Check out The Child and Nature Alliance website for a great resource on Forest Schools.
childnature.ca/about-forest-a...
Here are the 10 principals that we apply to our every day parenting approach and day to day lifestyle.
Forest/Nature School (FNS):
1. Takes place in any outdoor space, including urban greenspace,
playgrounds, forests, creeks, prairies, mountains, shoreline, and tundra.
2. Is a sustained process of regular and repeated sessions in the same outdoor space, supporting children to develop a reciprocal relationship with the Land, and an understanding of themselves as a
part of the natural world.
3. Views children and youth as innately competent, curious, and capable
learners.
4. Is led by educators who share power with learners through play-based, emergent, and inquiry-driven teaching and learning methods.
Child and Nature Alliance of Canada www.childnature.ca
5. Values children’s play - self-directed, freely chosen, intrinsically motivated - in and of itself. FNS programs provide adequate time and space for children and youth to dive
deeply into their play.
6. Views risky play as an integral part of children’s learning and healthy development, and is facilitated by knowledgeable, qualified educators who support children and youth to
co-manage risk.
7. Relies on loose, natural materials to support open-ended, creative play and learning.
8. Values the process as much as the outcome.
9. Prioritizes building reciprocal relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, who have been learning from this Land since time immemorial.
10. Practices, policies, and programming reflect and prioritize the building of engaged, healthy, vibrant, and diverse communities through consideration of access and equity in our
decisions and actions.