What is Forest School?

Photograph Courtesy of family+footprints.

Outdoor play is a powerfully beneficial activity for kids, but in today’s day and age it’s happening less and less. Enter forest schools, group-based outdoor experiences for youth. Forest schools are relatively new to the US, but are catching on as parents hear about or witness first-hand, the immediate benefits of outdoor play and learning for their children.

So let’s talk more about these forest schools. What are they? What is the experience like? What will your child get out of their time in nature? And where can you find one?

Types of Forest Schools

Forest school, as an umbrella term, has come to describe most all group-based outdoor experiences for youth, no matter how formal or informal the structure. They focus on the individual and social benefits that come out of play in nature. But the word “school” may be a bit misleading, at least in the more traditional sense. Forest schools may mean the world is your classroom, your child is their own teacher and friends determine their own curriculum - all without even realizing they are self-directing their experience. In this case, forest schools are based on unstructured, free play models. Imagine your child as Huck Finn, where anything is possible – climbing trees one minute, creating a fort of fallen branches the next or discovering seasonal changes one minute and creating a fairy village out of natural materials the next.

The experience can also be more structured. Groups can meet to take part in specific nature-based activities, organized outdoor expeditions or learning from professionals in the fields of naturalism, earth sciences, farming, homesteading, etc. In this forest school approach, you might learn about foraging, ecosystems, seasonal changes, human impact on environment, how we can use the natural world to support human life, ways in which natural materials can be used for creative play, recycling, etc.

Forest schools not only differ in style, but in how your family incorporates them as part of your child’s education. Some forest schools are designed to serve as an alternative to traditional schools entirely – teacher-led outdoor preschools, outdoor education – while others are designed to be folded into the rest of your education – teacher or parent-led coops, play groups.

The outdoor experiences are able to be what you as the parent want for your child. No matter how it is structured or incorporated into your life, the underlying element is that time is spent with other youth, outdoors, in a forest-like environment. It is ripe with opportunities to learn, to explore, to have fun and to connect with the world around you. The rest of the details are based on your family's style and interests and on the local offerings in your area.

Outdoor Benefits

There are seemingly endless physical, emotional and interpersonal benefits that come out of the experience. These apply whether children are babies or teenagers - honestly, the benefits extend well into full adulthood. We’ll be talking more about these in future posts, but to get a sense of what your child might gain from a forest school experience, let’s talk about a few to start.

Physical Benefits

When we spend time outdoors, our bodies react positively. We exercise, we get more Vitamin D, we boost our immune systems and we work on bodily skills that improve our strength, balance, coordination and brain development.

Emotional Benefits

Time in nature lowers stress levels. It creates a greater likelihood for active imaginations and higher levels of personal respect. And as children engage in safe risk-taking, they come to find and express increased confidence, resourcefulness and self-esteem.

Social Benefits

Children are community-building as they collectively explore and play. Watch as you see them communicate, collaborate, mediate and naturally take turns leading and following - being inspired by others and then in turn becoming someone else’s inspiration.

Natural Benefits

Of course, children who spend time in nature will also begin to better understand and respect nature. Budding stewards of the earth. Children may start to care for the outdoors and it’s many eco-systems in new ways. They will carry their knowledge and insights with them long after they leave the woods. Watch as it pops up in other areas of your life.

Photograph Courtesy of family+footprints.

Find a Forest School

Forest School For All is designed to help find, share and start forest schools of all varieties. By visiting Find a Location you can start to locate communities already on our forest school map. If you or someone you know runs a group, we welcome you to add your information. The more forest schools listed, the more we can connect families to these outdoor opportunities. Lastly, if you are interested in starting a forest school near you, contact us here. We’re here to help you in that process.

Any other questions about forest schools? Send them our way.

See you in the forest!