Considering a Forest School?

Sometimes life is about risking everything for a dream no one else can see but you. David Wolfe.

My Dream : Nature School
I feel as an Early Childhood Educator I can't live without doing this!!! Children need nature to foster their independence, creativity, problem solving skills, cognitive abilities, collaboration skills, social skills, fine motor skills, self management, IMAGINATION and all importantly connecting with nature so that they grow up caring for the environment at a deep level.

 

http://cedarsongnatureschool.org/   (near Seattle, USA) They offer international training.

 http://erinkenny.com/?page_id=322  Erin Kenny - awesome website

https://www.forestschools.com/bush-schools-australiasia/ (not really any good)

http://preciouschildhood.blogspot.com/2012/05/bush-school-nature-education-in.html

http://us12.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6d48060b8468d7bc51fe79695&id=af9b1a58aa

http://www.naturallearning.net.au/blog

Actually ...... we don't have rules - we have agreements, a concept I took from Teacher Tom Hobson when we worked together in Australia. Reaching agreement with children is far more effective than the adults dictating countless rules. Children have been consulted, they take ownership and it is not just another silly thing adults tell them to do ... nobody likes to be told what to do, I certainly don't!

How do we reach agreement on the Rule of 3?
To start off we have a meeting with the children to talk about boundaries, preferably as equals, not with the adult sitting on their 'throne'.

• First question from the adult "Does anybody like getting hurt?" Usually lots of comments about getting hurt, some blaming others for having hurt them in the past but always consensus that they don't like getting hurt. "What can hurt us?" This is where we are looking for physical, verbal and emotional hurt. "Ok, should we then agree  that we are not going to hurt ourselves?" Lots of agreeing and there we have agreement number 1.
• "How about hurting other people, is that ok?" "Nooo, we don't hurt other people" Here a conversation might start on who can or can't be hurt, adults, babies, baddies but with further conversation we agree not to hurt others....agreement number 2!
• "Do you like it when somebody breaks your favourite toy?" Discussions on who broke what of whom is likely to follow with self righteous indignation and we can agree that we won't break or damage things that don't belong to us including the natural environment and we have agreement number 3! 

When we think about it, all the rules we make are made to protect the children, the adults and the environment. So now that we have reached this agreement, the next time we see a child climbing up the slide we can suggest "remember our agreement? Are you feeling safe? Are you likely to hurt others or damage the slide? No? That's fine then".

So in conclusion, in the Rule of 3 we as a community agree that:

• 1. we try not to hurt ourselves,
• 2. we try not to hurt others and
• 3. we try not to damage property/environment!​

 

 

Niki Buchan  

Niki is a Childcare Services Manager and Early Childhood Educational Consultant with 35 years experience in this field locally and internationally. She has helped to set up nature-based settings internationally and is the author of the practical reference book "Children in Wild Nature" published by Teaching Solutions in 2015. 

Save the Dates!

20th July 2016 International Conference with Alistair Bryce-Clegg

 http://www.naturallearning.net.au/coming-up-soon.html conference details in Sydney 9-3pm $220 not really nature more play based
27th September to 6th October 2016 join Niki on a Study Visit to Scotland

Exploring respectful relationships in Forest Schools and Nature Kindergartens in Scotland!
​ This is an opportunity to really experience nature-based pedagogy with a particular focus on respectful relationships between children, educators and management with our highly experienced Educational Consultant and international study tour facilitator, Niki Buchan.

Cost $5500 inclusive of GST 
10th & 11th March 2017 National Nature Pedagogy Conference  This will have Doug and Niki (there is also the conference in May 2017) 

This conference appears to be National whilst the other one in May appears to be International Association with Doug and Claire (see below)

 http://www.naturepedagogy.com/index.html

 

http://bushkinder.blogspot.com/ 
Doug Fargher - children who spend time in nature are more coordinated, run, jump, leaping, physical, creative, imaginative, natural learners, fantastic socially, see each other as a resource, work as a community, 

