Woodland Learning

Intent

At The Avenue Primary School our aim is to encourage and inspire children through positive outdoor experiences. Woodland learning offers a unique method of outdoor education. Children will have the opportunity to learn about the natural environment, how to handle risks and most importantly to use their own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. The children use full sized tools, play, learn boundaries of behaviour; both physical and social, establish and grow in confidence, self-esteem and become self-motivated. Within Woodland learning we teach the children a range of core values:

· Wellbeing and emotional intelligence

· Self-management of risk

· Curiosity of the environment

· Creativity and imagination

· Resilience and problem solving

Implementation

Throughout the week all children take part in a Woodland Learning session, delivered by a member of staff who is suitably trained and accredited.

Woodland Learning is based on the field in a woodland area, which has been set up specifically to support the effective delivery of forest school.

Woodland is about exploring and experiencing the natural world through practical activities. The children go out in all weathers, all year round, exploring and learning from the seasons and environment changes. We work on the principle that there is no bed weather just bad clothing.

Clothing list:

· Waterproof trousers or a spare pair to change into.

· Waterproof coat with a hood

· Long sleave top (some of our areas have thorns and can scratch) T shirts in summer jumpers in winter

· Full length trousers (some of our areas have thorns and can scratch)

· Wellies or old trainers (it gets very muddy in our wooded area so the children need one pair of shoes to wear in the mud and one pair to keep clean to wear inside school.

· Warm socks and a spare pair ( even in wellies our children seem to get wet feet!)

· Woolly hats and gloves in winter (woolly gloves get wet when playing in winter so small washing up gloves to wear over the top is a good idea)

· Some of our activities are messy and the children can get very dirty so it is always best so send them in old clothes you don’t mind getting dirty and can be washed.

Having said there is not such thing a bad weather during high winds it is considered unsafe to go into the woods, as branches may fall.

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning within Woodland Learning all sessions are tailored to meet the needs, abilities and age of every child. Each session contains a range of activities through which the children learn knowledge and skills, and includes a time for free play. The sessions have also been designed to support the wider curriculum taught in school.

Impact

Apart from equipping the children with knowledge and understanding about the natural world and how they can enjoy and protect this, taking children outside of the classroom removes the pressures of academia and allows them to play to their strengths. This is beneficial to children who struggle in the classroom because there is more of an opportunity for them to learn at their own pace. Woodland Learning isn’t just beneficial to children it is also beneficial to teachers. Observing their class in a different setting allows them to gain a new perspective and understanding of their class. Which is why the class TA accompanies the children to each Woodland learning session. Through Woodland Learning the children will begin to assess and manage their own risk and safety. This allows them to become more independent and show them that life comes with not only risk but also rewards. They will become more resilient learners as they see that sometimes we don’t always get the desired result the first time but that doesn’t make us a failure, it helps us to grow, forcing us to try again in a different way.