LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Like its predecessor, Play the Forest School Way, the latest handbook from Jane Worroll and Peter Houghton is bursting with interactive games, skill building-activities…and fun!
The carefully considered guide embodies the Forest School philosophies of learning through play and reconnecting with nature, and while some of the activities take a similar line of thread to those in earlier books, the focus on creativity and tool use seems to really ramp up.
Entries such as blackberry ink/feather quill pens and evergreen paintbrushes are relatively simple – but beautifully effective – and for an older audience, the use of saws, sheath knives and secateurs will no doubt bring their own appeal in craft skills like wood-cookie man and peg carving. As you would expect, much thought has been given to activities that play on the rhythms of the natural world: foraging for nettles in the springtime or sycamore launching at the height of summer.
But it’s also fascinating to see how Worroll and Houghton gear each session towards the seasonal changes in the children too – slowing things down during the summer months and adding a little more energy when the need to keep people warm comes into play in the winter! The learning outcomes and kit lists are a helpful addition for parents/carers and session leaders and although not overly detailed, the simple line illustrations will give an idea of what you’re working towards.
This is a delightful little handbook to dip in and out of whenever the seasons change, or the great outdoors beckons.
Lindsay Quayle
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A Year of Forest School Synopsis
Following on from the bestselling Play the Forest School Way, here is a whole range of new games, crafts and activities to get kids developing skills and exploring the natural world all year round.
Structured around the year's four seasons, 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. In autumn, you could have a fun day out in the woods making leaf mobiles, playing Creeping Commandos and baking apples with nuts over a campfire.
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.
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.
About This Edition
Press Reviews
Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton Press Reviews
A Year of Forest School has the same lovely accessible style that our Forest School practitioners appreciate about Play the Forest School Way. A great book to dip into to top up the inspiration levels. The Forest School ethos is explained clearly and comes through in the way the activities are explained. -- Lily Horseman, Chair of the Forest School Association
Author
About Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton
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 outdoors 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 qualified and experienced in historical and ornamental woodcarving and in green woodwork. At a charity supporting vulnerable inner-city children and young people, he works as an artist (in woodwork and other media) and as a key worker, as well as leading Forest School sessions.
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