11 NATURE RICH FOREST SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR TODDLER

Have you heard of Forest School or Forest School activities? According to the good folks over at www.forestschoolassociation.org it is an inspirational process, that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.

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I absolutely love the concept of Forest School. Getting back to nature and becoming self-sufficient or sustainable is one of the things we always talk about in this family. I love the organic nature of teaching in your natural surroundings. In this day in age when we can get almost everything we need with a click of a button, it is nice to get back to the basics.

As far as Forest Schooling goes these are just a few of the benefits your child would see from attending a school like this.

FOREST SCHOOL BENEFITS

• Growth in confidence and independence
• Opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning for themselves
• Helps children to understand, appreciate and care for the natural environment
• Allows children to become more confident in the natural environment
• Enables a practical element to their learning
• Additional physical, social and health benefits
• Promotes self-discovery
• Improved communication skills
• Raised self-esteem.

 

The fact that people are mixing Montessori and Forest Schools together is wonderful. While we do not use specific training in either education form we do loosely follow both of these forms of education. I love all the activities you can find outside that promote hands-on, independent learning. That is what draws me to the Forest School as well as Montessori.

Since I am a stay at home mom I try to implement as much of the Montessori lifestyle (learn more about Montessori here) and Forest school into our everyday life. It works well as both of these are not traditional classrooms setups and neither is my home.

Our daughter absolutely loves being out in nature so it is such a great fit for our family.

Here are some of the forest school activities you can do to homeschool your preschool aged child.

FOREST SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

• Woodland walks and nature trails
• Nature crowns
• Making teddy homes
• Forest School stories
• 123…where are you? Hide and seek game
• Puddle splashing
• Mud painting
• Mud sliding (Our favorite!)
• Exploring and collecting woodland materials to make natural art
• Scavenger hunts
• Clay creatures
• Natural music
• Animal watching

Forest School Gear

 Melissa & Doug Child Garden Gloves

Mini Shovels

Binoculars

Play Pop Up Tent

Kites

Head Lamp

There are so many to list especially if you live in a woodland-rich environment. At the moment we are in a dry coastal area so the forest is nowhere near us but we still manage to get out in nature. We go to the park and climb the trees there a few times a week. We take walks to the beach and play in the sand. It really is a different world out there when you are out on your own two feet.

If you would like to learn more about Forest School I suggest heading to Baby Centre.  There is a great article about toddler and preschool  Forest School activities!

I’ve made a list of all the fun nature rich activities we have tried at our house and would love you to try them out too! Just be sure to sign up for your free Forrest School Activity List so you can teach your child to become more independent and confident in nature.

There truly is no better sight than an innocent child playing in the beautiful nature that surrounds us.

 

Have you thought about enrolling any of your children in either schools? Have you heard of either schools in your area? Let me know if the comments what you think of Forest Schooling. 🙂