A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-building Fun for Every Season

More games, crafts and skills Forest School style, building on the success of Play the Forest School Way. This book is organized by season to encourage kids to get outdoors come rain, shine or snow! Following on from the bestselling Play the Forest School Way, here is a brilliant selection of brand-new games, crafts and activities to get kids developing new skills and exploring the natural world all year round. Structured around the four seasons of the year, each chapter is packed full of step-by-step Forest School games and activities that harmonize with the weather and what’s happening in nature at that time of year, with a nod to seasonal festivals such as Easter and Christmas. In spring, for example, you could make a mud birthday cake to celebrate Earth Day on 22 April, or (inspired by bird song) craft sistrums from sticks and bottle tops, or make a clay hare and enjoy dandelion tea and a chocolate egg hunt at a spring day out. At Forest School, children return to the same location again and again, building a lasting connection with a specific part of the natural world, and this book in its year-round approach will bring this aspect of Forest School play to the fore. Each of the four seasonal chapters includes a description of an extended session (combining active and quieter activities plus, for some, an idea for foraging/cooking) to guide Forest School leaders planning themed days and parents looking for party inspiration or nature days out. The Forest School ethos of nature-based play and learning that encourages children to develop confidence, self-esteem and emotional intelligence is exactly what’s needed in an era when childhood problems such as obesity and anxiety are on the rise. Woven through the year are stories from the authors’ own Forest School classes, as they make a passionate case for the importance of ensuring children’s access to nature and the incredible benefits they will gain from being outside, even in the heart of a city. Jane Worroll is a qualified Level 3 Forest School leader, running, with Peter Houghton, year-round Forest School sessions for children in London and elsewhere. She has worked outside for the majority of her adult life, in gardening, tree surgery and, for 12 years, as a Countryside Ranger, a role that included habitat management, monitoring protected species and leading volunteers. She has a degree in ecology as well as an MSc in environmental conservation. Peter Houghton is also a qualified Level 3 Forest School leader. At a charity supporting vulnerable inner-city children and young people, he worked as an artist (in woodwork and other media) and as a key worker, as well as leading Forest School sessions. He is qualified and experienced in historical and ornamental woodcarving and in green woodwork.