What is Forest School at Free Rangers all about?
Forest School is a unique way of facilitating learning by focusing on the big outdoors and the holistic development of the child. This is a key approach to learning which underpins the Free Rangers’ ethos and is incorporated into our daily learning plan.
We are hugely fortunate at Free Rangers to have access to the surrounding twenty acres of land. Forest School sessions are run in our woodland, the orchard or in the immediate outdoor environment leading directly from the nursery.
Each Forest School session is planned to maximise the children’s enjoyment, and is delivered by a qualified Level 3 Forest School practitioner. Sessions are designed to develop:
- Communication skills
- Ability to identify, interpret and manage risk
- Levels of curiosity, perseverance, enthusiasm and motivation
- Intellectual capabilities; many relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage
- Physical development
- Social and emotional wellbeing
Perhaps uniquely, Forest School encourages children to reflect on their place in the world and develop an altruistic outlook. It places emphasis on respecting themselves, each other, their wider community and the environment.
