Forest School Research Articles

Influences of Global Health Initiatives in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Residents

Purpose: Over the last decade there is an increased awareness that the need for surgical care in under-resourced countries is contributing to significant health inequities and financial hardship across the globe. Plastic surgery has long been recognized as a surgical discipline that has been successful in deploying resources to help address these inequities but to be sustainable there must be a lasting commitment through teaching and education. The purpose of this study is to answer the question “In plastic and reconstructive surgical residents, how does participation in global health initiatives influence independent clinical practice and their perceptions of global health?” Methods: A survey was administered through Redcap to 59 total eligible current or previous Wake Forest School of Medicine plastic and reconstructive surgical residents. Results: About 33 out of 34 participants have had some kind of global health exposure with the majority being through mission trips, volunteering, and external rotations. There was a 33.3% improvement in awareness of global surgical disease burden ( P = .000093 < .05), 23.5% improvement in obligations to create global change ( P = .00021 < .05), 26.3% improvement in comfortability with language and cultural barriers ( P = .0013 < .05), and 20.9% improvement in doctor-patient relationships with patients of differing backgrounds ( P = .0019 < .05) when comparing participant’s views prior and after residency training. Overall, participants were inclined to continue with global health initiatives in the future as 75.8% see themselves participating in another global health experience and 90.9% believed participating in global health has an impact on independent clinical practice and professional development post-residency. Conclusions: Global health initiatives within surgical residency curriculums have had tremendous effects on the perceptions of global health amongst plastic and reconstructive surgical residents, which may improve physician shortage and global health needs in the future.

Foucault and power: UK forest school as a socially constructed space for early years teachers and forest school leaders

ABSTRACT This paper examines power dynamics between early years teachers and Forest School leaders within the Forest School environment, drawing upon a Foucauldian perspective. Building upon Maynard’s (2007) work, the study explores encounters with Foucault's ideas in UK Forest School context to unravel socio-cultural dynamics and investigate how educators negotiate complex power relations. Four participants, comprising two early years teachers and two Forest School leaders, engaged in weekly Forest School sessions with their reception class, that is, children aged 4–5 years over the period of one year. Through thematic analysis, distinct themes of power dynamics, reimagining learning environments, and risk and resilience emerged. Adopting a Foucauldian lens sheds light on challenges encountered by educators in outdoor settings, revealing inherent power dynamics. This study contributes to discourse on theory-practice integration in outdoor education, emphasising the potential for Foucauldian analysis to deepen understanding of power relations within Forest School settings.

Unlocking the forest: An ethnographic evaluation of Forest Schools on developmental outcomes for 3-year-olds unaccustomed to woodland spaces.

Early years experiences shape a child's physical, cognitive and emotional development. Spending time in greenspaces offers benefits for children's development, but access and use can be limited in urban settings. There is increasing interest in the health and developmental benefits of Forest Schools for primary-aged children, but little is known about the benefits for pre-school children. This study aims to identify these and explore the processes and activities associated with a Forest School intervention for early years children that may influence outcomes. This paper reports on an ethnographic approach involving 65 hours of observations with two cohorts of 10 3-year-olds attending 11 weekly Forest School sessions in an urban setting. The children attending had little or no previous experience of natural spaces. 14 in-depth interviews were conducted with parents, and nursery and Forest School staff. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, and outcomes were identified using the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework. Despite logistical challenges, the intervention benefitted age-specific health and development outcomes, particularly personal, socio- and emotional development, verbal communication, and mathematics. Unexpected benefits were observed among nursery staff and parents attending Forest School. Forest Schools are a promising and feasible method to improve nature connectedness and development in children aged 3 years and support school readiness. The maintenance and protection of urban woodland spaces are paramount to facilitate this.

