Forest School is an ethos, a way of working with children in nature over time, not a place or institution as the name might suggest. At Forest School children of all ages visit the same woodland or natural area on a regular basis, usually for 2-3 hours once weekly, with qualified Forest School Leaders (currently accredited by the Open College Network, Level 3). We work with the same small-sized group of people every week over a longterm basis (we aim for a minimum of ten weeks, but over a full school year has been shown to be most effective).

At Forest School we are a community of learners , as in we co-create our group agreements, we build trust, we are encouraged to learn through play, learn about nature and develop our connection to it, how to handle and assess risks and most importantly to use our own initiative to solve problems and co-operate with others. Learners are taught to use tools safely, can immerse themselves in play, become self motivated and curious, can play with trial and error, be creative, establish and grow in confidence, self-esteem, critical thinking and learn both physical and behavioural boundaries. Forest School programmes can run throughout the year, we go out in all weathers (except for high winds).

Qualified Forest School practitioners are outdoor first aid trained, need to be Garda vetted to work with organisations and strive to have a positive impact on the woodlands and green spaces they use, including litter picking and woodland management. A Forest School Leader needs to be covered by insurance to operate and to that end Forest School Ireland is fully insured to run children’s programmes and to teach adults. Groups range from Primary and Secondary Schools, after-schools programmes, bespoke programmes with an organisation or group e.g.

home-school networks, at-risk groups or through funded projects. Sometimes a Forest School leader will be hired by an organisation or an organisation can have a certified Forest School Leader within it, for example a school can have teachers who are trained Forest School Leaders to run programmes for the school community as part of the curriculum. There are lots of great ways to engage children and ourselves in nature; these include, but are not limited to, school gardening, tree-planting, the Scouts, citizen science projects, bird watching, sea swimming, forest therapy, nature clubs, An Taisce Green Schools, outdoor education and outdoor pursuits etc.