links each session for development opportunities and relationships to grow.
Risk-aware not risk-averse! Never reckless or disrespectful or damaging to the environment.
Fostering resilience, independence and creativity by seeing child development as a holistic process.
Forest education takes place in outdoor natural environments.
Trained guides, who are committed to their continuous learning.
A community of learning is developed by practitioners’ habits of reflection and documentation to centre the student in their own development.

While we might not have rambling acreage, at Playhood there’s a lovely canopy of trees and for our very young children, the garden provides a stimulating space where they interact with a great deal of wildlife and get the chance to grow vegetables and herbs and so on. In summary, with reverence for and inspiration drawn from the Forest Schools movement, at Playhood we see clear complement with the Montessori approach to blend a prepared environment with a natural one in the experience we offer our little wild things. The combination unlocks appreciation for sustainability and ecology because local and seasonal play empowers them in harmony with nature.

“Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath it's shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping… When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength”

- Maria Montessori

Where to find out more

The Principles https://forestschoolassociation.org/full-principles-and-criteria-for-good-practice/

Research and reports

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1618866707000301

https://getchildrenoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/impacts-of-long-term-forest-schools-programmes-on-childrens-resilience-confidence-and-wellbeing.pdf

https://www.intothewoodsnursery.co.uk/benefits-of-outdoor-play.php

Online groups to join

Forum for Forest School ideas to try out and share

https://m.facebook.com/groups/502091570352715/?ref=share&mibextid=kdkkhi

Discussion for Forest School leaders and parents

https://www.facebook.com/groups/124568654451/