This spring term, the Nursery children have started a new adventure and are taking part in weekly  ‘Forest school’ sessions. Big smiles and a great selection of wellies, from bright pink to stripey, could be seen on the children (and teachers) as they got involved in their outdoor learning. The typical Manchester wet weather provided lots of squelchy puddles for the children to splash in. 

‘Forest’ lessons so far have involved filling buckets with leaves and creepy crawlies, den building, climbing small trees and of course collecting sticks! The activities are then related back to learning, such as the much loved story, ‘Stick Man’ by Julia Donaldson.   

‘Forest’ School aids child development 

Aswell as the children having a great time in the Forest school sessions, research also shows there are many benefits. The sensory experiences help with language development as the children talk about what they have found, social skills are developed as they share tools and participate in tasks together. Concentration levels are improved as the children are very interested in the task and pay great attention for a longer period of time.