Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 70

life

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

New Forest School
Gets Off To A Flyer
Working with children and inspiring
them about wildlife is a big part of the
work of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight
Wildlife Trust. A really interesting project
is underway on the Isle of Wight as the
Wildlife Trust works with Barton School
to promote the Island’s first Forest
School.
Forest School is a method of teaching
in an outdoor classroom, usually a
woodland, where children are given
opportunities to explore the natural
environment throughout the seasons
through games and activities. They are
set small, achievable tasks, promoting
independence, and raising self-confidence
and self esteem.
Typical activities include outdoor
cooking, art work using natural materials,
using tools to make wooden items such as
whistles, charcoal making, designing and
building shelters, taking part in scavenger
hunts and playing sensory games.
Each group attends Forest School for
at least six two hour sessions, usually at
weekly intervals. The leaders are trained
to support child-centred learning and
recognise different learning styles, helping
the children to build up their skills. High
staffing ratios ensure the children are
able to fully participate in the activities,
including using tools, in a safe and secure
setting. Forest School can be adapted
to suit children in the Foundation Stage
through to young adults and has been
found to be particularly valuable to
youngsters who struggle with the confines
of a traditional classroom.

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By Abi Jarvis
Forest School leader, and Hampshire &
Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Education
Officer, Kathy Grogan is thrilled with the
results of the project.
“Barton School was a great place to
start – it’s a real community school where
staff are very aware of the needs of the
individual child.” said Kathy.
“Children always love outdoor activities,
but Forest School takes them a bit further
than the usual bug hunts and pond
dipping. They have particularly enjoyed
cooking on the campfire and using
tools, and some have really relished the
opportunity to get muddy!”
For the qualified leaders there are the

Water Vole by Darin Smith

usual required skills for leading any
group of children. Kathy adds that, “The
most important thing is that you are
comfortable in the outdoors - if getting
muddy, smelling of wood smoke, wearing
waterproofs and woollies and getting
up close and personal with a variety of
creepy crawlies fills you with dread then it
really isn't for you! As a leader you need
to be flexible in your approach so that
the children are allowed to explore and
discover things for themselves.”
Activities dovetail into the National
Curriculum and links can occur in
surprising ways. Kathy explains, “We
create 'tree faces' - a kind of outdoor art
using mud and other natural materials. I
get the children to make them and they

Water Vole by Chris Bean

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