Sunday 23rd October 2011
As many of you are aware Essex Wildlife Trust has a long-standing relationship with Essex schools. The group has helped many schools develop outdoor classrooms and wild life areas, as well as hosting events and activities at their nature reserves around the county.
A more recent service added to their list is the delivery of Forest School. A number of the EWT Education Officers are now trained to Level 3 in Forest School leadership and are able to lead sessions with groups of children during school hours or as after school clubs. They can also provide advice to staff on outdoor activities, Forest School training and sources of funding.
The Essex Wildlife Trust believes that in today's highly pressured world, young children need Forest School experiences as part of the process for developing vital life skills such as persistence, resilience, creativity, collaboration and confidence. Forest School gives children a sense of time and freedom in order to explore and learn about the natural environment and their place in it.
Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers children and young people opportunities to learn through hands on experiences, working with natural resources, in a local woodland environment. It is a wonderful vehicle for delivering many aspects of the National Curriculum to Key Stages 1 and 2 and is a perfect fit for the play-based learning necessary in Foundation Stage and Early Years.
Many children have already benefitted from this innovative programme and the EWT hopes to be able to offer it to more schools in the New Year.
If you would like to know more - please contact Jo Ling, Senior Forest Schools Officer, on 01621 862993.
Pam Langmead