DSPNS Forest school sessions bring the children and the curriculum to the forest on Killiney Hill weekly for a block of time. The structure of each session allows the children to build connection: to themselves through sit spots, creative opportunities and reflection; to each other through games and teamwork; and to the world we live in through experiencing it with all their senses.
The aim is to foster resilient, independent, confident and creative learners using a flexible approach and natural resources.
The learning flows out of the sessions in so many ways. English, Geography, Science, Maths, SPHE, Music, Art, PE, Ethical Education and drama are all covered in the sessions and then the richness of the experience continues the engagement and motivation in the classroom and at home.
Have a look at the wonderful blog posts by Liz McMahon with whom we collaborate with to run these sessions. https://dlrcreativityintheclassroom.wordpress.com/
We have two blogs that really elucidate the benefits of forest school and what happens during a series of sessions written by Yuuki Blakeney, ゆ(Yu) う(U) き(Ki), a trained forest school leader and parent in our school.
https://dspns.ie/forest-school/learnings-and-benefits-third-class/
https://dspns.ie/forest-school/observations-and-benefits/
Forest School
Forest School
Forest School Updates
6th class – principle of regular sessions
Forest school is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than a one-off or infrequent visits. The essence of forest school is the building and developing of relationships; with ourselves, each other and nature. This can’t be done in a one off session. (One off …
6th class – Principle of holistic learning
It was a cold, still and cloudy morning. There was almost no wind in our base camp and we could hear lots of birds singing away throughout the session. Today’s theme was to think about the third of the forest school principles: “holistic development”. Forest School …
6th class – Principle of appropriate risk
(written by Yuuki Blakeney & Jenny Dungan) It was a lovely sunny day for the second week of Forest School with 6th class. The theme of this week’s session was “taking appropriate risks”. One of the six principles of Forest school is to offer learners …
Principles of Forest school – Woodland setting
Principle 1: Forest school takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world. For the five sessions we have with 6th class this year we are bringing their attention to some of …
2nd Class – Session 8 – A Forest School Adventure with Our Parents: Discovering the Six Principles
Our 2nd class recently had an exciting day in the forest, and what made it extra special was that our parents joined us! Together, we learned about the six fundamental principles of Forest School, which lie at the heart of our nature-based education. Let’s take …
Senior Infants – Session 8 – A Day of Learning and Fun with Parents
Last week, our senior infants enjoyed an amazing day in the forest, accompanied by their parents. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest, we embarked on a journey to explore the essence of Forest School, delving into its six fundamental principles. The forest transformed …
Senior Infants – Session 7 – Rainy Day Samhain Preparations at Forest School
This week, our Forest School session was all set to take us on an outdoor adventure, but the weather had other plans. Our indoor classroom transformed into a hub of creativity and resourcefulness. Our mission: to create Samhain decorations that celebrate the beauty of nature …
2nd Class – Session 7 – Bringing the Enchantment of Samhain Indoors
When rain thwarted our forest school plans, we brought the enchantment of the outdoors inside our school. With our Samhain celebrations just around the corner on October 27th, we used objects collected from our forest to create decorations. One exciting activity was making oak gall …
Senior Infants – Session 6 – A Letter from a Deer and the Sleeping Fawn Game
This week in Forest School, senior infants recieved a letter from a friendly deer living in the Wicklow woods. She told us all about her favourite foods and secret hideaways where we might spot her if we look really closely! We also learned about how …