Children and Families
Being and Connecting
We are learning that everything that happens at Bramblewood is about being and connecting. Whether that is being and connecting with other people, their interests and curiosities, being and connecting the land and its wildlife and their ever changing seasonal dance, or being and connecting with ourselves.
We are also learning that being and connecting actually turns out to be quite simple, and that the hardest thing seems to be pausing all the other stuff that gets in the way. That is where Bramblewood and Forest School comes in. From experience, we knew forest school was a good place to start laying a path for being and connecting, and from there we have created more offerings for more people.
Forest School
“…its just like … well, I can be just me…?”
Bramblewood forest school participant 2020
Forest School brings together the brilliance of children’s curiosity, the abundant possibilities offered by a natural woodland setting and the attention, care and of trained and experienced adults, to create a unique opportunity for fun, play, adventure, personal growth, connection to the world and friendship.
Over a period of weeks and months, entwined with the woodland through the seasons, children and adults get to know each other, Bramblewood and its inhabitants, and how we all interact and are important to each other.
Children are supported to follow their own direction in exploration and play. By watching, listening and joining in with the children, we learn about their interests, skills and enthusiasms, and can prepare new activities and opportunities which may take them onwards in their interests and beyond into new ones. Children at forest school can play on the edges of their own adventuresomeness and, there, grow in self-esteem, self-belief and sense that they truly belong in this beautiful world.
For more information about the principles that guide forest school leaders at Bramblewood, check out The Forest School Association.