Learning Outdoors In the Forest

: Outdoor Kids; 16 February 2020; Rating:

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A forest school is defined as, ' ‘inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults
regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self esteem through
hands on learning experiences in a woodland environment’. (Murray and O’Brien
2005; Forest Education Initiative 2007).

Current concerns are that children are not getting enough time in nature. In fact in the United States the average time a child plays outdoor in unstructured play is 4-7 minutes. This is compared to the average of 7 hours a day screen time.

How will this affect the brain?

What is the impact of children who spend large amounts of time in front of a screen.

This is a new arena for humanity as much of the 19th century generations in the UK was outdoors. Children spent much of their time playing with friends until the street lights came on.

There are of course parent concerns about busy roads, strangers and streets that are run by gangs with high knife crime rates.

Of course we want to keep our children safe but what is the cost. Research has found when young children are observing screens, they may be missing important opportunities to practice and master interpersonal, motor, and communication skills. How will this impact future generations? With current Global climate issues we face do we need our children to grow up loving, respecting and engaging in nature?

Previous research highlights that outdoor play may be particularly valuable for children as it can integrate cognitive, emotional and social behaviours (Kahn and Kellert 2002). Further research into a Forest School displays some excellent results below;

Increases self esteem and self confidence.
Improves social skills.
Contributes to development of language and communication skills.
Improves motivation and encourages concentration.
Contributes to children’s knowledge and understanding.
Improves physical motor skills.

The question then is what and how do you achieve this when developing children. Do you need a forest? Is just a garden enough?

Children are extremely creative and inquisitive by nature. Allowing children time to explore as we do at Commando Kids gives them a sense of ownership as they traverse obstacles and ignite their passion for the natural world. You can observe their minds becoming engaged in the environment as they begin to seek out, play and explore. The children become present. A stick becomes a sword. A worm on the ground brings delight. It's magical. As parents, teachers and coaches we need to facilitate and encourage this. Below are some simple ways to engage your child outdoors in nature.

Ideas to get your child engaged outdoors.

Create a flower bed together in the garden or plant a fruit tree.
Take a weekly, daily walk in the woods and let them run free.
Hide and Seek in the woods is a classic and the children love this one.
Take a camping trip. Kids love camping. It also builds resilience as they have to adapt to living outside.
Walk barefoot (Of course somewhere safe out of the city, let them feel the earth on their toes)
Geo Cache. This is a great app for kids who love a bit of technology too. Search for local caches in the area.
Take a picnic to the park after school and enjoy the evening.

These are just some simple ways to get your child outdoors in nature. Forest schools are great but the main thing is giving your child daily nature time.

References

Kahn, P., and S. Kellert. 2002. Children and nature: Psychological, sociocultural and
evolutionary investigations. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Murray, R. 2003. Forest School evaluation project: A study in Wales. Report to the Forestry
Commission by the New Economics Foundation.

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