MARCH 20th 2016 (only the last 5 years have we had bush kinder)
The International Association of Nature Pedagogy launched today.
What a privilege to be on the board with leaders in the field from all over the world.💚🌱🌏
We aim to promote and support Nature based pre-schools, Nature and Forest Kindergartens and Nature Schools around the world
with
Claire Warden - Scotland
Richard Louv - Children in Nature Network USA,
David Sobel - Antioch University, USA
Sara Knight - UK
Anders Farstad - Hvalgard NaturBarnehage Norway
Zazie Mackintosh - Auchlone Nature Kindergarten, Scotland

 

International Association of Nature Pedagogy Conference - Australia 2017

Date: May 2017 in Melbourne Claire and Doug

Details: Excited to announce we will be holding our first Australian International Association of Nature Pedagogy Conference in Melbourne, in May 2017. This Global Conference will be an opportunity for members and those interested in joining the Association to bring together Research, thoughts and experiences through engaging keynotes and experiential workshops on Nature Pedagogy. Join Claire Warden, Doug Fargher with National and International Colleagues including Norway and the USA for two days of Inspiration. Invitations to present a 'research into practice' session are now open. Please email - claire@claire-warden.com
More details to follow!

Member Offer: Discount will be offered to members
 

 

“Bush kinder offers a very inclusive and relaxed environment that allows the children to be children and explore aspects of childhood that they may not get to explore in other areas of their lives.” Tanya Jones, Alexandra and District Kindergarten

Home Study

The Cedarsong Way Teacher Training Home Study Packet includes a copy of Erin Kenny’s book “Forest Kindergartens: The Cedarsong Way”, The Cedarsong Teaching and Program Guide, Erin Kenny and Robin Rogers’ book “Nature Notes Journal: Documenting Your Emergent Curriculum” and The Cedarsong Way hour-long documentary DVD.
Cost:
$125 for the complete home study course.

The Cedarsong Way Forest Kindergarten Teacher Training Program:

Cedarsong’s Forest Kindergarten Teacher Training Program is designed to prepare you to start your own Forest Kindergarten program and will also teach you how to apply the principles of the forest kindergarten model to any pre-existing program. You will learn in detail about the distinguishing features of the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten model, called The Cedarsong Way, including total nature immersion, child-led flow learning, child-inspired emergent curriculum, inquiry-based teaching style and authentic play. You will also learn how to make your outdoor program a success by understanding the most critical elements such as appropriate clothing, working with parents, and risk management. This detailed training consists of a total of 20 hours of training over the course of four consecutive days. You will have an opportunity to observe the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten program in action (7 hours), as well as engage in practicum (3 hours) and have a chance to meet with the Cedarsong teachers (2 hours). You will also have 8 hours of question and answer time with Cedarsong Director and Forest Kindergarten Program Designer Erin Kenny.
At the start of the training you will receive  the Cedarsong Teacher Training packet which includes the Cedarsong Way Teaching and Program Manual (54 pages), Erin Kenny’s book “Forest Kindergartens: The Cedarsong Way”, Erin Kenny and Robin Rogers’ new book “Nature Notes Journal: Documenting Your Emergent Curriculum” and a copy of the hour-long Cedarsong documentary DVD.  After completion of the Teacher Training, you will receive a Certificate verifying that you are a Cedarsong-certified Forest Kindergarten Teacher. This training course is eligible for 18.5 clock hours from the Washington Continuing Education Credit authority. Cost: $1100.
Transportation, lodging and food are not included, although we can assist you with information about finding affordable lodging during your stay on Vashon Island, WA. To enroll in the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten Teacher Training, email our office for a registration packet. 

2016 FOREST KINDERGARTEN TEACHER TRAINING SESSIONS:

Jan. 19-22*; Feb. 16-19*; March 15-18*; April 19-22*; May 17-20*; 

June 14-17*; July 3-6*; July 10-13*; July 17-20*; July 24-27*; Sept. 20-23; Oct. 11-14; Nov. 15-18; Dec. 13-16

*This session is full
**This session has one spot left

 

CEDARSONG™ FOREST KINDERGARTEN

(for ages 2-6 years old)

