FOREST SCHOOL
At Crossbasket Nursery School we are passionate about outdoor learning and provide a wide variety of opportunities for this on a daily basis, regardless of the weather.
We are very fortunate to have 5 separate outdoor learning areas and a forest school, which are fully equipped and spacious to support learning and development.
There are many benefits from taking children outside to learn and Play which are:-
- Children learn to make connections with the real world outside the classroom, helping to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in a meaningful context.
- The outdoor environments and surroundings act as a rich stimulus for creative thinking and learning.
- children can sometimes behave differently outdoors. Quiet pupils may speak more, others become calmer and more focused when outside, especially in a natural space.
- The multi-sensory experience outdoors helps children to retain knowledge more effectively.
- Learning in a less structured environment can provide a different learning experience from that of the classroom.
- Being outdoors can be a more relaxing learning experience for many learners.
Young Children’s Relationship with Nature:
Its Importance to Children’s Development and the Earth’s Future. R White, 2004
Increasingly, research shows that being outdoors supports this nurturing experience. Particularly the additional stimulation of a rich, natural or naturalised outdoor enviroment; the increased possibilites and oppurtunities for exploration, developing curiosity, investigation and creativity has ‘profound benefits for children in terms of psychological wellbeing: buffering life stresses and boosting resilience.