Forest School sessions are going to be a powerful influence on any person participating in them. Asking any group of adults about favourite childhood memories will almost always include stories of the outdoors (Garrick, 2004, pg6). Young children learn best through direct experiences, and are naturally drawn to the outdoors as a satisfying way of achieving this holistic experience (Bilton, 2002, Pg ix). Active learning enables "children to:

• Be autonomous
• Be self-motivated
• Show courage
• Think of others
• Go deep in their learning" (Bruce, 2004, pg106)

"Movement is the door to learning" (Dennison, in Hannaford, 1995, pg96)

Many children with behavioural and learning difficulties have associated motor development delays (Cheatum & Hammond, 2000, pg2), and in Forest School they can succeed and develop at their speed, increasing both their skills and their self-esteem (Cheatum & Hammond, 2000, pg46-47). These effects are being increasingly documented and analysed, for example in the recent paper evaluating Forest School projects in Wales (Murray et al, 2004, pg22). Recent increased awareness of the health advantages of encouraging outdoor play is raising the profile of outdoor provision for all children (Lindon, 2001, pg129; Garrick, 2004, pg10)

With this in mind, Forest School leaders need to inform themselves about the tool they are using, and be aware of their responsibility to remain true to its ethos and ideals.

History

The idea of Forest Schools can be seen in the UK as far back as the mid 19th century, when there were educational opportunities developed by a small number of rather eccentric gentlemen, but this mostly became subsumed into the Scouting or Woodcraft movements in the early part of the 20th century. In the area of early years education the story was different, with Margaret McMillan's work in Bradford, London and Deptford, where she and her sister set up an outdoor nursery in 1914 (Bilton, 2002, Pg 25-26). Susan Isaac's work reinforced this idea from a different philosophical perspective (Lindon, 2001, pg123), and this outdoor tradition remained strong until the 1970s and 80s, when falling school roles led primary schools to develop nursery classes, and the outdoors became a neglected area.

The current manifestation of Forest Schools originated in Sweden in the 1950s as a way of helping youngsters to learn about the natural world through stories, songs and practical experiences. By the 80s it was well established in all the Scandinavian countries. In Denmark it became the answer to a problem, because the growth in their Early Years provision had become bigger than their stock of premises, and it quickly became entrenched because of its value in building independence and self-esteem.

Independence and self-esteem are areas of great concern to Early Years practitioners in this country (for example Bruce, 2004, pg33). We have seen a continuing decline in children's social skills, sense of self-worth and emotional well being over the last twenty years, and ways of tackling the problem have been discussed widely. Bridgewater College in Somerset sent a party of lecturers and trainee nursery nurses to Denmark in 1995, and brought back the Forest School idea. They were encouraged to experiment with these ideas in the college day nursery, and later to extend the opportunities to other students and into the locality.

News of the work being done at Bridgewater College spread, and other groups set up delete this – there are no links on site). Training courses developed, and interest has spread. Bridgewater first discovered that the combination of freedom, responsibility, and being outdoors was particularly beneficial to children with little confidence or challenging behaviours. This spread, and they now also have groups of children with particular needs, school refusers, women's refuges, and every course in the college coming to their 12 wooded areas. Bishops Wood Centre has developed Forest Schools for Worcestershire, and the Forestry Commission in Wales have recently started their own. There are others.

There are clear links with the educational principles of Froebel and Steiner - the emphasis on nature, on being child-led, and on being fun and un-hurried (Garrick, 2004, pg17). They might have recognised these new settings as schools, but many modern teachers, straight-jacketed by the time constraints of the National Curriculum, may not feel able to. Children are not taugh t, nor even shown. They find out for themselves. There are strong roots in the early years - we have always known that this is how children learn best. Other programmes are remediation for what has been missed out on in early childhood, or has gone wrong since. And the tide is at last behind the ideas. So it is important to link our work to the established curricula, in order to help our mainstream colleagues to enable them to appreciate and justify the inclusion of Forest Schools into their provision.

What do Forest Schools Do?

The strength, and therefore the emphasis, of Forest Schools has been on their powerful effect on children's confidence, self-esteem, and independence. This has been visible, measurable and recorded, as the booklets from Bridgewater of articles and testimonials shows ( Bridgewater, various). These skills are essential for children to maximise their potential. I could refer you to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs here (Gross, 1990, pg 652, and many other sources). After physiological needs such as food and drink come safety needs, which is a part of independence, then love and belonging and esteem needs. These come before cognitive & aesthetic needs, and are increasingly in short supply in our society.

The fact that all of this is achieved outside, preferably in a wood, links those good feelings to the environment, and gives children love and respect for the world around them. I'm sure that those of us who ran freely across our own patches of earth as children can relate to that.

