Who can get involved?
Education staff at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust works with a wide range of client groups, including pre-schools, schools (Key Stages 1-4), Referral Units, children and young people with additional needs, Extended Schools, families, holiday clubs and community groups.
Children attending Wildlife Watch, the junior arm of the Wildlife Trust, have also had a taste of Forest School with shelter building and other fun activities during their regular monthly sessions.
If you would like to know more about how your group can get involved, or for advice about the suitability of your grounds for delivery of Forest School, please contac:t
Jim Day Jimd@hwt.org.uk tel 01425 472760 for Blashford
Helen Robinson helenr@hwt.org.uk tel 02380 667929 for Testwood
Dawn Preston dawnp@hwt.org.uk tel 01489 570240 for Swanwick
Adrian Goodhand adriang@hwt.org.uk tel 01256 381186 for north Hampshire
Kathy Grogan kathyg@hwt.org.uk, tel 01983 760018. for Isle of Wight
Why the Wildlife Trust?
Forest School provides children with the opportunity to spend quality time in the outdoors, and all year round sessions give children the chance to witness seasonal change and experience all kinds of weather conditions. Repeated visits consolidate the positive experience and for some children, Forest School gives them their first experience of being out in the rain, or of exploring natural elements such as ice or mud.
By taking part in Forest School with the Wildlife Trust, children learn about how and why we manage woodlands for wildlife; they discover the different plants and animals that make up the habitat; they make insect shelters and bird feeders and, by the end of the programme, have an increased awareness and respect for wildlife.
Many of the children who have been through the programme bring their families back to the Forest at weekends; they bring their parents to talk to us at events and some have joined the Watch Group or become Family Members of the Wildlife Trust. The positive feedback received from children, parents and teachers tells us that Forest School is a very effective vehicle for both the delivery of educational goals and the Trust's vision, "inspiring people about the natural world" and "connecting people with their local environment".
