After the children played some bird identification games, where they had to find birds from name only rather than images, the children were encouraged to build some Mega-nests. First as a whole class, then...
At Harlow Green, we have developed an environment and curriculum which takes children beyond the classroom and places them into their natural environment as well as their community.
Forest School
Harlow Green is different from most schools in that it is a Forest School. The Forest School approach provides a hands-on, practical education in our outdoor environment. This part of the curriculum is managed by a qualified Forest School Leader – Miss Rowe – who continuously maintains and develops her professional practice. Miss Rowe is supported by Mr McMann during Forest School sessions. The Forest Education Community has put together the guiding principles for Forest Schools. These principles were agreed to ensure good practice across the country.
- Forest School is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than a one-off or infrequent visits; the cycle of planning, observation, adaptation and review links each session.
- It takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.
- We use a range of learner-centred processes to create a community for development and learning.
- Forest School aims to promote the holistic development of all those involved, fostering resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.
- It offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
Our approach at Harlow Green is centred on enabling children to develop a sense of independence and self-motivation, they become more courageous and can learn to realistically assess situations, are more self-reliant and opportunistic. This approach particularly supports the development of self-esteem and self-confidence. The focus in Forest School and Outdoor Learning is on short achievable tasks which then build in complexity based on observations of the children’s needs and interests.
Community Work
Developing children’s understanding about their local community and providing the opportunity to positively impact upon it is essential in developing the future generation. Through the regular curriculum but also through our outdoor curriculum, children are involved in projects which allows them to work within the local community in a variety of ways and to actively engage within it.
This term in our Forest School we will be taking part in the RSPB Big School Birdwatch. All classes will be involved in this in some way. This week we revisited how we identify...
The weather when we cam back this week was cold and frosty, but that didn’t stop Year 6 having an outdoor English lesson that saw them putting some of their forest school skills to...
Practice makes perfect at Angel Court this week as the children and residents prepare for their performance of the Legend of the Evergreen Trees. The residents each represent a tree from the story, the...
Reception have been learning about deciduous and evergreen trees. We looked in detail at different types of Christmas trees, the children looked closely at each branch, needle and cone. They noticed each branch often...
The various components for our story telling performance are beginning to come together. This week the children worked with the residents to paint and then decorate the birds in the story. Using acrylic paints...
Our nursery children really enjoyed working on the Sticky Sticks and Sticky Leaves last week, so this week they worked together to decorate a large, wooden, Christmas star, that some of our older children...
Barter Town is a block of work that the Year 6 children are taking part in during their Forest School sessions. First in class we set the scene for the next few weeks work....
Working in the dusky cold, the gardening club have worked very hard this half term to prepare for next Spring. They have already planted a thorny hedgerow, a grove of silver birch trees and...
