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18 October, 2023
Forest School is Roarsome
We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with one of the fastest growing forest schools in the UK.
Roarsome is now the official uniform supplier of the utterly brilliant Little Forest Folk, having designed bespoke kit which will be provided for every child enrolled at their nurseries.
But what is ‘forest school’ and who are ‘Little Forest Folk’?
Scroll down to find out.
What is Forest School?
We’ve spoken many times about the benefits of spending time in the forest.
It’s proven to be great for physical and mental wellbeing, while reducing stress, improving happiness, fuelling creativity, and boosting the immune system.
We’ve previously written about the Japanese practise of ‘Shirin Yoku’ which translates as ‘Forest Bathing’, the Norweigan term ‘Friluftsliv’ which translates as ‘free air life’, and the German term ‘Waldeinsamkeit’ whereby we are quiet and undistracted enough to feel that deep connection with the natural world.
The ethos of all of those things has contributed to the idea of ‘forest nursery’ or ‘forest school’ which is a long-term, nature-based learning programme, delivered in the great outdoors, whatever the weather.
Forest schools get kids off screens and connect children to nature, inspiring them to live a naturally healthy lifestyle that builds resilience, confidence, independence and self-motivation.
What happens at Forest School?
It’s just like normal nursery or pre-school except the classroom is an inspiring outdoor space with many of the nursery staff having expertise and qualifications as forest school leaders.
There’s a toilet tent, a changing tent, an area for naps and areas for play, art and reading.
As well as being taught a typical early years curriculum, activites might include:
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Climbing trees
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Woodworking or fire making
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Building dens
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Mud kitchens
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Foraging
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Singing
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Arts and crafts
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Animal spotting
Although making fires or building dens using the appropriate tools can be seen as something dangerous that children shouldn’t be doing, highly trained Forest leaders are always on hand to provide guidance.
Supervised ‘risky play’ is a key learning for practical life skills. This teaches kids to bounce back from failure and to challenge themselves whilst exploring boundaries. These activities help children to feel the joy of freedom, to encourage their creativity and enhance their adaptability.
The adult to child ratio is far higher than a normal classroom, with at least one adult for each four children, meaning that the kids are carefully watched at all times.
What happens when it rains?
“When it rains we put our hoods up! We also erect tarps above our heads so we can continue or we shelter under the natural canopies of trees. More often than not all the children want to do is engage in rainy day play – capturing water in containers, looking at rain flow and jumping in puddles!”
LITTLE FOREST FOLK
Who is Little Forest Folk?
Little Forest Folk is an outdoor childcare programme, rated outstanding by Ofsted, hosted at 7 magical, outdoor sites around London.
Aimed at pre-schoolers aged 2 to 5 years old they teach the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum and incorporate learning in a safe and secure outdoor environment, where free play, fresh air, exposure to the natural world and physical activity are an integral part of learning.
Locations include Chiswick, Morden, Putney, Fulham, Twickenham, Wandsworth & Wimbledon.
Roarsome x Little Forest Folk
Over the last 12 months we have worked closely with Little Forest Folk’s team to create custom kit, designed for playing outdoors all day, every day.
Using feedback over a number of sessions, we produced brightly coloured, waterproof jackets and bib trousers, with removable fleece inners to stay lightweight and breathable in summer while being cosy and warm in the winter months. This avoided the previous requirement for parents to buy separate summer and winter kit each year.
We added removable foot stirrups to the bib trousers, made to go over shoes or wellies to keep feet warm and dry. We added a spare set of stirrups to make the trousers longer lasting.
Just like the rest of our clothing collection, these sets are extremely durable and high quality. We made ages 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5 and to encourage hand-me-downs when the child grows out of each set we added a special neck label for future adventurers to make their memories too.
All made from our signature, eco-friendly RPET fabric, this is the ultimate kit for forest exploring. The next job is making kit for the adults too!
“If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise…”
HENRY HILL - THE TEDDY BEAR’S PICNIC
Join a Forest Nursery
2024 & 2025 waiting lists for Little Forest Folk are open now or you can email info@littleforestfolk.com to discuss limited remaining 2023 availability.
