Wild Wood

What is Wild Wood?     

Wild Wood principles were first brought to the UK in the 1990’s from the highly successful Scandinavian practise called Forest School.  These schools operate on the  principle that children of all ages can benefit greatly from the hands on learning opportunities inherently presented in a outdoor environment. 

This approach to learning can be summarised as one which puts the child at the centre of their own learning. It is the child who makes the decisions about which activities to participate in, how to approach and solve problems, what they need to reflect on, what their strengths are and what they want to learn next.

All of this is achieved in our richest of classrooms – the outdoors.

Children are given room to have real life experiences. They are encouraged to think ‘outside of the box’; make mistakes; direct their own learning and take risks. All of these factors culminate in producing children who have increased confidence levels, developed independence, raised self-esteem, great communication skills, resilience and high levels of motivation.

HPABe Wild Wood

Under the guidance of a specialist Wild Wood Teacher children will experience learning covering all curriculum areas through activities such as; 

• Woodland and nature exploration

• Building dens and other structures

• Games and invitations for imaginative play

• Natural crafts

• Scavenger hunts and adventure

At Harris Primary Academy Beckenham  we are  exceptionally lucky to have a large natural woodland area on site.  Within our Wild Wood we have a variety of flora and fauna.  The children love to observe the natural changes to the environment from visit to visit. 

Each session in Wild Wood lasts for around one and a half hours in either the morning or afternoon.

Each Child will get the opportunity to have a block of Wild Wood sessions every academic year throughout their time with us.