Our Forest School Practitioners Are: Fiona, Beth and Soraya



fiona     beth     soraya

We are proud that we are the only nursery in the Skipton area who are able to offer Forest School as part of our EYFS Curriculum Offer. 

It is important to remember that Forest School is not merely outdoor learning.  Both have distinct advantages for play, development and wellbeing but they are not the same.  Forest School is an approach to engaging with the outdoors, led by a trained Forest School leaders.  Its ethos is built on the holistic experience of the child, led by the child, for the child.

Forest School Handbook

Nursery Room - Web Versions 54
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Nursery Room
Preview 13
Toddler Room - Web Versions 88
Nursery Room - Web Versions 39
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Our Forest School Approach

All children in Toddlers and Nursery School get an opportunity to attend Forest School, which is based in an area known as 'The Wilderness', a mere ten minute walk from the nursery school.

Typically, children will attend Forest School in groups of 6-8 children, with a second member of staff supporting the session. Sessions take place in three week blocks, with one session, ~2h in length per week. We aim for each child to attend Forest School at least 6 times in the year.

What is Forest School?

Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.

Forest School has a developmental ethos shared by thousands of trained practitioners around the world, who are constantly developing their learning styles and skills to support new and imaginative learners. Its roots reach back to the open-air culture, friluftsliv, or free air life, seen as a way of life in Scandinavia where Forest School began.



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Activities at Forest School

We have all sorts of adventures at Forest School. Some of the things we have done include:

  • Cooking on a Kelly Kettle > We have made soup, spring rolls, scrambled eggs, 'fakeon' butties and even flat breads!
  • We have gone on listening walks, using our sense of hearing to explore the woods.
  • We have gone fishing in the Wilderness Beck (where the woodland gets its name).
  • We have made snacks for reindeer.
  • We've built dens to shelter us from the rain.
  • We've created a map of the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff', and accurately retold the story.
  • We've made hedgehogs out of clay and natural resources we've found in the woods.
  • We've been on minibeast hunts and build bug hotels
  • We have even hunted for elephant poo, as part of a nursery school project based on the story 'Handa's Surprise'.
  • We've looked for the colours of autumn and created 'Leaf Man' inspired sculptures.
  • We've played hide and seek, climbed 'the mountain' and rolled down the slope.
  • We've crossed the stepping stones, 'trip trapped' our way over the bridge and splashed in the beck.
  • We've told stories at every session and sung songs on every walk home.
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What Does Forest School Do For Us?

  • Provides opportunities of risk, challenge and adventure.
  • Develops team working and social skills.
  • Embraces child led learning.
  • Reconnects children to nature and place.
  • Provides opportunities for outdoor learning.
  • Opportunities for active and experiential learning through play.
  • The ethos of Forest School focuses on raising confidence and self-esteem, through the provision of small, repeatable tasks and nurturing their personal, social and emotional development through the development of their social and team-working skills

Forest school is situated among contemporary movements in education and child development (Harris, F. (2018) Outdoor learning spaces: The case for the forest school area, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp222-231)