One of the most exciting aspects of what Little Apples Day Nursery offers children in and around the Croydon area, is exciting and educational woodland sessions. These days “Forest Schooling” is a buzz-phrase for good reason. But what exactly is it and why get so excited about it? That’s the subject of today’s blog.
We hope that if you’re based in Croydon and searching for preschools or day nurseries, you’ll get to thinking about these sorts of different, carefully curated activities, and how they highlight the differences between run of the mill day nurseries, and those like Little Apples – always looking to push the envelope, and incorporate the most effective childcare and educational strategies around!
First of all, a brief explanation of forest schooling: it’s pretty much exactly what it says on the tin! It’s outdoor, active play and educational activity, spent within beautiful woodland. Day nurseries and preschools which take advantage of forest schooling provide children with a fantastic opportunity to breathe clean air, and learn about wildlife and nature in a hand’s on fashion. It’s an especially important opportunity for children in busy urban environments, like Croydon, in which the pace of life and concrete surrounds can begin to prove distracting or uninspiring.
Over the years, many studies have shown how childcare / early education providers such as nursery schools can reap the benefits of engagement in natural surroundings. The sessions we run, informed by these studies, don’t just involve learning about the immediate environment, but are all about building self-confidence and social intelligence, as well as communication, decision making, risk management and team building skills. If you’d like to learn more about our specific approach to forest schooling, check out our Woodland Sessions page. Which brings us to the benefits…
1. Confidence & Independence – Getting out into nature and, under careful supervision, building dens and navigating the woodlands can be incredibly empowering; it builds confidence and independence, which is an essential part of what day nurseries offer Croydon parents. As early education and childcare providers know, confidence can lead to intellectual and creative flourishing, while independence can see a sense of selfhood begin to solidify; you start to take shape as a unique and engaged young person with your own passions and interests!
2. Empathy & Sense of Nature – Nursery schools running woodland sessions, like ours in Croydon, place a strong emphasis on teamwork and teambuilding. Various activities involve forming groups and working together. This socialisation is a fantastic way to foster a sense of empathy in children. This can fuel emotional development and positive behavioural traits, as well as prepare children for the larger schools they’ll likely go on to in years to come. Then there’s learning about our place in nature, and how we’re part of a fascinating and beautiful wider eco system. The next generation’s natural biologists, horticulturalists and conservationists are born out of this childlike love for, and interest in natural environments.
3. Health & Fitness – Not only does getting into the great outdoors and running around, lifting up tree limbs and playing games prove fantastic for physical strength, cardio/aerobic fitness and hand-eye co-ordination, but it has proven fantastic for children’s mental health. The fresh air in the lungs, sense of adventure and mystery, can all prove totally restorative after a few weeks spent in more traditional classroom or indoor environments around Croydon. This is part of the reason why so many nursery schools, childcare providers and day nurseries are keen to take part in, or themselves offer such initiatives; they help retention of information once children have returned, while simultaneously serving as a fantastic, spread-over-the-day P.E lessons.
And these aren’t the only benefits of woodland sessions and forest play… just a few of the most important. Others include more fitful nights’ sleep, improved mood and numerous educational benefits.