LVS Hassocks’ commitment to outdoor education and the benefits it can have on learners’ social and emotional wellbeing is being perfectly illustrated by our Forest School project.
Twice a week Katie Riley is coming in to school to give learners the opportunity to learn valuable skills, enjoy being outdoors, and take ownership of projects.
The sessions cover a variety of skills and activities, including woodwork, cooking, lighting fires, creating shelters and more.
Just as valuable is the teamwork the sessions foster, with learners helping each other and communicating to achieve joint goals together.
Katie said: “The learners enjoy having the freedom to move around and choose their own activities. This group have settled in, are confident outside, are having their own ideas and applying them. They work well together. It is valuable that they have something to think about, plan and prepare, something to really look forward to”.
Harvey and Toby are managing a project to build a roundhouse, having chosen its location, found the materials in the grounds and built it together. Harvey said: “Forest school and this project have helped me through things that I am going through at the moment, it gives me something to focus on and think about”.