What is a forest school?

In a time where individuals are more environmentally conscious than ever before, and as a younger, more a-tuned generation emerges, care and concern for the environment is of the upmost importance. So it isn’t surprising that schools all over the world are looking for ways to teach young children about the outdoors, how to appreciate nature and include nature within education settings. For this reason, forest schools are an important part of a child’s education. What is a forest school, though? Find out everything in this guide from The Tipi Company.

What is forest school?

A forest school is an outdoor educational process that allows children to develop themselves through healthy engagement with risk, problem-solving and discovery. The forest school is held within a natural environment and allows children to experience a form of hands-on education.

Forest schools are typically aimed at primary school-aged children, pre-schools and nurseries because they’re highly beneficial to development at these ages. One way many schools implement this type of educational learning is through the use of tipis.

Forest school tipis

Unfortunately, many schools do not have direct access to natural resources like woodlands or parks, so they must think of an alternative way to bring together children and nature. This is where The Tipi Company’s forest school tipis come in handy because they’re essentially used as classroom tents.

We provide a wide range of excellent tipis for schools to use as an outdoor educational setting. Outdoor classrooms are extremely popular because they offer schools a whole new way of teaching their students. Many schools use our Midi Hat Tipi as an outdoor classroom environment. This excellent tipi is ideal for taking students outdoors and creating a fun, spacious environment for them away from their usual classroom setting. Schools could even use the Midi Hat Tipi as a hands-on learning experience for children of all ages.

Wincheap Foundation Primary School in Kent recently invested in one of our tipis and gave us some feedback, saying: “We are so happy with our tipi as it compliments the school ethos of outdoor experiential learning. It provides us with the opportunity to house a whole class, plus space inside to do our forest school activities. It’s also a great shelter in the winter and a cool shade on hot summer days, plus it’s been strong enough to withstand wind and storms. Overall, a great resource for our school.”

Durable and trustworthy forest school tipi

Of course, with many children inside a forest school tipi at one time, schools must assess any risk. At The Tipi Company, we understand that, which is why we produce reliable tipis from high-quality, durable canvas that is inherently flame-retardant, which makes it perfect for use in outdoor educational settings.

The fabric used on the Midi Hat Tipi is of high quality and is great for use in a wide range of weather conditions. The durable outdoor fabric on the tipi is highly waterproof, weather resistant, moisture regulating and breathable. This makes it perfect for use during the height of summer and the depths of winter. It is also stable, sun-protective and colourfast with a non-fouling finish leading to provide a visually stunning, practical product.

What are the benefits of a forest school?

There are many benefits to using a forest school tipi, and they centre around a child’s development. Here are the main advantages of using a forest school tipi as part of a child’s education:

Provides a great outdoor covered space for meditation, yoga and Inamajo lessons, improving children’s well-being and mental health.
Provides the perfect opportunity for children to ground themselves in nature and develop their self-regulation skills.
Learn bushcraft activities by working together as a team to improve their problem-solving capabilities.
Build resilience by learning from failure
Gives children a fun and exciting lesson to look forward to every week where their sense of achievement will be heightened.
Increases motivation and concentration by taking a step away from technology and into the great outdoors.
Improve problem-solving
Expand vocabulary and communication skills
Helps children build positive relationships with their peers by thinking outside of the box
Improve well-being and mental health

Forest school tipis at The Tipi Company

If you’re a school that has outdoor space that you’d like to take advantage of, you should check out our tipi tents for sale. For any outdoor events and ideas, The Tipi Company has you covered! Create an amazing forest school tipi for your students to help with their development.

To find out about the many different tipis available, get in touch to discover how we can help you achieve your business goals. Contact us today on 01204 860 738 or email us at info@thetipicompany.com.