Latest News: Forest School Wild Park is relaunching!
Since October, Philippa has been providing Forest School for Brighton families in the beautiful Wild Park near the Moulescoomb area of Brighton every Saturday morning during term time on a drop-in basis. I am currently in the process of re planning this in order to make the experience more targeted at particular age groups. If you would like to be on the mailing list, please contact me at philippasnell@gmail.com
FOREST SCHOOL IN EAST SUSSEX AND SURREY
Philippa provides creative Forest School programmes for school groups and parents in woodland sites across the South East, including Laughton in East Sussex and Dorking in Surrey. Philippa is based in the Brighton area and will organise Forest School in your school grounds or in a local woodland.
Sessions last 2 hours (minimum) and are suitable for ages 5 - 19. Philippa specialises in Forest School Drama and Literacy programmes and also has experience working with children with special needs and emotional and behavioural difficulties. Please do not hesitate to Email or call to discuss your group and particular needs.
WHAT IS FOREST SCHOOL?
The more high tech we become, the more nature we need.
Richard Louv, Author of Last Child in the Woods
Forest School is an outdoor learning approach where children or young people are lead by a qualified Forest School practitioner in a woodland or natural environment that is, ideally, situated within reach of the participant’s community. Forest School is complimentary to mainstream education and takes place over a long period of time with sessions of regular frequency.
The aim of Forest School is to provide a safe, outdoor learning environment, which increases a child’s confidence, independence and self-esteem through developing a relationship with the natural world. The methods used by Forest School practitioners are process-orientated and child-centred with observation and adaptation at the centre of all planning and delivery. Activities are set up to be achievable and children are encouraged to follow their own curiosity and take appropriate risks. Practitioners are also rained to facilitate the development of Emotional literacy and cooperation skills through activities that are challenging, satisfying and, above all, FUN!
Forest school originates from Scandinavia, where the outdoors has long been an integrated part of education, and has been flourishing across Britain since the 1990’s. The benefits that Forest School brings to Children’s confidence and ability to cope with the pressures of mainstream education have been widely recognised. In particular, the sensory experiences and physical exploration of space is a highly effective antidote to contemporary problems associated with restrictions in free play, digitalised/screen based life and disorders such as ADHD.
From a global perspective, Forest School offers a sustainable, long-term vision of education that nurtures the individual and the wider community. Forest School aims to help a generation to grow with a personal connection to their own natural environment and the skills, knowledge and creativity to take part in a more sustainable future.
What kinds of things will they actually do?
Fire making, physical games, woodcraft, problem solving, cooking, mud sculptures, natural history, animal tracking, forest furniture, plant identification, drawing, building shelters, story telling, Drama, puppets, jewellery-making, lantern building, group discussions, tree climbing, learning knots, survival skills, bushcraft skills. And more.
More information about professional training and research into the benefits of Forest School, outdoor learning and multiple intelligences can be found on my links page.