Farm School & Forest

At ROEC we are extremely excited to be able to offer something slightly different from other providers!

All our programmes, whether you are joining us from a school or as a parent, offers a complete outdoor learning experience where children and adults alike, can come and learn new skills at our base on Wing Hall Farm. As educators we are now understanding and seeing the benefits of Forest school and outdoor education work with young people, and we have combined this with our working farm.

The concept behind forest schools

The Forest School concept was created in Scandinavia. It is all about empowering children to explore and experience the natural world through activities in the outdoors. The concept has proven to develop the self-esteem and confidence in children of all ages through activities that involve creativity, working together and child-led learning.

Location

The best location for Forest School is in a piece woodland, outdoors in all weathers, any season, simply being under a canopy of trees has a positive effect on a child’s well-being. We can see the same effect when working with animals too. These experiences create a real sense of joy and can help overcome anxiety and improve well-being all round.

Learning

As children explore the natural habitat and work with our animals, they become more in harmony with nature and learn an understanding of how farms work, bringing a sense of belonging and contentment to our global community.

Safety

Forest School is also a place to assess risk in a safe environment. This challenging play helps develop self-confidence, competence, emotional resilience and a sense of independence. Without risk and challenge, children are at risk of losing their sense of aspiration and ambition.

Children are given opportunities to experience challenge through tasks which are both achievable and a challenge. We believe this encourages children of any age to try and persevere at a task which is within their abilities to achieve.  All our programmes are tailored to children’s abilities and interests.

Exercise

NHS guidelines suggest that children under the age of 5 need 3 hours of exercise per day and that it should be a mixture of bone strengthening, muscle building and cardiovascular.  The Forest School environment provide a range of opportunities for these needs and well as supporting a healthy growing mind.

All learning is child-led supported by our team. This makes holistic development easier to achieve than in a classroom. It is particularly important for children to have the freedom to choose and express themselves creatively.

What activities will be offered:

• Exploring our woodland and making dens
• Learning about how a farm works in the 21st Century
• Feeding and caring for farm animals and small animals
• Bottle feeding Lambs (when available)
• Creating Outdoor Art
• Getting messy and creative in the ‘mud kitchen’
• Planting and cultivating crops
• Climbing trees
• Meet our Ponies
• Orienteering (Map & Compass Skills)
• Exploring water and ecosystems through pond-dipping
• Learning about fire safety through cooking on the fire
• Learning about insects, animals, plants and trees through investigation
• Working as a team and learning problem-solving skills
• Learning about boundaries and risk assessment
• Learning about the natural environment and how their actions impact upon it
• Learning the safe use of tools, such as bow saws, whittlers and mini-drills
• Overnight Residentials (Schools/groups/families)

During all sessions, we encourage children to take part in the ‘risk assessment’ process. This develops their own awareness and allows them to risk assess when undertaking different activities around the centre.

There will always be a paediatric first aider present.