Invisible and fluid walls in early childhood nature learning: collecting data through video

ABSTRACT Background The forest school and nature kindergarten approach to early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been established for well over 50 years in the United Kingdom and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia. One example where the nature kindergarten approach has recently taken a foothold is the Australian ‘bush kinder’. Bush kinders are gaining popularity in the delivery of ECEC to four- and five-year-old Australian children. They provide children an opportunity to learn through a play-based experience, often with the child leading their learning, supported by the educator. This longitudinal research project examining STEM teaching and learning in bush kinders began in 2015 with further data collection occurring in 2017, 2020 and 2023. Purpose The study sought to explore the challenges of using video as a data source in ethnographic research in the context of wide open, natural environments such as nature reserves, forests, beaches and paddocks. It asked the question: ‘What ethical dilemmas arise when using video to collect data in early childhood research?’ Method The study focused on the teaching and play activities of around 20 educators and 200 four- to five-year-old children across four Australian bush kinders. Influenced by an ethnographic research tradition that emphasises researcher participation and observation, the paper presents two vignettes, which explore the use of video in recording the experiences of teachers and children in the bush kinder environment and the dilemmas that arise. Findings The use of video creates a dual data collection situation. First, videoing can take place from behind an ‘invisible wall’, where the researcher remains distant from the research subjects being studied. Second, the researcher can move through a ‘fluid wall’, closer to the events they are capturing on video, at times, becoming a participant in the study. Conclusions This paper offers a contribution to the methodological discourse on the use of video as a data collection method within ethnographic research in ECEC outdoor settings. In drawing close attention to the ways in which videoing can occur, it provides a framework that could be helpful to other researchers engaged in designing and carrying out ECEC research in diverse outdoor settings.

‘I like to dance with the flowers!’: Exploring the possibilities for biodiverse futures in an urban forest school

AbstractThis article explores the ways in which ‘forest school’, an educational approach where children engage in creative and play based activities in a ‘natural’ environment, can contribute towards Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG 15) by promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and by helping address biodiversity loss. Drawing on data from an inquiry that explored childhoodnature play in an inner‐city forest school in London, England, this article discusses the ways in which nature relations emerged over weekly visits to an urban park over the course of one school year. We, the adult and young child researchers and more‐than‐human nature, enacted ‘shared play’ as part of a post‐qualitative approach that involved playing together as a form of data creation. Co‐created ‘play tales’ from the inquiry foreground encounters between children, grass, flowers, soil, trees, fruits and insects and illuminate the ways in which nature relations ignited small, yet powerful, acts to protect and restore the flora and fauna in the urban park. This article asserts that post‐anthropocentric, postdevelopmental educational approaches create opportunities for multi‐species relations to slowly emerge and flourish. These stories illuminate the ways these ethico‐political relations and onto‐epistemological transformations can prevent the continuation of terrestrial ecosystem degradation and contribute towards biodiverse futures in urban areas.

Attending 12 weekly sessions of Forest School sessions improves mood and cooperation in 7–8-year-old children

ABSTRACT Being in nature improves wellbeing and health, but opportunities for children to spend time outside in a natural environment can be limited. Forest School programmes offer this opportunity. This study aimed to examine whether participation in a 12-week Forest School programme would improve mood, self-esteem, spatial cognition and collaborative behaviour. One hundred and seventy-nine UK school children aged 7–8 years took part, with a final sample comprising 151 children. A Forest School and classroom group were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Children who attended the Forest School rated themselves as less tired, less bored, calmer and happier than children in the classroom. There were also greater improvements in cooperation in Forest School attendees. There were no differences in self-esteem, but some initial evidence of better competence-related self-esteem. Performance on the spatial cognition task was unchanged. Our findings suggest that Forest School participation is beneficial for children’s mood and cooperation.

Play tales: Co-creating stories of childhoodnature play in an urban forest school

This article shares several co-created stories of play that we have named ‘Play Tales’. These are about our experiences of researching ‘childhoodnature play’ (playing in a place with more-than-human nature) in an urban forest school in London, England. The article offers insights about the emergence of childhoodnature play. We found out that play changes with the seasons, involves a mix of home, digital, school and outdoor worlds and you know you’re playing because of how you feel. Researching together takes time and space but it is important to work together in research because there are some things only children know.

Building a Dream School: Integration of Alternative Inclusion Natural Schools Education centered on Children With Special Needs Based on the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet

Education in Indonesia is still not fully inclusive for children with special needs. Forest schools and inclusive schools offer alternative approaches that focus on holistic and inclusive learning. This research aims to explore the concept of forest school and inclusive school integration to create an innovative dream school. The research method used was qualitative with an analytic descriptive approach. Data collection involved direct observation as well as literature study from books, documents and reputable journals. After the data is collected and grouped according to the data, data analysis will be carried out by applying an analytical descriptive approach, this is to get a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the phenomenon or concept that is the focus of this research. The results of this study indicate that the integration of forest schools and inclusive schools based on the Al-Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet offers a holistic and inclusive education model. By combining outdoor learning and an inclusive approach, children with special needs can experience a supportive and motivating learning environment, in accordance with the principles of justice and compassion taught in Islam.

