Archimedes Forest Schools Model
What is Forest Schools?
(The Archimedes Way)
Developing a child’s physical, emotional and social needs through a powerful and internally focused long term educational journey. Working in woodlands and wild places to create a relaxed, unrestrained, liberating and inclusive learning space that encourages freedom to play whilst harnessing their curiosity for self-discovery. Forest Schools is a progressive and developmental learning pathway, nurturing learners from childhood into adolescence and beyond…benefits that last a lifetime. Forest Schools is delivered by qualified leaders that are both compassionate and caring whilst nurturing a child’s resilience, responsibility, resourcefulness and resolution adding tools for life to underpin their confidence. It’s natures enduring gift to childhood.
The Forest Schools Journey
The Archimedes Forest Schools model is unique to us. The methodology and content is derived from over 17 years experience of development, testing and application.
This uniqueness sets Archimedes apart from all others and it is this difference that makes the Archimedes Forest Schools practitioner different from any other.
That unique difference will set you apart as you strive to improve the life chances of every child you guide and develop through a Forest Schools programme.
Linking Archimedes Forest Schools to UK Curriculum and SEN
CD: Story telling, drama, woodworking, tool use,
CLLD (Communication, Language and Literacy Development): clear speech and language use, cardinal and ordinal language, grapheme-phoneme correspondences, descriptive words, speaking and listening through story telling around the fire
KUW (Knowledge & Understanding of the World): Investigation; problem-solving, changing states (wood to charcoal), sensory development, historical and cultural aspects (how did fire began, how do trees grow?), conservation, species, sustainability,
PDH (Physical Development and Health), wood gathering, organisation and flexibility, strength, balance, and timing in using their large muscles, dexterity and hand-eye coordination in using their small muscles, knowing about their bodies and how to navigate them in an outdoor space, personal care routines on their own, engaging in healthy practices.
PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic): self confidence, self esteem, working collaboratively, communication, sharing, listening to others, freedom through self learning, working safely through understanding, self achievement, coordination,
PSRN (Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy ): ordering, size (small to big sticks for burning), scale, shape- building a pyramid for a fire, knot tying, logic development skills,
SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning): Improving behaviour, improving learning, understanding another’s point of view, working in a group, sticking at things when they get difficult, resolving conflict and managing worries.
The National Curriculum in England states its AIM as:
The national curriculum provides pupils with an introduction to the essential knowledge that they need to be educated citizens. It introduces pupils to the best that has been thought and said; and helps engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
The national curriculum is just one element in the education of every child. There is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications.
The national curriculum provides an outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop exciting and stimulating lessons to promote the development of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills as part of the wider school curriculum.