Play the Forest School Way

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Affiliate Links Play the Forest School Way: Woodland Games, Crafts and Skills for Adventurous Kids by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll knows that theĀ greatest playground for children is outside in nature.

Play the Forest School Way

I like the activities in the book as well asĀ the background information for facilitators to know and share with children before, during, and after each activity.

Each activity encouragesĀ reflection afterwards which I very much appreciate. ReflectionĀ something that many of us forget to include when facilitating learning butĀ is really meaningful inĀ cementing new learnings and allowing forĀ ah-ha moments.

Forest SchoolĀ started asĀ a grassroots movement in the UK whose mission was (and is) toĀ connect children with nature. Much of it’sĀ philosophy is derived from theĀ Scandinavian outdoor model of learning as well as theĀ learning theories ofĀ Rudolf Steiner and Maria Montessori.

This book seeks to bring the adventures and learning opportunities from Forest School to parents and teachers world-wide for children preschool ages up to age 11. There areĀ games, crafts, and skill-building activities that inspire kidsĀ to enjoy nature with all their senses.

Play the Forest School Way Games, Crafts and Skills for Adventurous Kids

 

Each activity in the book provides the following information:

  • location for the activity
  • age group for whom it’s best suited
  • possibleĀ learnings
  • supplies needed
  • directions for how to do the activity
  • line drawings

The book is divided into four sections: Nature Explorers, Forest Arts, Survival Skills, Wildlife Team Games.

There’s an acorn hide and seek and woodland mapping in Nature Explorers. Later in Survival Skills, there’sĀ essential knots, making fire, or finding wild food. Wildlife Team Games includes fun and active games for groups; games like Web of Life and Forest Fire.

But we started our Woodland Play with an activity from Forest Arts — Magic Wands.

Play the Forest School Way review and magic wand craft

Magic Wands

My kids love fantasy so for us making wands was the obvious first choice with bow-and-arrows coming in second.

The book shares background information about the Celts letters with native trees plusĀ their beliefs about the qualitiesĀ for each tree. For example the oak is about endurance and courage while the silver birch is transformation and new beginnings. (This reminded us ofĀ Harry Potter’s wands and how their ingredients were so important and also very symbolic.)

Building the wands was simple.

We gathered sticks and natural decorations for the wands keeping in mind which kind of trees we might want to use.

Then the kids arranged their decorations on their sticks using yarn.

Forest School Magic Wands from the new book, Play the Forest School Way

Ta-da!

Once done,Ā we could imagine what magical powers our wands might have and discuss wands in favorite stories like Harry Potter.

Now, on to Bow and Arrows . . .

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