What’s new?
24 January 2007
Forest Schools at Randalls Farm
Pilot programme is a resounding success
Since September 2006, staff at Randalls Farm have been delivering a Forest School pilot programme, working with groups of 12 children at a time from 16 different schools in Bedfordshire.
The Forest School principle was brought over from Scandinavia. It is based on the idea that being outside is the best way to learn about the natural environment around you. This is done largely through child led activities and free play.
Each group comes out once a week for an hour and an half for a total of 12 weeks, split in to two six week blocks. The programme so far has included team games, den building, orienteering, fire lighting and cooking over an open fire. The children are also given the opportunity to move around freely, jump in puddles, collect sticks and play in the mud. The combination of freedom and responsibility is particularly beneficial to children with little confidence or challenging behaviour.
The pilot has been extremely successful with excellent feed back from both the staff and students involved. All of the staff at Randalls Farm are now looking forward to the next six weeks of Forest School!