Last year I did a forest school series that was widely popular. These nature learning activities are not just for homeschoolers but can be used as a complement to public school or just as fun inspiration if you’re looking for something to do with your child outdoors.
Remember that one of the key principles of forest school learning is to let the child’s interest lead the way. Don’t fret if you want to practice the alphabet by creating letters with sticks, but your child is obsessed with the grasshoppers that are jumping up and down around you. Take the opportunity to talk about grasshoppers instead. Your child is still learning invaluable skills!
Here are the links to the first five forest school activities:
DIY Forest School I:
Count to 10 with Nature
A fun take on learning numbers and counting.
DIY Forest School II:
Small World Exploration
Watch the forest floor come to life when you explore it up close.
DIY Forest School III: Sorting, Comparing and Categorizing
Basic math activities that take advantage of children’s innate desire to collect things in nature.
DIY Forest School IV: Word Hunt in Nature
Use objects in nature to learn letter sounds.
DIY Forest School V: Does It Belong in Nature?
Encourage critical thinking skills and environmental stewardship with this activity.
This looks like a great series! I can’t wait to dive in and read it.
Thank you, Erin! We certainly had fun doing it as well, so I’m anxious to get started again. Thanks for reading:o)
You know I love this! No matter what age your kids are — forest school is cool! Can’t wait to follow along and explore.
I know, Jacquie:o) I hope my kids will keep enjoying forest school for many years to come!
I agree with going with the flow, education happens in ways you do not expect it to. Lots of great ideas here and I have shared this with my daughter. #countrykids
Yes, a lot of times I have an idea of what we’re going to do when we go to the woods, but the girls get interested in something completely different. It’s nice to be able to let go of your expectations and just let the kids lead the way:o) Thanks for reading.
Hi Linda, thank you for this great inspiring series. Where were you able to buy “Play and learn mathematics outdoors”? I tried Amazon and Abebooks with no luck!
Hi Michele! I actually picked up a copy when I was in Sweden. I’ve tried to find a place to order it online but with no luck, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you:o( Your question makes me wonder if I should start importing these types of books from Sweden and selling them from my website, though. Definitely some food for thought! And I will probably share more of the activities from that book this fall, so if you get my email updates you won’t miss anything:o)
I love the look of forest schools, such a great concept and very like the activities I do with the children here at Coombe Mill for activity hour. Nothing quite like understanding nature from an early age, do keep the forest schools series going. Thank you for sharing with the on CountryKids .
Glad to hear you like the series – I’ll definitely keep it up:o) Thanks for stopping by.