Children have lost their relationship with nature. Traditional elementary schools leave young children stressed and vulnerable to high expectations for academic performance without room for creativity, play, and personal expression. Forest schools are an exclusively outdoor, non-traditional schooling approach that reintroduces children to the lessons that can be learned from Mother Nature and life skills important to daily life. 

Rain or shine, we must learn to endure and grow in all types of environments. As humans, we have become more and more disconnected from the natural world to the point where we shelter our children and shield them from the experiences that the outdoors has to offer. In forest schools, the agenda of the child comes first, allowing them to gain a sense of control in their life. Children are exposed to all sorts of natural elements and follow the expectations to make the most of them. Imagination and creativity bloom when children are left to their own devices to occupy themselves. Without a teacher directing their every move, children experience personal freedom through play and exploration of the world around them. By administering a hands-off approach, children gain independence as well as strong communication skills throughout their time at school. These students are not given commercial toys that only serve one purpose. Instead, they must rely on their own ideas and learn by doing. Nature is an open-ended and unstructured ecosystem full of possibilities. In the woods, every stick, leaf, and rock serves as an opportunity for them to exercise their creative minds. To most, the lack of structure and direction may make them nervous, but we learn best about ourselves in moments of uncertainty and self-reliance. 

Parents who feel apprehensive about their children falling behind may find solace in knowing that the outdoors offers more than a fresh breath of air. Many outdoor activities at these schools cover various subjects such as math, art, reading, and science. Not only do children learn academically, but they also improve their motor skills and build stamina by: 

• Climbing trees 
• Working with tools 
• Building structures using natural materials 
• Cooking food over an open fire 
• Running and jumping around the woods

However, physical abilities are not the only skills gained. 

Forest schools have a holistic approach, which prioritizes the whole child, meaning social and emotional development occurs here too. Modern children have been exposed less and less to risky activities in their lives, leaving them unable to evaluate forms of risk and handle the fear that may occur as a result. Risky activity is crucial for children to be adventurous and learn to overcome scary situations instead of avoiding them. Within the forest, students have the ability to engage in supervised risky activity, which helps them manage their own safety and move around comfortably, all the while building self-esteem. Forest schools curate confident problem solvers who believe in themselves and their abilities because they have been given the chance to face all sorts of challenges. With self-esteem comes self-motivation, which then translates to increased engagement from students. One major discrepancy found in traditional schooling is the lack of attention span from students. Time spent in nature has been shown to decrease stress, increase focus, and lengthen attention span. In the woods, children have options and more freedom to learn and do as they please. They find ways to entertain themselves in the woods instead of relying on a teacher to give them something to do. By doing all of this, forest schools create morale in those who need it most. 

Children need the freedom to immerse themselves in the natural world around them. They are more than capable of learning lessons from unlikely sources that challenge the mandated curriculum our country has established. The definition of a classroom has never been a room with four walls and a whiteboard; it never will be. Mother Nature has always been the basis of our knowledge and holds life’s greatest lessons. In a time where nature is destroyed for the sake of human development, we should be teaching our children to appreciate, nurture, and care about the future of our planet.