The core of the Scandinavian forest school pedagogy is made up of unstructured play outdoors. That said, forest school teachers often offer different invitations to investigate or delve deeper into certain things, to see what might interest the children. Some, like this fun and simple forest school activity, are designed to instill environmental stewardship. I’ve done it with my girls… Read More
DIY Forest School IV: Word Hunt in Nature
This is the fourth post in a new series about forest school pedagogy and learning outside from Rain or Shine Mamma. For your convenience I’ve included links to all the previous activities at the end of this post. This week we’re heading out to practice letter sounds and words in nature, using the abundance of colorful leaves in the woods! The… Read More
Sorting, Comparing and Categorizing – Forest-School Inspired Math Activities for Preschoolers
When you think of math activities for preschoolers your mind might automatically jump to math problems like 1+1 or counting to 10, but math is much more than that. Math, especially in the early years, is about abstract thinking, sorting, comparing, categorizing and learning basic math vocabulary. This outdoor, forest-school inspired math activity is a perfect way to introduce math… Read More
A Classroom with No Walls: The Power of Outdoor Learning
At the edge of a sprawling pine forest in southern Sweden, a blond boy who is just shy of his second birthday fearlessly scales some tall, moss-clad boulders like it was nobody’s business. Below the rocks, three brothers wearing rain boots are wading around in a creek and building a habitat for a frog they just found. Nearby, I watch… Read More
Outdoor Science Activity: Small World Exploration
Sometimes you don’t see the forest for the trees, but what if you don’t see the forest floor for the leaves? With this forest-school inspired outdoor science activity we’re heading out with a few simple tools and the goal to explore the forest floor and the critters that call it home. Often when we spend time in nature, our focus… Read More