Forest School
Our Forest School sessions run alternate half-terms for children in Meadow and Hillside Class on a Tuesday
and every Wednesday for children in Forest Class
Please send appropriate outdoor clothing along with wellingtons or boots.
At Kettleshulme St James we value the dimension which Forest School sessions bring to our curriculum and more importantly the way that the sessions enhance the experiences which they expose our children too.
It is during these sessions that our children learn the true value of our natural environment, the importance of caring for it and also the skills to name the trees, plants, creatures and habitats around them.
In addition to this our children also use this opportunity to develop their confidence, resilience, connection with the outdoors and their ability to work as a team in a space where all academic restraints are removed thus making everyone equal.
Our sessions are led by Lorna who is a trained Forest School leader and she is supported by Mrs Connick.
Sessions for Forest Class take place in our Quiet Garden and around the edges of our school field,
Sessions for Meadow Class and Hilside Class take place at Clayton Christmas Tree Farm which is a15 minute walk away.
During our sessions the children have the chance to:
Use a variety of tools
Complete challenges
Light fires
Make and cook campfire food
Explore and play
Gather around the fire
Reflect on nature and their environment
Work together
Solve problems
AND much much more!
Please take a few minutes to listen to this wonderful Forest School Poem
Lorna is our Forest School Leader - Here is her story:
I was about seven years old when my parents took me into the garden and gave me a hollowed out tree stump to look after. I filled it with soil and tiny plants I had rescued from cracks in the pavement outside our house. It was around 1985 and I soon began to look up and notice the trees. An imaginary world grew that I was both part of and separate from. I was visited by fairies when I slept, listened to the trees talking when I was skipping and I imagined tiny villages full of little houses high up in the branches I couldn’t reach. I had teachers at school who took us out to star gaze and put us on minibuses that carried us to the Peak District where we climbed, walked and went camping. I realise now how fortunate I was to have had these experiences and I now work to offer similar opportunities to children via Forest Schools.
I've run Greenwood Growth CIC for three years now, and working independently as a Forest School Practitioner for several years before that. My work focuses on enabling people of all ages and abilities to be the best they can be by providing meaningful, immersive experiences in the natural world. I love to play, explore and learn the names and uses of things I find in the forest alongside the children I support - sharing a love of learning is central to me.
When I'm not working and have a bit of time I love to make spoons. They aren't always that good but the sound of my axe carving through wood is a tonic. If I'm really lucky I'll be on the shore of a lake someplace with my kayak nearby and a pile of Marmite sandwiches ready to be eaten.
Kettleshulme is offering children such a rare opportunity through its Forest School provision and I am very much looking forward to working alongside the schools' community.
