My fondest memories as a child happened outdoors. I remember my parents bringing me and my siblings to beach trips, nature walks, and city tours. We experienced traveling to different countries as a family and got to explore how cold snow is and how hot desert heat is. But apart from those memories being my fondest, I think it’s also during those trips when I learned most about life. Now that I’m already a mom, I try my best to give my daughter the same opportunity to explore and to learn outside the four walls of our home.
Thanks to Instagram, I stumbled upon Forest school. I was immediately drawn to the program when I read that it’s play-based and learner-led. It encourages parents to take a step back so that the kids can explore nature on their own and discover how capable they really are. This, for me, sealed the deal. After years of being stuck inside the house because of the pandemic, a nature walk with my husband and my 1-year-old sure sounded like a great idea! Read about our experience here.
The moment my daughter went down the car, she immediately walked around to explore the parking area where all the Nature Walk participants met. She chased a cat, walked up and down the meeting area, and said hi to Teacher Sharon of Forest School. When the group was complete and it was time to start, we walked for around 10 minutes to the mouth of the forest. It was the first time my daughter saw so many trees up-close. All of a sudden, I felt my daughter’s world expand. If she could talk in sentences, maybe she would’ve said, “Wow mommy, there’s so much more to see!”. She picked up some pebbles along the way, touched some leaves, and observed how a centipede walked. Then, there was a stream of water that formed because of the rain. She felt how cold the water was and even got to dip her feet and cool down. Suddenly, there were so many things to explore and my child wouldn’t have enjoyed every bit of it if we just opted to stay indoors doing our everyday routine.
My daughter is the only child in our home. She’s used to interacting with me, my husband, and our house helper on a daily basis. But on weekends, she gets to spend some time with her cousins, titos and titas. We’ve noticed that she lights up when more people are present and we’ve observed this in her also during the Nature Walk. There were six kids in our group, with two parent guardian each. My daughter enjoyed interacting with the other kids as much as she enjoyed playing in the cold water. One participant even poured water on my daughter’s head, which I thought would trigger a tantrum similar to when we give her a bath, but to my surprise, she was smiling and enjoying the moment. It’s true that being in nature calms the spirit and all of a sudden, nothing else mattered in that moment for by daughter. She gained new friends, fresh experiences, and a full love tank.
It’s her first time to walk on mud, get her socks and shoes all soggy, and wear a cold and wet diaper that got soaked in water. There was water dripping from her hair and her hands were full of dirt. These were tell-tale signs that she enjoyed exploring heaps! You see, Forest School promotes unstructured physical activity and outdoor play because it improves a child’s motor skills. It strengthens their bodies and increases their concentration as nature presents different challenges and problems which encourages a child to solve. The unknown may feel icky and uncomfortable, but no one learns anything from being perfectly clean and organized.
It took my daughter some time before she fully immersed in the Forest School experience. It took time for her to observe, to familiarize herself, and to feel safe in the new environment. It also took time for her to let go of my hand but when she did, there was no turning back! Forest School allowed my daughter to be brave but cautious at the same time, and to open herself up to other people and experiences, because isn’t that what life is all about?
