Forest Schools Fever - One persons experience of Forest Schools Training

Forest School Fever - One persons experience of Forest Schools Training

I had one of the best weeks of my life in Sheffield on the level 3 Forest Schools Practitioner course. The crowd were great (I laughed so much) and I was really happy with our terrific instructors. It was a life changing week for me – at last after 45 years I actually know what I want to do!

I came back all fired up and desperate to get going. The day I got back the woods beckoned and I saw them with such different eyes, it was like I had been looking but never really seen before. I was however, a little disappointed as I had expected the forest to open up to me somehow and that I would know what all the trees were (but who was I kidding). However, I found punk (which my dog subsequently chewed up and left all over the living room floor) birch bark (ready to try my Kelly kettle which was going to be arriving shortly) and King Alfred’s cake (which I hadn’t know existed until a few days before).

I had a bit of a panic about my lack of knowledge of trees but got some very sound advice, which was to take my time and really get to know the trees. Use the internet to find out stories about them and what they are used for. Put them into context. However, I am not very good at taking things slowly but I did break it down to one at a time. I picked a tree a day and set off to the woods armed with identification books and a camera. It wasn’t long before I found an oak, I thought I recognised its big knarled shape but the real give away was the acorns and leaves around its base. I took photos of the bark and general shape as well as stuffing leaves, acorns and sticks into my pockets. When I got home I got on the net and found out lots about oaks.

Later on, whilst walking the dog, I discovered that I didn’t have to go to the woods to look at trees because there were loads around the village. So every time I popped out for a walk with the dog I learnt to identify a different one. It had been very windy over night so when I went out the next day a branch had come down from the alder tree where I park the car, so I took a bit and made my first tent peg out of alder. I decided that I could get to know the trees better if I had whittled their wood. I made a note of each one to say a bit about it and how easy or difficult it was to work and I now have a lovely tent peg for each of the trees I can identify.

When My Kelly kettle arrived I decided I would show off my tea making skills to my husband who was going to be very impressed by my ability to light a fire under my Kelly kettle. I went out in a howling wind and drizzle and failed miserably! A few days later in much better conditions and much better prepared I lit it first time, unfortunately I realised I hadn’t washed the kettle out first so the tea was undrinkable.

The billhook, bow saw and crook knife I ordered all arrived and so with the help of my husband I could set to work on making my mallet. He is now, rather good at tool talks and comes out with them for the strangest things; we had a tool talk for a tooth brush the other day (I do get the feeling he is taking the Mickey out of me just a little!) The crook knife I ordered is proving useful for my spoon which I am very nearly finished.

The most important thing I wanted to do after my course was to get outside and see some FS sessions in action, so I looked on the FEI website and found two local cluster group and emailed them my email was very kindly passed to the other members of the cluster groups. I also attended a cluster meeting which just happened to be the next week and met I great crowd there. As I consequence I have been observing and helping out in several different places and am really starting to see how it all works for real. I am gaining a good variety of experience, Year 1’s and 4’s mainstream and SEN students at key stage 2 and 3. Next week I will be watching a group of Key Stage 4 students with behavioural problems, which I am really looking forward to.

Also at the cluster meeting was a guy from the Forestry Commission who was talking about opening up a new site for FS and I asked if I could maybe help by doing the EAI on the site and then perhaps use it. So I may have got myself a site for my sessions. We are going to talk about it more at the next cluster meeting next week.

Using second hand book shops and Amazon I have bought several books which I am reading when I am not being active.

Each time I go to the woods I try to find something new. I have taken some great pictures of fungi and as soon as I get home I try to identify it and find out about it using the internet. I have then written it up as part of PSWM 1.4a. I am trying very hard to keep my portfolio constantly up to date so I don’t end up having to write it all up in one go.

This is all keeping me very busy and I love every minute of it. But, I still have a long way to go. I think my husband thinks I have lost my marbles but I think I have a bad case of ‘Forest School Fever’!