Forest School
Forest and Nature School (FNS) is an early childhood educational approach that takes place in nature. The FNS approach started popping up in Denmark and Sweden in the 1950’s and soon made its way to Canada in the early 2000’s with the establishment of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada (CNAC). As defined by CNAC, “Forest/Nature School is an educational ethos and practice that centres the Land and the child-at-play. Children and educators build a relationship with the Land through regular and repeated access to the same outdoor space over an extended period of time. Educators support learning through a pedagogical framework that is rooted in place and play, directed, and inspired by the child (emergent curriculum), and driven by a process of inquiry.”
As technology evolves and becomes more present in our day to day lives, children are becoming more and more disconnected from nature. Studies are proving that this change is having a significant impact on their development, among them: attention difficulties, underdeveloped gross motor skills, higher rates of depression and anxiety. A way to combat these issues is to give children regular access to quality, uninterrupted, child-led outdoor play. That can look like climbing trees, building forts, cooking mud pies in a mud kitchen, learning how to start a fire, and more. This is where the purpose of Forest School lies.
At Wildflower Forest & Nature School, we value children as competent learners who help forge their own program. The children spend the majority of their day outdoors where they are given unhurried time to engage in risky play, collaborative creation and independent reflection. There is no set day plan as everyday and every child brings something new and unexpected.
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As a complement to children’s home or school-based academic learning, Wildflower Forest & Nature School will give children the opportunity to learn and work on skills that can not be taught inside a classroom. While our program is not a replacement for regular academic learning, it is an important alternative form of education that enriches a child’s whole development.
Forest School Benefits
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​Improved confidence, social skills, independence, communication and concentration
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Increases physical activity
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Improved physical development including balance, coordination and stamina
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Supports creative thinking, builds confidence and self-esteem
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Improved behaviour through conflict resolution and positive boundary setting
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Teaches resiliency and practical life skills
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Reduces stress, anxiety and depression while improving emotional wellness
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Levels the playing field for children who don't excel in a standard classroom setting