www.foresteducation.org

The Forest Education Initiative (FEI) was launched in 1992 and now operates throughout England, Scotland and Wales, benefiting from the support and expertise of its 8 national partners;

We aim to increase young people’s understanding and appreciation of the benefits of trees, woodlands and forests in our everyday lives.  We encourage schools and young people to use woodlands as a learning resource.

At the heart of FEI are organisations and individuals that come together in the growing network of local cluster groups who deliver the woodland education on the ground.  In the past year, cluster groups have delivered over 50 projects. Some examples of these include:

• Young people designing, erecting and monitoring bird boxes made from waste timber. The children involved collected data based on the use of their boxes by birds and placed the information on a project website for analysis.

• A project to show the life story of a tree through an interactive drama programme that was curriculum linked.

• Numeracy Trail. This project contained activities to enable children to use their mathematical knowledge in a practical way and within any woodland setting.

We have also published a book “Only Made of Wood”  - a magical story about Rocky the Rocking Horse, with a teacher’s book including activities for Key Stage 1.  All these activities are now available on our new website!

The FEI website contains an easily navigated 'learning resource' section. Written by teachers, there are over 70 suggestions for activities which teachers can carry out with pupils individually, in small groups or on a whole-class basis. These resources provide a wealth of suggestions for activities focusing on trees, wood, paper, and the woodland environment. Most of the downloadable resources are specifically designed to meet the requirements of the national Curriculum of England and Wales and the Scottish (5-14) Curriculum. For more informal activities and games, you can also visit the 'Forest Resources' section.

Our website also contains information about Forest Schools – a unique way of working with young people in a woodland setting, helping them to achieve small practicable tasks, learning about fire safety, woodland management etc. It complements the Early Years curriculum in particular but also supports the 5-16 curriculum. Disaffected children, those with emotional or behavioural difficulties or exhibiting challenging behaviour are all seen to benefit and can be "turned around" by the Forest School experience.  Forest School particularly suits the kinaesthetic learner (those that learn by doing) who fails to achieve in a formal school setting.  These children are immediately engaged in the tasks set as they suit their way of learning. 

www.foresteducation.org