What is Forest School?
Forest School is an educational approach that is experiential, emergent, inquiry-based, place-based, and play-based. Forest school offers children regular opportunities to develop confidence and self esteem through hands-on learning experience in a natural environment.
Experiential learning allows students to explore hands-on, active and authentic learning experiences.
Emergent curriculum is based on the students' interests, observations and discoveries in nature, which serve as a starting point for inquiry
Inquiry-based learning places students' questions and ideas at the centre of the learning process. Mentors support students' learning by providing resources
Place-based education means that we build an on-going relationship to place. As we visit the same locations in different weather and seasons we notice and observe changes in the flora and fauna, and we learn to be caretakers of our space. We incorporate traditional knowledge from the Anishinaabe people who have intimate knowledge of the land that we learn upon.
Play-based learning in nature allows children to imagine, develop their social skills, tell stories, move their bodies, and have fun!
At Wild Path Forest School, we believe that children are:
- equal, unique, and valuable
- competent and capable learners
- able to experience and navigate appropriate risk with support from mentors
- naturally curious, and deserve to drive their own learning processes
For more information about the Forest School movement contact the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada:
