Welcome to SoCal Forest School
Not All Classrooms Have Four Walls
The Benefits of Nature Education
There are a number of areas in which children benefit from nature-based learning. One of them is risk assessment. Through outdoor play, children are required to move their bodies to navigate their environment. Additionally, there is more focus on the importance of problem solving and conflict resolution. For example, a group of forest school children come across a stream. They are instructed to work as a team to get to the other side.
While in a classroom with four walls, with this type of scenario, children may come up with ideas to get across, however do not account for the elements that may impact the process such as the current of the water, the effect of the breeze or the weight of the branches being used. There are more opportunities for understanding and for using collaboration if in an experiential learning environment.
Not all classrooms have four walls. As an advocate for positive social change, it is important that I focus on what can be done locally within my community. Here, I am able to provide the children in my program with meaningful learning experiences. Through this quality program, I can engage families and influential individuals in my community to see the benefits of outdoor play. Through collaboration, enthusiasm and a positive experience, momentum will inform the next phases of the program.
About SoCal Forest School
Plant More Trees. Save The Bees. Clean The Seas.
Through the exploration of five habitats, our SoCal Forest School students will create their own understanding of their surroundings. Mother Nature has provided our youth with the most exquisite classroom in its beauty and form. Within this natural environment are organic learners who intrinsically understand what they are ready to learn now, soon, and later.
Mission Statement
Experiential Nature Based Learning
Children’s instinct, creativity and curiosity are what motivate this curriculum. We provide a framework through which children explore their surrounding environment. With unlimited accessibility to outdoor space, we are able to explore weather, plants, and animals. Through these concepts, our SoCal Forest School will solidify theories such as cause and effect, making predictions and further develop critical thinking skills.
Through the Scope and Sequence of SoCal Forest School, our explorers will create visual representations of their adventures. It is important to note that it is the process of learning that encourages this program, not a desired outcome. It is about the child, in their environment, creating their perceptions of the world in which we live.
Discover SoCal Forest School
Outdoor Child Centered Learning
Welcome to SoCal Forest School - a place for children to grow, learn and play.
Your children deserve nothing but the best, so bring them here for an enriching experience in Mother Nature.
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Planting Seeds
The Next Generation of Environmentalists
Environmental Organizations
For over forty years, the NAAEE has promoted excellence in environmental education through the world. They are focused on empowering individuals and strengthening the field of environmental education in the school system. Their goal is to increase the efficacy of the profession as well as the visibility of the professionals in the field. “NAAEE’s influence stretches across North America and around the world, with members in more than 30 countries. NAAEE and its 56 state, provincial, and regional Affiliate organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have more than 20,000 members.
This program has a number of valuable resources for professionals such as myself, who are beginning to understand the impact and importance of nature based learning and environmental education for our youngest learners.
The Natural Start Alliance. organization sheds light on the importance of strong beginnings in nature education. They confirm that hands on learning experience in nature support the development of smarter, stronger and more content children. Additionally, they recommend that children connect with their natural environment in order to ensure they build a sense of belonging and ownership of the world around them.
Through educating children at a young age, the Natural Start Alliance provides children with the foundational skills for lifelong environmental literacy.
The American Associate for Environmental Education supports the Natural Start Alliance by amplifying the collective impact of the individuals within the organizations. They have developed a partnership through which advocacy for positive social change is taking place.