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With most early years education now including some time away from the classroom to follow the ethos of the Forest School principals - ‘to achieve and develop confidence and self esteem through hands on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment’ – Burrator Outdoor Pre-School has taken this a step further and become a total ‘Forest Pre-School’ in the grounds of the Burrator Discovery Centre on the shore of Burrator Reservoir for two days each week.
Delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) through a forest school approach means there are no walls to restrict the children’s learning, just endless trees and sky. While there is always a plan, if the children come up with an idea on the day or if they make an exciting discovery that’s just fine and precisely why a Forest School complements the EYFS so well.
The Outdoor Pre-School, (previously known as Meavy and Yelverton Pre-School), moved to its new location at Burrator in September 2014. However with its ever increasing popularity with both parents and children, the Pre-School has now added a second day to their week, open on both Tuesdays and Thursdays (from 9am to 2pm) for children aged 2½ to 5.
I was lucky enough to visit towards the end of the summer term last July and thoroughly enjoyed an action packed and fun filled morning with the children at the school and was greeted with a great deal of warmth, enthusiasm and several bugs under glass magnifiers, with each child desperate to show me their own particular find! In a totally outdoor environment, which includes a tent, a bivouac for story and drink time, a camp fire for those oh so important marshmallows, logs, twigs, branches and leaves (which all help to let the imagination run riot for building Gruffalo’s, stepping posts, ‘Percy the Park Keeper’s’ house and so much more), the children are learning essential everyday skills, building enormous confidence in their own abilities and having a great deal of fun. They were also very proud to show me their skills in handling and making tools; shaving the bark from sticks to hold their marshmallows, knocking in boundary flag posts with mallets and lifting logs to create stepping-stones. One perhaps slightly surprising element to this was that on the day I visited, no boys were present ( although boys do attend)– just girls – and they were all loving the mud, dirt and discovery as much as any boy.
I arrived on a warm and sunny day, but the children come along whatever the weather and as Ann Dawes, the forest school’s leader, explains, “our best learning can often take place on the wettest days” and the children all agree. They are able to use the learning room within the Discovery Centre if needs be, but as yet the children and staff have braved all weathers, much to the delight of the children, who all come well dressed with layers of warm clothing, waterproofs, wellies and a packed lunch.
The Pre-School also runs ‘Forest Fun Days’ for one Wednesday each month during term times for parents or carers to come along with their children (up to age 4) to enjoy a taste of what the Outdoor Pre-School offers.
Lizzie Watt
For more details of Burrator Outdoor Pre-School or the Forest Fun Days visit the website: www.burratoroutdoorpreschool.moonfruit.com or email Ann at burratorpreschool@outlook.com