An entirely outdoor preschool

located on Vashon Island, Washington, USA

Cedarsong Nature School opened the first U.S. Forest Kindergarten based on the German model of Waldkindergartens, distinguished by its commitment to total nature immersion, interest-led flow learning, emergent curriculum, place-based focus, inquiry-based teaching style and authentic play. Nature Immersion is defined as “unstructured free time in nature resulting in an intimate, deep and personal connection to the natural world”. Over the years, we have developed THE CEDARSONG WAY teaching method. One of the cornerstones of this unique method is that there is no pre-determined curriculum. Rather, lesson plans flow organically each day from what nature presents and from children’s interests. The goal is to tap into the children’s sense of wonder about nature while teaching basic environmental and natural science principles in the field. Teachers’ roles are as mentors and guides, actively modeling curiosity and engagement in nature while allowing children’s interests to lead the day.
Cedarsong Nature School’s philosophy is that children need to spend a large portion of their day outdoors to get the stimulation and natural learning experiences they are born to crave. We believe that hands-on experiential learning is the best educational approach for children. Being outdoors provides them with not only fresh air, it encourages imaginative play, creativity, hand-eye coordination, balance, physical strength and mental clarity. When children’s natural curiosity is encouraged, learning flows organically from stimuli encountered in the outdoors.

CAMP TERRA™:

A NATURE IMMERSION* CAMP

Explore the magic of the northwest forest with its enchanting wild plants at Camp Terra™, a unique nature immersion camp for kids.
Camp Terra™ is located on 5 acres of private undeveloped native forest land in the Paradise Ridge area of beautiful Vashon Island, Washington. Camp Terra provides an opportunity for children to immerse themselves in nature and provides opportunities for a stimulating, hands-on approach to environmental education. *Nature Immersion is defined as “unstructured free time in nature resulting in an intimate, deep and personal connection to the natural world”.
The camp atmosphere is non-competitive, allowing group bonding and encouraging individual empowerment. The Camp Terra program is designed and taught by internationally recognized Forest Schools Expert and Nature Immersion Specialist Erin Kenny. Camp Terra has the same interest-led flow programming as the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten, using The Cedarsong™ Way teaching method.

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/cedarsong-nature-school/cedarsong-forest-kindergarten-emergent-curriculum/10153678727958071 

Quite often when the forest kindergarten children get ready to climb, they remove their shoes, having discovered that it is safer to climb barefoot than with boots on. Since Cedarsong children are allowed to engage in activities that involve minimal risk, they are encouraged and guided to assess any risk that might be present such as slippery branches or a weak dead limb. This results in children who are risk aware. Cedarsong children also learn how to "fall safely", a skill that must be learned from experience. Since climbing is considered a minimally risky activity, we have established certain safety rules such as children are not lifted to any branch (they must be able to climb on their own to a desired branch) and they are not to climb any higher than two times their body height.

 

http://www.upworthy.com/see-adorable-photos-of-7-forest-schools-from-around-the-country?c=hpstream

Luckily, Danes aren’t the only ones taking early childhood education back into nature.
There is a growing movement of forest schools right here in the United States as well. Here are just a few of them (and they’re all pretty awesome).

1. Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten (Vashon, Washington)

2. Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (Mystic, Connecticut)
The Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center preschool certainly lives up to its motto: “nature is our niche.” The preschool is situated on a 400-acre nature preserve, complete with meadows, ponds, hiking trails, and plenty of rocks and trees to climb on. They consider these grounds to be a “living classroom,” which is a pretty cool concept!

4. Worldmind Nature Immersion School (Denver, Colorado)

 Located in Colorado, Worldmind Nature Immersion School has its fair share of extreme weather. But no matter the season, one thing remains the same. Kids spend the entire day outside — they don’t even have an indoor facility!

6. Mother Earth School (Portland, Oregon)

The forest school movement is continuing to expand in the United States (and around the world), taking kids out of structured classroom and back into nature. 

http://lancasteronline.com/features/trending/losing-our-grip-more-students-entering-school-without-fine-motor/article_c0f235d0-7ba2-11e5-bf0d-5745f74f9717.html

“It’s just our busy world. There’s real pressure to get your kid involved (in organized activities) earlier and earlier, so there’s less time to play in the backyard. … Kids need to manipulate their environments to understand spatial concepts. They usually learn not by being told, but by doing.”

