Forest School
We believe our Forest School Thursdays are one of the most special elements of our preschool. While outdoor learning is an important part of every day at Freshford Preschool, Forest School brings an additional dimension.
Our Forest School programme takes place on most Thursdays throughout the year. It’s run by staff with a Level 3 Forest School qualification, who are trained to use the natural environment to support the children in developing their self-esteem, confidence, independence and creativity.
Forest School activities encourage children to:
Work co-operatively
Be imaginative
Tackle challenges
Take appropriate risks
Understand safety rules
Every Forest School session is a new adventure, and our ethos of ‘Explore, Create, Discover’ really shines through during these mornings.
Forest school experiences will include:
Climbing and exploring
Playing with natural materials
Building dens
Hunting for bugs
Working with tools
Making wild art and jewellery
Navigating obstacle courses
Toasting marshmallows over the fire
The Forest School Year
Terms 1 & 2
We are lucky to have a fantastic natural environment surrounding Freshford Preschool for the children to explore. In their first terms, the children begin their Forest School adventures with activities on the playing field behind the hall or by taking walks to explore the village.
Terms 3 & 4
We have use of an area of private woodland close to Freshford Preschool by kind permission of the landowner. In terms 3 and 4 the children are introduced to the legendary woodland resident ‘Mr Owl’, who loves to receive letters from the children and will always write back!
Terms 5 & 6
The children are now ready to spend the full session outdoors, in an extensive area of woodland on the outskirts of the village. Our forest-schoolers are dropped off and collected nearby, and then access the woodland via a walk across fields. Having built their confidence in Forest School through the year, it is wonderful to see the children confidently exploring the natural environment in these sessions. We still have use of our usual preschool space on a Thursday morning, so in cases of heavy rain or other extreme weather we relocate the forest school activities to the large hall area.