“Confidence and not fear is the wellspring of all learning”
…so say the learned educationalists of whom there are many. But how do we interpret this notion and encourage its development in the Early Years?
At Grayswood Nursery & Forest School, we have always known that those who dare, invariably go on to do best. Over the years this has become a founding theme in our developing ethos. To move forward in life we must first learn how to move and so we have discovered our own ways of ensuring that all of our children have access to a facility that enables them to reach as far as they can during their time with us. By this we do not mean that any of us should have an unrealistic expectation of their decoding skills or academic ability, no not at all. We mean that children who can move with confidence and agility, tackle obstacles ( physical and metaphysical), be fearless in their approach to challenge and able to stand back to back with their peers in common endeavour are the children who will most enjoy their learning journey. It’s a bit like putting the horse before the cart! So often it’s the other way around, often leading to confidence problems and low self esteem.
A trip to the forest and an hour in the rain and mud of mid winter is a daunting prospect and a challenge to staff and children alike. Meeting this challenge arms us all with a love of life which transfers to all areas of our day to day lives.
With the support of parents, children at our Nursery School can achieve things well beyond the normal and standard of their age. An emotional foundation stone, whole body learning and a burning desire to go further.
Join us on this journey, come and join in or talk to us about the how, why and where of our Forest School Adventures.
“education should be more the lighting of a fire than the filling of a pail”
William Butler-Yates.