Forest Schools are woodland classrooms that give children the
opportunity to learn outdoors and explore the environment over
a series of sessions. Activities take place in all weathers (except
extreme winds or storms), and are specially planned for the group
including a broad range of outdoor activities.
Pupils at Acharacle Primary School, Lochaber, Scotland have been
taking part in our new series of Forest School sessions. The six
sessions include learning about bushcraft, making forest art and
doing nature surveys. So far the children have been learning the
fundamentals of survival, tying knots for tarps, firelighting
with sparks, baking bread on the campfire, building mini shelters,
working together to record the plants and trees in their woodland
and collecting and purifying water. They have had the chance to
try some challenges like using tools and lighting a campfire,
while being responsible and taking care of each other. The project
aims to get the children enjoying working together and being active
outdoors, discovering more about their local woodland, and learning
useful, practical skills. Children are also documenting their
experiences to work towards an accredited
John Muir Award - Discovery Level.
It has been great to see the enthusiasm and the progress made
by everyone in the group. Outdoor classrooms are a great medium
for learning because they make education so much fun.
We are grateful to Scottish
Natural Heritage for supporting this project at Acharacle
and hope to work with other schools in the area on similar projects.
