Welcome to Forest School.

Welcome to our 'taste of Forest School' at Blackwood.

At Blackwood we're proud to offer ' A Taste' of Forest School to our students. This year we  to offer Monday afternoon sessions to our Year Five children. Each set of fifteen children aim to complete five sessions (within available timetabling.)

As one of the main six aims of Forest School is to work within a 'child-led' approach, each session may differ as our groups explore their interests and drive their skills and knowledge further.

Our students are instructed in ways of identifying challenges and hazards through their exploration and are taught safe ways of working as identified in our many risk assessments. A challenge or risk may differ according to the activity and be emotional or physical, from learning within an outdoor environment, coping with the weather, offering ideas to a group or using a saw, drill or cooking on a fire.

Scroll down to see what we've been up to or for ideas to try out at home and other outdoor spaces.

We hope you enjoy what you find.

Stay wild!

Mrs Leadley and Mrs Sandland.

Welcome to Forest School 

We're looking forward to developing our sessions this year. Offering our Forest School to Year Five for a change and developing independence skills, self-confidence, creative talents and an understanding of our natural environment.

Can you take part in 30 days wild?

Look at the 30 days wild activity pack and see how many activities you can tick off.

Send me an email to tell me how you're getting on.

Stay wild!

Mrs Leadley

Activities from Wild Days and Earthwatch Europe.

I shall be bringing you lots of activities from Wild Days which think about all sorts of natural and Geographical activities. The first theme is 'Islands.' There is an activity for each day of the week. Please send pictures of your work or your ideas to your year group email addresses. I look forward to seeing what you have been up to.

Stay wild!

Mrs Leadley

National Geographic free digital magazine for children.

National Geographic free digital magazine for children.

You can now read past and current issues of this magazine for free on your screen. Let me know what you find interesting!

Take care,

Mrs Leadley

          Have you ever set yourself a challenge?

Have a go at some of these and see what you can achieve before you're 11 and 3/4.

Fancy entering a competition? How good are you at bug hunting?

Click on the link to find out more.

Free membership to Outdoor Learning Made Easy.

Follow the link to to your free membership. You can then access lots of activities to do outside in your green space.

What is Forest School?

Forest School originated in Denmark as a method of teaching children within a wooded setting. Through exploration, play and child-lead activity your children will undertake learning and exploration opportunities in a non-formal environment, focusing on creative and linguistic expressions of their learning.  We are very lucky here at Blackwood as our school is set in the middle of woodland and provides access to several areas within the school site within which, our sessions take place.

Forest School is an important part of our curriculum giving Blackwood pupils a unique educational experience using the outdoor environment of the forest as a classroom. Forest School activities are arranged for primarily, Year Four children but can be extended to other year groups. We are lucky enough to have a fantastic eco-garden on our site which provides a contrasting habitat to enhance our studies. Forest School is led by Mrs Leadley, one of our own teachers and a qualified level 3 Forest School Leader.  Mrs Leadley is supported by our loyal volunteers, Mr Davies and Mrs Sandland and Miss Taylor.