Play The Forest School Way : Woodland Games and Crafts for Adventurous Kids

The ultimate guide to woodland fun with kids! Forest School is founded on a philosophy of nature-based play and learning that encourages children to develop confidence and self-esteem. This book will get your kids outside, making and building in the real world (instead of on a computer screen!). Whether your local woodland is a forest or a strip of trees along the edge of an urban park, these activities provide fantastic opportunities for family time and will encourage your children to fall in love with outdoor play. This is the first book to share Forest School games, crafts and skill-building activities with families and friends, its magical illustrations and simple instructions drawing children easily into a world of wonder. • Be a fox tracking its prey, a moth evading a bat, a rabbit fleeing a forest fire! • Make a working bow and arrow, spectacular headdresses, beautiful woodland jewellery, magic wands – all with materials gathered from the forest floor. • Learn wilderness survival skills: build a shelter, make fire, forage and cook wild food. "The rise of the Forest School movement in recent years is part of a groundswell of concern about the wellbeing of our children, with many media scare stories about child obesity, 'nature deficit disorder' (as described in Last Child in the Woods) and lack of exposure to risk. This woodland adventure book brings the activities and 'learning through nature' ethos of Forest School to the parents of nursery and primary school-age children. It's packed full of ideas, from making nature jewellery and whittling a bow and arrow to building a shelter and foraging for food; it also celebrates the Forest School philosophy of encouraging self-esteem, confidence and social skills through engagement with nature. As well as sharing Forest School's brilliant ideas for activities, this book encourages parents to follow aspects of the Forest School approach in the way they handle play sessions; in, for example, getting adults to engage actively while being careful to let the kids lead; in framing sessions with small rituals). Activity variations target different age groups, and there are ideas for small groups (for play dates, for example, or children's birthday parties) as well as things to do with just one or two children. While the book is aimed at parents, who are encouraged to guide the play, the activity instructions are written in a simple style so that children can read them too, and the illustrations are also intended to be enjoyed by children." --Publisher description. Woodland games, crafts, and other outdoor adventures from the Forest School—for parents and their children The rise of the grassroots Forest School movement in recent years is part of a groundswell of concern about the wellbeing of our children, with many media scare stories about child obesity,'nature deficit disorder'(as described in Last Child in the Woods), and lack of exposure to risk. This outdoor adventure manual is the antidote! Packed full of ideas, from making nature jewelry and whittling a bow and arrow, to building a shelter and foraging for food, it also celebrates the Forest School philosophy of encouraging self-esteem, confidence, and social skills through engagement with nature. The activities contain variations for varied age groups, small groups like play dates or birthday parties, as well as things to do with just one or two children. Parents are encouraged to guide the play but the activity instructions are written in a simple style with fun illustrations so that kids can take the lead as well. This woodland adventure book shares the best-loved activities from Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll's own Forest School, as well as celebrating the Forest School philosophy of encouraging confidence and social skills through engagement with nature. Nature explorers Forest arts Survival skills Wildlife team games.