Jack and Gill Childcare and Forest School
The natural approach to learning
We help to build confident, imaginative and respectful children.
The theory is that humans are wired to like things that are good for us and our survival, which is why trees and the great outdoors can help lift our moods.
In our care, children learn how to plant, make charcoal, chop wood, saw, identify trees by their leaves and bark, study nature and learn to respect all things living.
When on our base in Rudgwick, we offer free flow with access to the outdoors all day and continue here with our forest school approach to learning.
.
The focus is on your child
Play is widely accepted as a valuable, fun and rewarding experience for children.
Play is a child's inborn wish to explore their world. They are exploring uncertainty, they are taking themselves beyond that and beyond what they know and understand and into what they are curious about and want to know about.
Children learn through making mistakes.
Children need space and time to play and have understanding adults around them that recognise the importance of play.
Forest school is focused on child led play and facilitated by trained staff.
The children learn to develop their team work, they physically develop, socially develop and their imaginary play is outstanding.
In child led play, children follow their own deep play patterns coded into their body and developing brains. They can be deeply engrossed in their own world or interacting and playing with other children. This type of play is extremely beneficial. It allows children to figure things out for themselves and to learn how to take healthy risks. To find innovative ways to think about the world and how it works, based upon their own discoveries and interests. They will practice necessary skills such as overcoming obstacles, creative problem solving on their own or with their friends, and to communicate their feelings effectively with others.
Years of research shows that child directed play fosters the development of the whole child - their cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills.
It contributes to school success and it is a necessary part of every child's life.
Outdoor learning
It is a proven fact that being outdoors reduces stress, it calms the brain and opens it up to be more receptive to learning.
There is a freedom associated with the vastness of space, which cannot be replicated inside, no matter how many windows a building is given.
Exercise also helps children’s emotional well being, encouraging relaxation, calmness and a better sense of well being (Armstrong 1996).
Past generations of children have always spent time outdoors. It is widely recognised that these experiences make a positive impact on children in many aspects of their development and health.
Children need experiences where they can be excited, noisy, energetic and messy.
They need to dream, imagine, invent and fantasize.
They need to create, construct or deconstruct.
They need to investigate, experiment, explore and discover.
They need to be able to develop their gross motor skills by running, jumping, balancing, negotiating space.
They need to be able to dig, grow, nurture and cultivate.
They need to be able to hide, relax, find calm and reflect.
They need to have responsibility, be independent and to collaborate with others.
Print