Forest and Nature School in Canada - A Head, Heart, Hands Approach to Outdoor Learning

Oct 3, 2026

A guide for educators, families, and organizations on Forest and Nature School in Canada, built around a “Head, Heart, Hands” approach to outdoor learning. It explains what Forest and Nature School is, highlights Aboriginal perspectives, and outlines benefits. The guide describes how children learn through ethos, inquiry-based and emergent experiences, play-based and place-based learning, storytelling, and loose parts. It also covers practical start-up considerations, risk support, and available resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time1 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Preface by David Sobel

Introduction

Part 1: What is Forest and Nature School?

Definition

Aboriginal Perspectives

Benefits

The Role(s) of the Educator

The Role(s) of the Child

Part 2: How do Children Learn in Forest and Nature School?

The Ethos

Learning Approaches

Inquiry-Based, Emergent and Experiential Learning

Play-Based Learning

Place-Based Learning

Storytelling

Loose Parts

Part 3: Practical Considerations: How to start a Forest and Nature School?

Supporting and Assessing Risk

Part 4: What Resources Are Available?

Forest and Nature School-Friendly Organizations

Possible Funding Sources

References

FOREST AND NATURE SCHOOL IN CANADA: A Head, Heart, Hands Approach to Outdoor Learning TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~ ~~Table~~ ~~of~~ ~~Contents~~ ~~ 4 Preface by David Sobel 6 A Special Thank You and Contributing Authors 8 Introduction 9 A Day in Forest and Nature School 10 An Overview of this Guide 11 Part 1: What is Forest and Nature School? 12 A Definition 13 Aboriginal Perspectives 15 Benefits 17 The Role(s) of the Educator 19 The Role(s) of the Child 20 Part 2: How do Children Learn in Forest and Nature School? 21 The Ethos 22 Learning Approaches 23 Inquiry-Based, Emergent and Experiential Learning 25 Play-Based Learning 30 Place-Based Learning 32 Storytelling 34 Loose Parts 36 Part 3: Practical Considerations: How tostart a Forest and Nature School? 37 Seeing the Forest for the Trees 40 Supporting and Assessing Risk 43 Part 4: What Resources Are Available? 44 FAQs and IFAQs (Frequently and Infrequently Asked Questions) 48 Forest and Nature School Programs 53 Relevant Guides 54 Forest and Nature School-Friendly Organizations 56 Books, Articles, News Stories 59 Possible Funding Sources 60 References 62 Partners © June 2014. Forest and Nature School in Canada 3 ~~ Preface ~~ 4 © June 2014. Forest and Nature School in Canada PREFACE BY DAVID SOBEL David Sobel is senior faculty in the Education Department at Antioch University New England. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on children and nature for educators and parents. Preface adapted by David Sobel from: “The Best Way to Know a Tree.” Yes! Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions. Spring Issue Preface by David Sobel The original kindergarten—the children’s garden—conceived by German educator Friedrich Froebel in the 19th century, was a place where children learned through play, often in nature.That idea is fast eroding. Children aren’t playing in the garden anymore; instead they’re filling in bubbles on worksheets. In the face of this indoor-ification, a cultural and educational movement is emerging—focused on new approaches to nature-based education. This movement offers us a glimpse of what childhood used to be, and still could be—the modern re-creations of the children’s garden: the Forest and Nature School. If we looked to these examples, the stories and perspectives written on these pages, we might be able to rescue childhood. Jenny Merrill in the Golden Jubilee edition of The Paradise of Childhood (1916) describes what exemplary curricula were like in early 20th-century kindergartens, including “observation of the sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the clouds, rain and snow … shadows indoors and out-of-doors …care of living animals,[such as] a kitten …learning names of natural objects.” The Forest and Nature School programs of today aspire to this same kind of nature immersion. But, in their purest form, they go even further: Some forest kindergartens have the children outside 80 to 90 percent of the time. Many of the more than 700 Waldkindergartens in Germany have no heated indoor facility—just a tool shed or maybe a teepee, outdoor toilet, yurt, or open-sided shelter with a fire pit. Isn’t this what we want for our children? This immersion in the natural world, this feeling-at-oneness, these eyes sparkling with fire. We’re learning that grit and stick-to-it-ive-ness are some of the core character traits that determine success in school and in life. Teachers and parents of children in Forest and Nature School are finding that mastering puddles is just as important as learning letters in preparing children to find their way through the smartboard jungle. And so, the pendulum swings towards what we know to be true, that nature has a purpose in learning, development, and in building a sense of place in the world. Forest and Nature School provides an opportunity for this to be embedded into education, in a deep, meaningful and practical way. David Sobel © June 2014

FAQs

What is Forest and Nature School, and what does the guide emphasize?

The guide defines Forest and Nature School and frames it as nature immersion for learning and development, emphasizing educator and child roles and grounded, practical outdoor approaches.

How do children learn in Forest and Nature School according to the guide?

It presents learning approaches such as inquiry-based, emergent and experiential learning, play-based and place-based learning, plus storytelling and activities using loose parts.

What practical steps and supports are covered for starting a Forest and Nature School?

The guide includes considerations for seeing the forest for the trees, supporting and assessing risk, and planning so outdoor learning can be implemented safely and effectively.

Oct 3, 2026

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