Calender says the years between birth and 3 are “instrumental in core muscle development” and recommends parents incorporate a mix of gross and fine motor skills into at-home play.

While Warwick kindergarten teachers continue to focus on fine and gross motor skills through center-based and instructional activities, parents shouldn’t stop providing hands-on opportunities once their kids are school-age.

“They can continue to use the activities they’ve worked on in the preschool years, mindful to keep a balance with screen time,” says Calender.
Today’s children also spend less time outside, where they might have more opportunities to explore how their bodies move through space, learn to balance and figure how to handle toys and tools in relation to one another.
“Rather than sit and color the way they used to do, our kids are part of the burst of technology,” says Cunningham. “It’s amazing to see a kid who can swipe an iPad, but you put a pair of scissors in their hand and they don’t know what to do.”

Welcome to Cedarsong® Nature School!

Cedarsong® Nature School provides nature immersion programs to foster physical, emotional and mental balance through an authentic connection with the natural world. Nature Immersion is defined as “unstructured free time in nature resulting in an intimate, deep and personal connection to the natural world”.

Our goal is to increase awareness of and connection to the natural world in order to foster compassion and empathy for the earth and all its inhabitants. To further this goal, Cedarsong Nature School offers 

nature immersion classes, programs, and camps de 
signed for people of all ages.

Cedarsong Nature School encourages students  to engage all their senses and increase their observation skills through its commitment to child-driven flow learning, emergent curriculum and inquiry-based teaching style. The flow of learning is interest-led and determined by the natural rhythms of the seasons; Our curriculum emerges organically with no overlying structure, schedule or agenda.

Part of our mission is to carefully record notes regarding  each year’s plant growth, and animal and insect activity, creating a database for the public record. It is our goal to not only reach people who have a predisposition towards nature but also those who do not have access to this type of experience, such as people who live in urban environments.

 

http://www.atoddlerinthetrees.com/7-questions-to-ask-when-considering-forest-school/

7 Questions to Ask When Considering Forest School

April 7, 2016

When I read about forest schools here first about three years ago, there was hardly any information about them.  None of the fancy documentaries and movies and articles and news programs that have profiled this great and legitimate path for learning.  Part of me wishes I had all that information too, it would have been less daunting! But part of me also knows that I probably would have made the same decision anyway.  If anything, the decision might have been a little easier for me, since I had to trust my gut instinct on that whole kooky notion of leaving my then two and a half-year old out in the woods all day, weather, elements and all.

Still, while it was my gut instinct that helped me go for it, there were some key questions that I ended up asking myself.  Not just when we first thought about it, but then again and again in the first days and weeks, even months, to determine and redetermine that this choice was the right one for us, and I thought I would share those here for those considering the forest schools program either here in Denmark, or in the multitude of other countries where these types of schools are also offered.  And none of these questions have anything to do with whether you’re an outdoors person yourself or if you enjoy making rations on a bunsen burner etc.  My point it, you don’t necessary have to be the “forest type” yourself in order to go for it, but you do have to believe and trust that all this forest stuff is ultimately a good thing.

Do you fundamentally believe that being outdoors all day, every day is right for your child?

This is the first question because it is probably the most important one, and I can’t stress that enough.  First, because it is critical that you think about this experience from the perspective of your child.  You know your child better than anyone, so really go with what your instinct is on whether this is a good fit for them.  In some cases, you might find that it’s all the recent articles and shows and all of that which have made the “idea” of forest schools appealing to us as adults as the next shiny thing, overlooking what might be the best fit for our child.
But on the flip side, it’s probably more likely that we have the opposite problem.  Meaning that, it might be that time outside and independence and self-driven exploration is what are children are craving.  But we as parents might have envisioned something else – like early education, and tutors and Mandarin Chinese.  If forest school is right for your child, are you willing to set aside whatever expectations you had so that your child gets what they need, and not what you thought you wanted?
The second reason that it is important is because there is a high chance you might doubt yourself in your decision.  More than once.  Especially on the days when your children might struggle a bit.  And if you’re an expat in Denmark, for example, they won’t just be getting used to the forest – that’s actually the easy part – but they will also be getting used to the culture and language.  It will seem easier some days in the beginning to pull them out and start all over with something safer…more traditional…so ask yourself, do you fundamentally think this is right?  If you do, go for it and remember that core belief on the days that you doubt yourself.

