Among The Trees has a unique curriculum, drawing from our skills and knowledge base for a primary outdoor citizen. We have outlined our intent, implementation and impact statements below.
INTENT
Among The Trees provides Forest School (FS) and Outdoor Learning Experiences (OLE’s) primarily to the primary school age range (5-11 years). Our mission is to help people experience newness through creativity, movement and the outdoors.
Our primary programme is FS. FS is a long-term process of regular learner-centred processes in a woodland or natural setting. We want to build a lifelong relationship between our learners and the natural world. Taking a holistic approach to develop the whole person with key skills of resilience, confidence, independence and creativity.
Our other offering are OLE’s. OLE’s are more limited or one-off experiences that take learners outside of the classroom and may focus on a particular skill as part of the experience. This may lead to extended programmes, such as moving to a Forest School.
We envision a body of learners who finish their primary school experience having gained knowledge, skills and experience that will fuel their future relationship with the natural world and their experience of the outdoors. Free thinkers, who are well-adjusted our learners will be confident in their ability to thrive in different outdoor environments. Resilient in the face of challenges and all types of weather which won’t prevent them heading outside. They will be able to act independently and in a group situation, providing creative solutions to problems which arise. They will have an understanding and care for the natural world, especially that local to them.
IMPLEMENT
At Among The Trees, we use our primary citizen skills and knowledge framework as a basis for our provision. Learners are afforded opportunities to engage in a broad range of outdoor based play based learning. Observing learners while they play enables us to tailor play to their interests and questions. Learners are also enabled through supported risk taking, free play and planned focused activities. These foster holistic growth through the acquisition of new skills and experiences that might not otherwise be available to them through school or home networks.
We deliver this through our Forest School programme, after school Forest Club and OLE’s either on or off site.
IMPACT
We measure our impact through a variety of means.
Skills assessment is a supportive process that enables all learners to achieve success. Success will look different for each learner recognising their unique individual needs and abilities. Breaking skills down into small achievable steps increases the likelihood of success being achieved.
Conversation and feedback. When we debrief at the end of a session, learners have the opportunity to respond to questioning and feedback their responses to activities and play. This will vary on the age and ability levels of the groups.
Direct action, either through behaviour or actions. For example: a learner may voluntarily pick up rubbish to help leave no trace (one of our rules) or through sharing equipment and being kind to their fellow learners.
Peer and self-evaluation provides a powerful way to encourage one another and to be honest about their learning experience. This also allows for an opportunity to see that other people do things differently while still achieving the same outcome. This is done through conversations with other learners, reviewing other learner’s work and saying something positive about it and discussing their own work in front of their peers.
Newsletters provide us a unique communication channel with parents once a term, with a focus on skills, news and some background around FS and other learning approaches.