Forest Schools

I know , two blogs one after the other but I am so excited to share a 15min video I discovered:     Forest Schools
Although my kids attend a Waldorf school and I love it I do wish there was more outdoor forest experience regardless of the weather on a daily basis. They visit ravines once a week and often come home muddy but frankly I would love it if they spent every morning outside particularly in the ECE years. I would also love a March Break camp that focused on the outdoors but I can't find one! I actually went to book a yurt at Silent Lake for some winter camping and not only were they booked for the season but every other park that has yurts were also booked.
Now that the kids can skate and ski we are loving winter! Quite some time ago I watched a grainy DVD of an outdoor school that was Waldorf based in a Norway, I think, where the children do everything outside. There is outdoor cooking etc and there are waiting lists for this school! But this video that I discovered is from the UK and is part of a growing movement of Forest Schools- Enjoy and be inspired to let kids muck about in the woods and encourage your teachers to do so too!

Comments

[sue]

Very inspiring. Your classes' weekly trip to the ravine sounds like the UK school's weekly trip to the forest. I think the video really expresses well why we (Waldorf Schools) put so much emphasis on outdoor experiences, and it makes me realize this aspect should be featured more in our school's promotional literature. I hadn't thought about the expressive languge, confidence and security benifits of time spent in nature. Our young children spend considerable time outside, in all weather, as well. But we don't have much forest experience. Teachers, bundled up like their chldren in snow pants and mittens, supervise their charges from the knoll as the little ones dig in the snow,cross the open spaces on all fours as artic wolves, or discover animal tracks. They slide on crazy carpets and I believe the skating rink will go in this week. THe footbridge, just off the school property, allows easy access to the Thames River bank for other outdoor adventures Fall and spring. But the mud....I haven't seen that much mud since Ash and Lind were at Waldorf school in the east end . Daily changes of clothes and 2 rain suits per child...and plastic covers on the car seats were required in the spring for sure!But they, like the children in the film, loved it!
Hey, Jen...book now for the 2010 yurt camping experiences!!!
(URLs automatically linked.)

[Monika Aebischer]

Jen, there was just in the recent Mothering magazine an article about "forest" schools in Zürich Switzerland. If you like, I can see if I can dig that magazine up for you to read. I also remember my girlfriend in Switzerland telling me how her children in kindergarten got to spend one night each year sleeping in a teepee in the forest. Sort of as a passage. As well, one day a week, no matter if rain or shine, they went to the woods, put on a fire and had to bring a lunch that could be cooked on a stick. They made "snakebread", dough wrapped around a stick and ate it around the fire... how cool is that!

I love it when i pick Huxley up and he is all muddy and dirty.. means he had a chance on being a child.

[JenJen]

That is so cool- I would love to see that article! I wonder how difficult it is to get a fire permit for parks in city during the winter- they do for summer??

[Mon]

I would love this too! It sounds amazing. i recently heard someone mention it on a list. Inspiring.