Place, space and time: A topological perspective of a forest school-based educational mode of existence

This paper explores the question: ‘how do teachers shape children’s connections to forest places and establish educational ways of being and knowing (an educational mode of existence) during Forest School sessions?’. A Forest School ‘movement’ has grown in popularity in Europe over the last decade, alongside a marked expansion in the field of learning outside the classroom (LOTC). Part of this movement has focused on the importance of developing children’s relationship with nature. However, little literature speaks to how child-nature relationships manifest, nor implications for educational ways of being (and knowing). This paper steps outside of popularised notions of ‘nature deficit disorder’ to reimagine Forest Schooling as intentional construction of a specific educational mode of existence, reliant upon careful evolution of children’s connections to forest places. The term ‘place’ is necessarily complicated in this paper, arguing that only through recent developments in (social) topological perspectives and theories of modes of existence can we begin to fully understand place connection. Drawing on ethnographic data, this paper argues for greater focus on intersections between materiality and meaning constructed in multidimensional time and space in establishing educational modes of existence and related place connections.

Synergies of affordances and place-based relationality in Forest School practice: implications for socio-emotional well-being.

Research shows that the human-nature relationship positively impacts human well-being. Forest School (FS) practice offers young children a structured program of nature connection through activities, aiming to enhance their self-esteem and social skills. FS is now adapted in countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand where a unique cultural interface occurs between European settlers and Indigenous peoples. Responding to socio-cultural diversities, geographical contexts, and the traditional ecological knowledges, FS needs to go beyond play pedagogy and incorporate theoretical perspectives that promote human-nature relationship in local context-specific environments. We argue that the synergies between Western perspectives on affordances perceived in person-environment relationship and Indigenous place-based relationality perspective provide a more suitable approach for developing reciprocal relationships between FS participants and land/place/nature. We propose that the synergies between affordances perceived in FS and place-based relationality cultivated in participants will enhance social and emotional well-being. We call for specific research investigating such synergies supporting participant well-being. Future research on FS practice should be directed toward initiating and exploring co-designed studies by Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers incorporating methodologies that study participant experience as well as evaluating the impact of FS programs embedding affordances and place-based relationality perspectives.

The Biltmore Forest School and the Establishment of Forestry Education in America

The Biltmore Forest School and the Establishment of Forestry Education in America

Losing the Forest for the Tree: Why All Thomists Should (Not) Be River Forest Thomists

One of the most influential and controversial schools of 20th century Thomism—especially in North America—is the “River Forest School” or “River Forest Thomism”. And one of the most influential and controversial theses associated with that school is the thesis that metaphysics cannot be established as a distinct and autonomous science unless one has already proven the existence of a positively immaterial being. The purpose of this paper is to show that River Forest Thomism cannot and should not be reduced to that controversial thesis. As such, rejection of the thesis cannot and should not constitute a rejection of the school. Indeed, as soon as we understand what River Forest Thomism was really about, it will become clear that all Thomists should be River Forest Thomists.

‘Don’t Pick, Don’t Lick’: Connecting Young Children’s Risky Play in Nature to Science Education in Australian Bush Kinders

AbstractThe forest school approach to nature learning has gathered momentum in the UK and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia for well over 50 years. In other contexts that include Canada, China, New Zealand and Australia, nature-based early childhood education and care settings, influenced by European forest school approaches, are in a rapid expansion phase as educators and policy makers acknowledge the benefits for children from time spent in nature. It is known that science education opportunities exist in these nature-based settings, yet this area has only garnered limited research attention to date. An example of a nature-based approach to early childhood education which emerged in the 2010s is the Australian ‘bush kinder’. Four- to five-year-old preschool children experience and learn from nature through play in bush kinders. This paper highlights the intersections that occur between risky play and science teaching and learning in the context of bush kinders. Through analysing research in early years science education, guiding curriculum frameworks and early childhood learning, I propose the importance of children’s risky play to early childhood science education. Drawing on vignettes from ethnographic fieldwork data, the merits of risky play in bush kinders to embed science knowledge is illustrated here. Participant observation was used to build a profile of each site and to gather data relating to how educators draw on children’s risky play to seek out opportunities to teach children about physical, chemical and biological science.