Do you trust your forest school institution and your forest school teachers?

This is arguably just as important as the first.  Trust is a critical part of making the forest school system work because by definition, we expose our kids to environments and challenges and tools and countless other things that have an element of potential difficulty or potential danger to them.  Good forest schools are run by extremely caring, trained staff who are capable in the areas they need to be good forest school teachers.  They might not follow the same protocols or have the same daily newsletters or all those doo-dads of traditional schools, but outdoors, in the woods, they have a complete handle on the situation.  Do you feel that they do? Do you trust that they do? Do you feel that the experience is there between the teachers and the institution so that when you leave after dropping them off for the day, you do so with confidence?

Are you okay with a different sequence to learning?

It’s a common misconception that while the children are out in the woods “all day” that they’re not learning anything, because they are busy playing.  But that’s not at all the case.  I’m still floored sometimes when my daughter will recite back the alphabet or spellings to me, or addition sequences, or strings of rhyming words…not to mention when she identifies plants I shouldn’t touch or random bird species I’ve never heard of.  I didn’t teach her those things, the forest school did.  But they don’t teach with traditional pen and paper, with desks and blackboards.  So learning occurs but it’s entrenched in their day and it often comes in different sequencing or at a different pace that we might expect? Are you okay with that?

Are you comfortable with dirt?

It goes without saying perhaps that children at forest school get dirty.  Really, really dirty.  They relish dirt, and it’s all part of their playground: dirt, mud, sand…you name it.  It will be on their clothes (constant laundry), in your car (constant car wash) and in random places you didn’t expect.  Making time for baths is a must.  So is scrubbing under fingernails.  So is replacing clothes and gears on a regular basis, not to mention having two sets of everything on hand.  It’s a good kind of dirty (remember the two kinds?), but it still is dirty.  I read in an article once that one of the main reasons teachers didn’t take their kids outside is because parents would call and complain about how dirty their kids would come home.  Would the parent calling be you?

Are you okay with a lot being out of your hands?

As our children transition to any school, we face the increasing pressure to be comfortable with the fact that much of their day is away from us.  But in forest school, there is also a good part of the day that’s out of your hands.  If you wanted to drop by and check on them at the school, they wouldn’t be there – they would already be out and about on their daily explorations.  You might not know exactly where they are because the original location for the day wasn’t the right one for some reason so they changed course to follow a deer herd, or chase the sun, or take advantage of a patch of fresh snow for sledding.  If you do have trust, as mentioned above, in the school and teachers, are you willing to follow through on that and trust that they are making the best decisions for the child/children throughout the day without your input?

Can you be on time?

In our school, we have a lot of flexibility on the drop-off window which is a godsend for parents. But in many places in the city, the children get an earlier start and unlike ours who ride public transport, they often take a chartered bus that departs at a given time.  Which means that if you miss the bus, you also miss school.  If you are looking at an institution that buses, or that has a fixed early non-negotiable departure time, can you realistically make that time every morning?

Are you prepared to be considered just a little bit weird?

Perhaps you might even be considered a hippie? But if you run in circles where choosing schools to align with prep schools is a thing, or where traditional schooling is highly valued, are you comfortable with friends and acquaintances thinking you’re slightly off-kilter? If you’re truly comfortable with yourself and the answer to the first question, what some other people think is the least of your worries, but even with high confidence, it alway stings the heart a bit when someone questions your parenting or choices.  And it certainly does happen (it usually sounds something like “That is so exciting that little Bobby goes to the woods all day…of course, we could never do that, I would never be able to feel that he was safe out there” or, “It’s so fantastic that Suzy does nothing but play all day – what kind of tutors have you lined up for her to make sure she will ever learn to read? “).  Are you okay shrugging off the comments of others from time to time because you fundamentally believe that being outside all day, every day is good for your child?