Stepping Stones is fortunate enough to be able to offer forest school sessions to the children that attend the preschool in the secure woodland grounds at the Fordingbridge Junior School. We have a highly skilled, qualified Forest Schools leader that attended accredited training, that carefully plans activities that children don’t necessarily get to do in the setting. Key features of forest schools include:

• The use of a natural outdoor environment
• Child led approach to children’s learning which is fun and unhurried
• Builds children’s confidence and self-esteem as they are responsible for making their own decisions and are carefully supported to achieve
• Allows every child to have a voice, especially those who find it difficult to communicate in a more conventional learning environment
• A high adult to child ratio allows children to undertake new experiences and challenges whilst taking appropriate risks
• Trained adults and facilitators and observers rather than leaders and directors.