Growing roots

As spring begins to make itself known, Helen Bowlby, Quality Support advisor for Spring, by Action for Children, shares more about their Forest School provision and highlights the importance of allowing young children access to nature.

Growing roots

As spring begins to make itself known, Helen Bowlby, Quality Support advisor for Spring, by Action for Children, shares more about their Forest School provision and highlights the importance of allowing young children access to nature.

‘Witnessing children's innate curiosity, resilience and boundless creativity is humbling and inspiring’

The Woodland Nursery won Early Years Team of the Year at the Pearson National Teaching Awards in November 2023. Here Tracy Paskins, co-founder and manager shares more about the forest school nursery in Greenwich, London.

Building a Better Wall: Assessing Children’s Design Technology Learning in Nature-Based Early Childhood Education

The teaching and learning of design technology that occurs in nature-based early childhood education and care (ECEC) contexts such as nature kindergartens remains under-theorised. There is a growing body of scholarship that describes how teaching and learning occurs in these contexts as well as highlighting the benefits for young children learning in the natural environment. Recently, in the perspective of the Australian ECEC sector, how students experience design technology in nature-based contexts (bush kinders, an adaption of the European forest school approach to ECEC) was reported on. Despite design technology being accounted for in bush kinders as part of play-based learning of STEM, assessment of how this learning is supporting student’s comprehension of design technology remains an area for further attention. Often, educators rely solely on observations and anecdotal note taking for assessment which points to a need to support teachers with more rigorous assessment models. This paper adapts an assessment model for science learning and reconsiders it in terms of design technology teaching and learning. The paper’s aim is to support educators to develop children’s deeper understandings of design technology and make learning meaningful in nature-based education settings. Using vignettes, the children’s learning of design technology available in natural surroundings is analysed. This paper proposes that bush kinders are a valuable context for teaching and learning as they allow educators to develop skills to assess children’s design technology knowledge. The analysis of the data and its consideration against one play-based learning assessment model is also valuable in generating a broader narrative that deepens insights into the teaching and learning experience of design technology education in early childhood nature-based contexts.

‘The world is your oyster’: mothers’ perspectives on the value and purpose of an independent Forest School provision

ABSTRACT Time in nature, including in organised settings like Forest Schools, is associated with a range of benefits for child development. Parents are typically the facilitators or enablers of these nature-based experiences, particularly for those activities taking place outside of the traditional school environment. In this study, we sought to ascertain the perspectives of one group of parents, all mothers, who chose to send their children to an independent Forest School provision in England. Using semi-structured interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed findings to reflect why these mothers chose to engage their children with Forest School, the value they believe is associated with their child’s participation in this programme, and the ways that this influenced their parenting approach and family more broadly. Participants were motivated to seek out Forest School for their children based on their own experiences in childhood and their current interests in nature. For many of the mothers, such as several who home educate their children, Forest School embodied values they believed were important for both education and shaping child development. Finally, participants shared that Forest School provided their children, especially those with additional support needs, novel autonomy and compassion they did not find in other children’s groups. Independent Forest School provisions could be an important way of enabling parents to support their children’s development in a manner that aligns with their own values.

Maximising the procurement process to protect both cost and quality

The cost of living crisis is continuing to squeeze everyone's budgets. Sarah Hardwell, nursery director for Little Peanuts Day Nursery and Forest School in York, discusses all things procurement when setting up her nursery, and shares tips for how settings can make the most of this process to maximise savings without compromising on quality.

Wiggle into Nature: A partnership project working outdoors

Melanie Evans, Education and Wellbeing officer at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, shares more about a project which gave children under 5 and their families opportunities to explore local green spaces, reserves and parks. The project was supported by Spurgeons Children's Centres and combined the play-based and child-centred ethos of Forest School, with the compassion and connection promoted through the communication style of Spurgeons' Five to Thrive approach.