Forest School Origins


1800, Wordsworth, above, and 1850 John Ruskin, below


Both of these poets also took people into the woods to show them how nature could inspire them into being poets too. A bit like what we offered through Bards In The Woods


1906, Robert Baden Powell published the first Scouting For Boys and founded the Boy Scouts, and his wife Olave founded the Girl Guides


The Baden Powells taught survival skills and teamwork, mainly within forests. Their education focused on craft skills such as backwoodsmanship, now called bushcraft, building a shelter in the woods, firelighting, foraging, and the teamwork of raft building and bridge building using poles and ropes.

Storytelling is an important part of scouting due to the use of instincts, imagination, and entertaining to lift spirits.


Around 1900 Susan Isaacs believed in taking children outdoors as much as possible. She emphasised the importance of children's play to develop their confidence and team spirit. Several of today's community children's playgrounds may have originated from Susan's beliefs.


Also around 1900, Margaret McMillan provided outdoor schools for the poor.

From New York state, USA, I gather McMillan came back to England to check up on family roots in East London and was horrified by the slum conditions people lived in, especially the children. So she took children into the woods for similar reasons why Susan Isaacs took children outside, to bolster their sense of team work and confidence. She did not want the self esteem of these children to be destroyed. She wanted to take away the risks of children feeling demoralised right into their adulthood. Margaret McMillan took children to nearby parts of the vast Epping Forest. /


Some schools in East London still exist and educate with the McMillan legacy.

The Isaacs and McMillan approach became a very integrated part of schooling. I have lovely memories of our school nature walks and circle sessions in the woods.

Sadly, this started fading out of schools in the UK, and around Ireland, during the 70s and 80s


Education became focused and obsessed on literacy. numeracy, and test scores.

Even the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides went into a slump as children and teenagers became burdened with more and more homework. Martial arts became more popular though.

Teamwork was being replaced with competitiveness. Self confidence building and getting into fresh air was being reduced.

Bullying seemed to increase, and overall class disruption too.


Children do not have the psyche to be caged animals.


1995 and within the Findhorn Foundation Park in Moray, Scotland, a Forest School was started, and the foundations for a Forest Education School.

The young parents at Findhorn were recognising that outdoor education had been stolen from them, and did not want their children to experience the same.


1995, Bridgewater College, Somerset, England, started a BTech Degree course in Forest |Education.

Forest Education was starting to evolve into a 'respectful' course of education.

click/tap here for the next chapter, Modern Forest Schools ...

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