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What is an Outdoor Nursery?
You may be asking yourself, what is an Outdoor Nursery. To put it simply, it is a nursery in the outdoors. Our Vision at J Puddleducks Outdoor Nursery is to provide children with enriching experiences by allowing them to explore the natural world around them. At our nursery, the children will have the opportunity to investigate, explore, and learn about the natural environment and the wider world around them. Giving children this freedom and removing barriers allows them to thrive and become confident individuals whilst taking calculated risks. We follow a child-led, holistic, and nurturing approach, allowing the children to play and learn in their own way, following their own interests.
Forest School Principles
The forest school ethos has 6 principles developed and agreed by the UK Forest School Community in 2011.
1. Forest school is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off visits to woodland areas. Forest school should involve a cycle of planning, observation, adaption, and review, linking together each session.
2. Forest school should take place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a lifelong relationship between the learner and the natural world around them.
3. Forest school should use a range of learner-centred approaches and processes to promote a community for being, development and learning.
4. Forest school aims to promote the holistic development of all involved including children, young people and adults. Fostering resilient, confident, independent, and creative learners.
5. Forest school should offer the opportunity for the learner to become involved in supported and calculated risks, appropriate to the environment and themselves.
6. Forest school should be run by a qualified Forest School practitioner, who continuously maintains and develops their professional practice.
The core beliefs are that all learners are:
- Equal, unique and valuable.
- Competent to explore and discover.
- Entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge.
- Entitled to choose, and to initiate and drive their own learning and development.
- Entitled to experience regular success.
- Entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people.
- Entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural world.
Benefits of Forest School
Research has been done on the benefits of forest school and its contribution to the Curriculum of Excellence. Research shows that children grow skills in:
- Confidence
o Children have the space, freedom, and time to learn grow and develop their individual skills and demonstrating independence.
- Social Skills
o Children have an increased awareness of their actions and the consequences behind them on other people such as peers and adults. They acquire skills that enable them to work more co-operatively with others.
- Language and Communication
o The children can develop more sophisticated use of written and spoken language from their visual and practical experiences at forest school.
- Motivation and Concentration
o Children are more interested in getting involved with activities and participate in exploratory learning. They also showed a longer ability to concentrate on a specific task.
- Physical Skills
o Children develop stamina and the gross motor skills through play and movement around the site. They also develop fine motor skills through creating structures, arts and crafts and partaking in risky activities.
- Knowledge and Understanding
o A growing and increased respect for the natural world around them.
- New Perspectives
o The teachers and practitioners gain a new perspective on the child's personal learning style and their interests.
- Ripple Effect
o The children take home new skills and teach their friends and family the things they have learnt and share their values.
Forest School Activities
During our day, we may:
- Make dens,
- Build things,
- Create art,
- Climb trees,
- Use woodland tools,
- Build fires,
- Cook and eat,
- Investigate,
- Look after and manage the woodland,
- Play games,
- Use ropes,
- Tie knots,
- Sing,
- Spend time listening and reflecting.
More information about Forest School can be found at
Google Sites
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