Save time using these ready-made forest school lesson plans which give you a wide range of outdoor learning lessons in math, science, literacy, wellbeing & more.
Ready-made forest school lesson plans
Anything we want to teach in the traditional, indoor classroom can also be taught outdoors, often with surprisingly beneficial results.
In an outdoor classroom, lessons tend to be more hands-on, using the real surroundings to inspire practical lessons.
Freed from the often regulated environment of the indoor classroom, children can be more relaxed, more willing to try new things, and motivated to participate in the lessons.
The Forest Classroom: beginners’ guide to forest school is full of ready-made forest school lesson plans you can use to teach a wide range of activities, across science, math, literacy, arts and crafts, wellbeing and more.
To help you delivery great forest school lessons, the book explains the aims and learning objectives of the activities included, along with details of any materials needed and printable guides, journal pages and other resources to assist with the lessons.
You’ll be shown how to introduce the lessons, how to develop the activity, and given variations so you can adapt each lesson to your particular setting.
Read on for examples of forest school activities in each subject area with more information on how to access the detailed lesson plans that will save you so much time and make your forest school lessons a success.
Ready-made forest school lesson plans
Make your forest school teaching easier using our ready-made outdoor lesson plans.
The Forest Classroom: a beginner’s guide to forest school will give you the confidence, ideas and practical plans to lead forest school lessons with your children.
Our best-selling guide gives you over 40 lessons plans and 16 practical printable sets that you can use in your forest school setting, school yard/playground, local park or your own backyard to run a forest-school style curriculum.
The lessons are suitable for children aged 4 to 10 and cover a broad range of subjects including nature study, math, literacy, science, arts and crafts, and wellbeing.
See more and get your copy of The Forest Classroom here, for easy, ready-made outdoor lessons you and your children will love.
Core forest school lesson plans
A major part of a forest school curriculum is enjoying the benefits of the forest itself. The Forest Classroom guides you through:
:: how to structure your forest school lessons, opening and closing each session to successfully transition your children into and out of this special setting, and with consideration of the need for free play and structured learning
:: campfire activities including easy recipes for drinks, snacks and meals to enjoy community time together
:: forest walk lessons, with themed walk ideas for different times of the year including walks that focus on the seasons, times of day, plants, animals and the five senses
:: foraging lessons, for each season of the year, with printable guides that teach children about each plant, where they grow, how to ID them, and easy recipe ideas so children can taste the foraged foods
Science lesson plans for forest school
Science lessons in the forest classroom can focus on plant and animal biology, specifically dendrology, meteorology and ecosystems. In The Forest Classroom you’ll receive lessons plans and printables to teach:
:: Parts of the Tree lesson to learn forest vocabulary, how to identify the key parts of a tree, and how these work together in a complex system.
:: Tree identification lesson to learn the leaves and seeds of the trees in your forest classroom
:: Cloud lesson to learn the types of clouds, their formation and contribution to weather patterns
:: Food Chains lesson to learn about food webs and food chains; how the forest system works as a whole, with a system of producers, consumers and decomposers
Wellbeing lesson plans for forest school
The emotional, spiritual and psychological benefits of learning outdoors should not be overlooked, and in The Forest Classroom you will receive lesson guides to lead activities that promote wellbeing, including:
:: mandala making for community art projects and seasonal rituals
:: sit spot quiet time and meditations
Arts and crafts lesson plans for forest school
The forest can inspired art projects and provide natural art materials. The Forest Classroom will give you ideas for art projects you can do within the forest and as a way to talk part of the forest home with you, including:
:: leaf printing activities, including wreath and crown making
:: clay faces, using found, natural materials
:: stone cairns, to explore gravity and mindfulness
:: twig weaving
Math and literacy lesson plans for forest school
Math and literacy activities in forest school can come from the forest itself, in the form of nature journalling what you observe growing and living around you, and through a range of organised math and literacy stations/activities that bring classroom skills and drills into the outdoors. The Forest Classroom will give you ideas for math and literacy work including:
:: keeping individual or collaborative nature journals, with writing and drawing prompts and a range of printable journal pages
:: counting, number order, place value, arithmetic, patterns, size, bigger / smaller, symmetry, graphing, and estimating activities
:: mark making, pre-letter shapes, writing letters, and spelling activities and storytelling ideas using story stones
Download your copy of all The Forest Classroom lesson plans here.
The Forest Classroom :: download your ready-made forest school lesson plans
Have you got your copy of The Forest Classroom yet? It is the perfect beginner’s guide to running a successful forest school. Download your forest school guide here.
A forest classroom is a place of adventure, discovery, and imagination. It can also be a wonderful place to learn about math and science, explore art and crafts, and develop language and social skills.
The Forest Classroom is a practical guide which will show you how to engage your children in fun and educational forest-school activities.
These ready-made forest school lesson plans are suitable for forest school leaders, teachers, childcarers and parents with children aged 4 to 10, to learn in a forest, school nature area, local park or your own backyard.
Get your copy of The Forest Classroom here and you’ll be ready to head straight outdoors and enjoy teaching, using our ready-made lesson plans.
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