But the benefits are wider and greater. We are short-changing ourselves if we don't recognise these, too. There are physical benefits - making exercise fun lays the foundations to a healthier lifestyle (Tabbush & O'Brian, 2002, introduction). Exercise increases the metabolic rate and therefore the rate of calorie consumption - countering the growing problem of obesity in children and young people, and lowering the risks of heart disease. Bone density is determined in childhood, and bone is laid down in response to exercise, so it helps prevent osteoporosis in later life. That and muscle strength improve injury resistance. The fresh air is good for asthmatics. Woods are relaxing and de-stressing. Many of these benefits are invisible and hard to measure over the short term. This does not mean that they are not there, or are not important, and therefore should be trumpeted.

In our fear-filled world children do not get the chance to take risks and therefore to learn about danger. Risk assessments are an important part of setting up Forest Schools, and of the preparation for every session, but once we are sure that the children are as safe as we would wish, we need to let them take reasonable risks (Bonel & Lindon, 2000, pg94). That is the way in which they learn about what is and is not dangerous, and what they are or are not capable of. A child who has grown up climbing trees is much less likely to lose their balance when climbing than a child who has never tested their own body. And a child who is confident about herself is less likely to put herself at risk by succumbing to dares and similar peer-pressure.

This also includes less dramatic forms of risk such as getting dirty. Forest Schools actively encourage children to puggle, poke and roll. Getting dirty is going to be a by-product, and managing their personal hygiene for snack, drinks and toilet around that inevitable fact is part of their learning. Children who are exposed to this natural range of bugs and germs are likely to be healthier, having greater levels of resistance and greater knowledge about their hygiene needs.

Why are Forest Schools Important?

From the above I hope you get a sense of how beneficial I believe a Forest School experience to be for children. Too many children are "processed" through a system of childcare and schooling that leaves them socially inept, emotionally barren, intellectually under-stimulated and isolated from their own environment. And we expect these children to care long-term for the plight of other people and the natural world?

If we can offer children the chance to connect with themselves and their environment, or to re-connect when the processing has disaffected them, then we can expect to have a strong foundation for our other environmental work. Otherwise despair - as one of my FE colleagues once said to me of a class of aspiring care workers: "Would you want to be looked after by this lot in your old age?"

How Does It Happen?

There is a framework to the sessions and consistent features emerge:

• It happens all year, in all weathers. Groups are suitably warned that the Scandinavians believe that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
• There is a regularity of visits. Most Early Years groups are looking at ½ day, once a week, for a year. Older groups do 6 - 10 week stints of full days. Anything less is classed as a taster, not a life-changing experience.
• The content of the sessions can vary slightly between the groups, and the ethos of the individual leaders influences things a bit. But generally you are looking at a period of orienteering - with the Early Years that involves the leader going to them first, to build trust and understanding, before taking them out to the site. This may involve looking at objects from nature, exploring the nursery garden, and story telling. And having a session with parents to explain and reassure.
• The next stage is establishing negotiated ground rules about how far they can go from the adults, how close to sit to the campfire. Once in the wood, groups construct a shelter of some kind. The particular centre bit of the wood used by a group is theirs for the duration of their visits, so that a den being worked on is not disturbed by anyone else.
• Then there are explorations, stories and songs, which is a process that builds and develops. I am anxious not to be too prescriptive about the content of the sessions for two reasons. Firstly, the ethos is to be child-led, and to prescribe content is to restrict the range of the possible. Recently I had the privilege to observe a three-year old at play with a dog and a stick under the shelter of a tree. They all seemed fully engaged, concentrating deeply, getting a lot from the experience, but I would be hard pressed to say what they were doing. The Forest School should provide all young participants with the time and space to follow their own star - or stick! Secondly, your initial training will have deepened your understanding about how sessions can be structured. One thing it is, however, is oral - there are no books, manuals or clipboards in the Forests, other than the things needed for emergency procedures, like registers.
• At the end of whatever length of visits there is a closure - with Early Years that may be a picnic or an over-night camp with all of their family involved and invited to share what they have been doing.

Bibliography

Bilton, H. 2002 (2 nd edt)Outdoor Play in the Early Years, London, David Fulton Publishers
Bonel, P. & Lindon, J. 2000 (2 nd edt), Playwork; a guide to good practice, Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes (Publisher) Ltd
Bruce, T. 2004, Developing Learning in Early Childhood, London, Paul Chapman Publishing
Cheatum, B. & Hammond, A. 2000, Physical Activities for Improving Children's Learning and Behaviour, USA, Human Kinetics
Garrick, R. 2004, Playing Outdoors in the Early Years, London, Continuum International Publishing Group
Gross, R. 1990, Psychology; the science of mind and behaviour, London, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Hannaford, C. 1995, Smart Moves; why learning is not all in your head, USA, Great Ocean Publishers
Lindon, J. 2001, Understanding Children's play, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd
Murray, R. 2004, Forest School Evaluation Project; a study in Wales, report carried out by NEF (New Economics Foundation) http://www.neweconomics.org/
Tabbush, T. & O'Brian, L., 2003, Health and Well-being; trees, woodlands and natural spaces, Edinburgh, Forestry Commission