PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!

Play at school - what would the parents say?
Parents have so much say and control about what and how their children are taught at school; gone are the days of teachers being respected as professionals despite the fact they have been through university. School is seen by many as a place where children are now brought up as well as taught academically; so the idea of play would make parent start complaining about why their child was playing rather than doing maths and English: short sighted.

I really had to research the benefits and importance of play for myself as I am used to academic teaching in the classroom, where my sense of humour and approach to teaching is my attempt at making learning enjoyable.

When thinking about the relevance of play within Forest School it is important to look at how children learn through play - I have tried to summarise the key principles.

The four key principles behind ‘Play England’s – Charter for Children Play’ are:

1. Play is an essential part of every child’s life – vital to his or her development. It is the way that children explore for themselves the world around them; the way that they naturally develop understanding and      practise skills.
2. Play is essential for healthy physical and emotional growth, for intellectual and educational development, and for acquiring social and behavioural skills.
3. Play may or may not involve equipment or have an end product. Children play on their own and with others. Their play may be boisterous and energetic or quiet and contemplative, light-hearted or very serious.
4. Children’s own culture is created and lived through their play.

Being in an outside environment/ space without the constraints of the walls of a traditional inside classroom allows children to follow their own lines of enquiry and interests through undirected play. The nature of an informal area allows children to explore and not feel confined by regimented learning, such as sitting at a desk and learning from a text book, where their work is either right or wrong. Children naturally feel more relaxed outdoors.

Looking at principle #1 is all about children exploring and learning for themselves about the world around them. Forest Schools allow children to go out into the world around them to explore, see and experience first-hand. It also allows them to learn new skills whilst playing and exploring; allowing them to relax and focus on learning these without thinking it is learning – as they perceive it as just play.

Principle #2 focuses on Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills – looking at lifelong learning and skills transferable to many different situations and roles. Forest School allows children to be outside breathing in fresh air along with physically exploring their environment and using the outdoor space to growth physically. Being in an environment that has uneven surfaces and low hanging branches enables children to develop their observation of their environment and to slow down and look around them whilst moving their bodies in appropriate ways to move around their outside area. Emotional and behavioural skills are developed in Forest Schools through the requirement of teamwork for a variety of situations. Children have the opportunity to experience having to communicate in order to move on. Alongside this they have the experience of success and failure when things do or don’t go to plan; which in its own turn develops resilience and empathy when they assist another child.

The focus of principle #3 is around the need for play to have not specific criteria, for example: solo-play, group play, partner play, energetic, quiet, process or end product. This is aligned with the Forest School approach of child-led learning and the flexible approach to the way sessions go. Forest School also provides options for children to work in their way of choice and encourages having a go.

Principle #4 focuses on how children need play to live out their experiences of society and culture. The imaginative approach of Forest School allows children to play and take their play in their own directions and therefore allows them to link this play to their own experiences of life; in order to make sense of them.

The Forest School approach fits in with the principles of play whilst also being in the natural world. It makes sense as children will feel so much more confident and relaxed: perfect for high quality and deep learning.