At Collège Champittet, our Forest School programme brings outdoor adventure into everyday learning. The UK’s
Institute for Outdoor Learning has reported that regular outdoor learning enhances academic performance, social skills, behaviour and learning engagement. From identifying plants and bugs to playing games outside, our preschoolers and primary students love learning and exploring in the fresh air!
But what exactly is a Forest School – and why is outdoor learning so beneficial?
Forest School: a model of outdoor education
Our Forest School programme enriches our preschool and primary curriculum by giving children the opportunity to spend several hours each week learning in the great outdoors. We are fortunate to have a wonderful, safe wooded area right here on campus, perfect for our young learners to explore their natural environment.
When people hear “Forest School”, they sometimes assume that this concept refers to outdoor play. In fact, it is a model of outdoor learning – although play is certainly involved! “In the forest, there is time for everything: moments of play, moments of work, and it is our job as teachers to define it,” explains
Sabrina Bäriswyl, Champittet Head of Preschool. In our Forest School, our educators guide our young learners through purposeful play and educational activities that help them build new skills and knowledge in natural surroundings.
These activities include practising maths with found objects, like leaves, flowers, sticks and stones; studying science by identifying plants and insects as well as observing changes in the environment; or building language and communication skills through outdoor storytelling. In the heart of the forest – beyond the four walls of a classroom, and far away from digital screens – our preschoolers and primary students explore, discover and grow, all while strengthening their focus and appreciation for the natural world.
How outdoor learning benefits children
Many scientific studies have demonstrated the positive effects of regular outdoor education, which range from improving health and wellbeing to enhancing academic performance and personal development.
UNICEF has highlighted the importance of outdoor play and its connection to improved learning as well as better physical, mental and emotional health. This article from the
National Literacy Trust further highlights the benefits of the Forest School approach, with improvements in everything from soft skills to motor coordination and intellectual capacities. Research has shown that outdoor education helps children to boost their social skills, self-esteem, ability to work with others and enjoyment of learning, among other aspects.
At Champittet, we have certainly seen these positive benefits among our learners. Getting out in the fresh air inspires our students to embrace every lesson as an adventure. Sabrina Bäriswyl shares: “As for learning acquisition, I am convinced of what the ‘Forest School’ concept brings to children: creativity, concentration, mastery, fulfilment and wellbeing, as well as the discovery of and the respect of nature that surrounds us – which is important for tomorrow’s citizens so that they may preserve it for the wellbeing of all.”
