Enabling Environments: Outdoors - Forest fun

Gibshill Children's Centre in Greenock has a reputation for providing high-quality learning to children in an area with a history of social and health deprivation. Over the past two years, the Forest Schools experience has brought huge additional benefits to the children attending the centre.

After all our staff had received Forest Schools training to OCN Level 1, we discussed our vision for the project and linked the skills to be promoted by the Forest Schools to outcomes for Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence.

We bought waterproofs for all the children and staff and in year one ran a three-week programme in Milton Woods, Kilmacolm. There, the children learnt the rules of the forest and explored the natural environment. In year two, the children's time in the forest was doubled to six weeks, enabling them to build on their previous knowledge, make dens, climb trees and discover the animals in the forest.

Through the project, we wanted to combat unhealthy lifestyles and give children the physical benefits and mental well-being that come from being outdoors. Encouraging a love of the outdoors and enthusiasm for the natural world, we hope, will have a lasting impact on the children. We also encourage parents to become involved and use their local area.

Staff record the children's learning using photographs and observations are noted on an evaluation sheet. These are then used to evaluate the session and plan appropriate next steps according to children's interests and achievements for the week.

From their evaluations over the past two years, staff have noted many benefits for the children, including:

• improved concentration, listening skills and behaviour

• greater confidence and more responsible attitudes

• all children could dress themselves by the end of the programme

• children had shown progression and were able to learn about the natural environment, teamwork, risk-taking, health and well-being.

Getting it right

Overall, Forest Schools contributes to children's development within the four capacities underpinning the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence: Confident Individuals, Effective Contributors, Responsible Citizens, and Successful Learners.

It fits with the vision for Getting it Right for Every Child, a Scottish Government policy that says children should be safe, nurtured, achieving, healthy, active, included, respected and responsible.

For example, Achieving Children assess their own learning verbally and help plan next steps; Nurtured Children are fostered to take risks and feel safe in the forest environment; Active Children have opportunities to climb, run and develop their fine and gross motor skills; Respected Children are asked their opinion about the programme and the next steps for their learning.

Its benefits also span the eight areas of learning that make up the early years curriculum. For example:

Health and Well-being I can demonstrate how to travel safely. I am learning to move my body well, exploring how to manage and control it and finding how to use and share space; I am developing my movement skills through practice and energetic play. I know that being active is a healthy way to be; I understand that there are things I should not touch or eat and how to keep myself safe.

Social Studies I explore and discover the interesting features of my local environment to develop an awareness of the world around me; I explore and appreciate the wonder of nature and have played a part in caring for the environment.

Religious and Moral Studies As I play and learn, I am developing my understanding of what is fair and unfair and the importance of caring, sharing and co-operating with others.

Literacy I listen or watch for useful or interesting information and I use this to make choices or learn new things. As I listen and take part in conversations and discussions, I discover new words and phrases that I use to help me express my ideas, thoughts and feelings.

Maths I am aware of how routines and events in my world link with times and seasons, and have explored ways to record and display these using clocks, calendars and other methods.

Expressive Arts Working on my own and with others, I can use my imagination to solve design problems.

Science I have observed living things in the environment over time and am becoming aware of how they depend on each other; I can identify my senses and use them to explore the world around me.

Technologies I enjoy taking photographs or recording sound and images to represent my experiences and the world around me.

AnnMarie Cunningham is acting deputy head of centre, Gibshill Children's Centre, Greenock