Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2013 | Page 61

COUNTRY LIFE Fu n in the woods! Early Years practitioners and Childcare students from the Isle of Wight College have been having fun in the woods with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, discovering through first-hand experience what Forest School is all about. Trust education staff Kathy Grogan and Ric Temple offer training courses which teach practical skills and ideas as well as an understanding of the importance of outdoor learning and how it supports the National Curriculum. The training also considers health and safety and the management of risk in play, giving participants the confidence to take children beyond the tarmac play area. “Giving children access to nature is so important and people are losing sight of how much a child learns about the world they live in through simple outdoor play activities like building dens or bug hunting. We’re thrilled that the courses have been so popular with Island play workers and Reception teachers and hope to continue them,”