Forest schools grow in Scotland as grasp of benefits takes root

Educators see benefits of outdoor learning for children, from fitness to resilience

On a bright spring morning, the air is crisp as an apple and the children of Lauriston Castle forest kindergarten are inventing muddy meals at their imaginary cafe. This woodland, north-west of Edinburgh city centre, has become an outdoor classroom for the day, with waterproofs and lunch boxes clustered around the lower branches of the trees.

A black labrador liberates himself from his owner and charges through the sunny glade, to the youngsters’ delight. But unexpected connections are all part of outdoor learning, as early-years officer Amanda Patrick explained. “We might pick up pine cones in the morning, and talk about what they are and what we could do with them. Then they make owls with the cones, so we read a story about owls and then learn a big word, ‘nocturnal’.

Related: Forest schools: learning in the great outdoors – in pictures

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2pZ2jHD