The Forest School concept was created in Denmark in the 1950s and since then there have been a growing number of schools that encourage children to get dirty, play, run and have fun in the outdoors and in contact with nature.
Here we present seven forest schools from around the world that are helping children learn and develop through contact with nature!
Located on a Spanish ranch – also known as a “finca” – in Cádiz, Alma Forest School offers everything a child needs to learn in contact with nature.
Overlooking Gibraltar and Morocco, this forest school has fields to play in, trees to climb, and animals to care for.
Alma Forest School has a pre-school – Escuela Bosque – for children aged three to six, and a primary school for children aged six to 11.
Escuela Bosque is rooted in the Forest School tradition, which means that the children spend their days outdoors.
They offer a variety of activities, many of which are designed to encourage the children to explore independently.
At Alma’s Primary School, children develop the skills they have learnt in pre-school.
The school says it uses international standards to teach the children, with pupils spending around 35% of their time working on projects of their own choice.
At Berkley Forest School children are encouraged to be themselves, to explore, to play and to take risks.
In this way they construct their own knowledge at their own pace and develop their own ideas.
They are in charge of their own learning experience.
This institution, which is 100% outdoor, is more than a forest school.
Although their teaching methods are influenced by traditional forest kindergartens, anti-bias education and constructivist education, they also have an indigenous practice of educating children, which means developing a loving relationship with all beings.
Berkley Forest School has four different programmes, one for families, one for toddlers aged two and three, a preschool for children aged three to five, and the Coyote Club, which runs after school and allows families to extend the school day.
This school is for children aged two to four and, like the others, has a philosophy based on the Forest School approach.
The main aim is to enable children to develop their independence and resilience, their imagination and their thinking, while having lots of fun and connecting with nature.
For Nest in the Woods, this approach allows children to connect not only with nature, but also with themselves and each other, developing deep and meaningful relationships.
The children arrive at a base point and from there set off on different activities each day, guided by the teachers.
They move around to different locations and engage in activities such as playing games, building dens, crafting with natural materials and more.
In addition to the school, Nest in the Woods also runs a holiday club called Den in the Woods for children aged three to 12.
Escola Lá Fora – which can be translated as School Outside – focuses on empowering children to learn by exploring their individuality and the importance of play.
Observation of the world around them is essential at this school, and adults and children work together in a natural environment to encourage discovery and learning.
At this school, children are taught values such as respect for others, respect for nature, inclusiveness, and solidarity.
With a team of 12 people, Escola Lá Fora offers three different activities, as they call them.
There are Holidays lá Fora, open to children between the ages of three and 12 during school holidays; Learning lá Fora, a series of full-time activities for children between the ages of three and six; and Babies lá Fora, a two-hour session outdoors that involves the parent or carer and the baby between the ages of zero and three.
“Empowering children to fulfil their unique potential through outdoor exploration and play”
is the main aim of Roots and Boots, a school that believes children should learn in contact with nature, not between four walls.
This school offers two-hour sessions where the children stay in the outdoor classroom, rain or shine.
The outdoor programme they offer is open to children as young as three and encourages them to be in a natural environment, interacting with everything that nature has to offer.
In this way, the children are the ones who dictate their learning and exploration at their own pace – the possibilities are endless.
These classes have a 1:4 ratio so that the children can explore as much as they like while still having a supportive environment.
In Sweden, Forest School is best known as I Ur Och Skur, which translates as “rain or shine”.
This means that no matter the weather, the children will play outside!
Mulleborg is the first forest kindergarten in Sweden, founded in 1985.
As in any forest school, nature is the most important part of a child’s learning experience.
The location helps to make every day at this school a little more interesting; With several wooded areas nearby and two nearby lakes, the children canoe in the summer and skate and ski in the winter.
There is only room for 35 children, who are looked after by seven educators.
The children spend most of their time outside, playing and experiencing nature with all their senses and bodies.
The teachers help them to learn by taking the child’s interest, experience and development as the starting point.
The environment also plays an important role at Mulleborg.
From an early age, children learn to respect the environment by composting, reusing and using environmentally friendly products.
This bilingual kindergarten simply wants children to be in a natural outdoor environment where they can learn, explore, relax and just have fun while gaining new experiences.
Here, children who speak English and German are free to learn outdoors, but also indoors, in a confined space where children can do arts and crafts, play and rest.
The most interesting thing is that books are part of the daily routine but toys much less so, with the children encouraged to use their imagination rather than picking up ready-made toys.
To enrol in Robin Hood Walkindgarten, children need to be at least 18 months old.
Toddlers go in the Sparrows group, created to introduce them to hours of outdoor play.
This kindergarten offers space for 32 children, 12 until the age of three, and 23 children until school age.
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