Forest School Leader Corner: Listen, Read, Watch [August 2020]
As the world deals with a pandemic and health crisis, our thoughts naturally turn to risk. We have rounded up something for you to listen to, something for you to read and something to watch all surrounding risk and forest schools.
Listen
Children of the Forest has a podcast about their very active forest school and their experiences. There is some swearing so it is probably NSFW. Gemma and Lewis are full of humor and advice.
Their most recent podcast is about the vestibular system and sensory inputs. Very enlightening and helpful information to have right now.
Read
Forest Schools has a really great article on the risk and benefits of outdoor learning.
“Forest School is a prime example where children have the opportunity to learn through play, though the understanding and adherence to certain social and physical boundaries and rules, to understand the bigger picture, to know that on a holistic and emotional level, how the world works. It is a whole experience and as such, all the emotions are engaged during Forest Schools, and even though it may not always appear to be of benefit, the highly emotional content of the experience allows the storage of the session and its intricacies deep in the memory. The issue with childhood is that it sets us a foundation of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that shape our beliefs, values, and attitudes towards the world and the opportunities that it offers to us as we grow up.”
Watch
The Forest School Association held a webinar on Encouraging Risk in children. They hosted special guest Dr. Nevin Harper to talk about his research on risk and outdoor play. It was a very interesting discussion on types of risky play and its benefits, as well as providing balance.
Hope you enjoy this month’s roundup. Have a suggestion for a future one? Leave it in the comments.
About the author: Elizabeth Borley
Elizabeth is our forest school administrator, responsible for running the website and managing bookings for afterschool clubs. She is a member of the Forest Childcare Association and loves walking in the woods and places with a view. As a parent, she understands the value of children spending time outdoors.