Nearly 1 in 5 of Edmonton’s families live in overcrowded homes (Enfield Poverty & Inequality Commission 2019), and many more do not have access to their own garden. As a result, we’ve been working on providing more outdoor experiences for the young people in our schools. ‘Forest Schools’ give students the opportunity to learn more about the natural world outside of the classroom, in one of Edmonton’s green spaces. 

So far two of our schools have been lucky enough to enjoy time with a green fingered professional through regular sessions over a period of 6 weeks. Students engage in a number of activities including games, den building and scavenging materials to build their own kite. Forest School ‘classes’ have slightly fewer students to give students the space to grow in confidence and develop peer relationships, explore new ways to play and get a bit mucky! We’ve even provided staff training so that our schools are able to provide more practical, outdoor learning themselves

Contact Hannah at Hannah@edmontoncommunitypartnership.org if you have any enquiries about this project.