Forest Schools
VALUES
Inspire
The first act of a new born is to inspire, to take in breath, and from that moment onwards we never stop inspiring.
We know that Forest Schools has an opportuntiy to inspire and that our techniques and approaches are the means of creating genuine experiences for the purpose of inspriation and transformation.
To that end, we recognise that we must inspire individuals to become ambassadors for nature and champions for welbeing. We have an opportunity to support them in harnessing their potental and passion towards that which speaks to their truest self and to pass onto them that same inspiration that we have been given on our journey.
Aspire
To aspire is to be on a journey.
We believe in building aspirations for our trainees at every level in terms of their ability to achieve, apply the approach in a diverse range of situations and to transform the lives of those they mentor.
We will build an aspiration for becoming a Forest Schools practitioner and working to use our shared approach to create experiences that can affext the wellbeing and self worth of a person. They will be encouraged with the aspiration of succeeding in new areas of study in order to create those experiences, whether it is in woodland skills, education theory or programme planning.
Transform
To be inspired to change and to aspire to that change are important foundations, however the process of growth is in itself a core element of Forest Schools.
In being able to transform, we become able to create and re-create ourselves as we wish. Transformational learning is a process that allows anyone to learn how to learn. It focuses on the core ability and qualities of a person and helps create a sense of self awareness, which then becomes a foundation for personal development.
Forest School is a type of outdoor education in which children (or adults) visit forest/woodlands, learning personal, social and technical skills. It has been defined as "an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence through hands-on learning in a woodland environment."
Forest School uses the woods and forests as a means to build independence and sel-esteem in children and young adults. Topics are cross curriculum (broad in subject) including the natural environment, for example the role of trees in society, the complex ecosystem supported by a wilderness, and recognition of specific plants and animals. However, the personal skills are considered highly valuable, such as teamwork and problem solving. The woodland environment may be used to learn about more abstract concepts such as mathematics and communication. Forest school provision is also called nature schools.
