Forest School Wales works to ensure that throughout Wales there is sustainable Forest School provision supported by a national network that will nurture the development of projects, offer advice, provide resources, guide best practice and provide continuing professional development.

As a voice for Forest School in Wales we involve members in our regional networking & skillshare gatherings, meetings and online resources while keeping them up to date on current legislation and other events relevant to Forest School. We also help connect members to other organisations involved in Forest School related activities.

Join us at one of our events advertised below or explore this site to find our more about Forest School and provision in your region.

Many thanks to everyone who helped to make the event such a success, especially all the children, for keeping us grounded, and:

• Melissa Harvey of Dyfi Woodlands for sharing some of the children’s activities from the Centre for Alternative Technology including helping us to build an eco-village
• Tess Jenkins, from the Forestry Stewardship Council, who taught us their new Moving Carbon game
• Hazel Wildwood for leading sessions on making a solar oven and growing & caring for young trees
• Kevin of www.firewok.co.uk for donating a firewok for the members’ raffle

Participants agreed to adopt Climate Change as the focus for our next regional skillshare events, and we have started to fundraise accordingly. All members are welcome to get involved, whether in developing the web-based resources, research and piloting projects, or hosting an event. To find out more, please contact Sarah Wilson bodfari_fs@yahoo.co.uk or tel: 07917210589.

If you would like to be part of the team running the FSW stand and activities at this conference (possibly focussing on the Climate Change theme), please contact Maggie Fearn at maggie@fearn.fslife.co.uk.

Cefn Wood, Llandrindod

Feedback from National Networks and Election of new trustees
New Insurance Packages for FS Practitoners including groups, trainees and volunteers
Come along and make sure we get the deal you want!
The AGM will take place at the National Skillshare &and Networking Event, (see below for details)

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FSW National Skillshare and Networking Event *****

Saturday 29 May to Sunday 30 May 2010

Cefn Wood, Llandrindod

Join us for a weekend in the Woods!

AND call for Skillshare Offers

The AGM will take place on Saturday 29th May.

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An opportunity for skill-sharing, networking and camping in a beautiful woodland setting.

THEME: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOREST SCHOOL PROVISION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Come and try out the Resources which FSW is developing including links to daily activities, ideas for special projects, tailor-made games and an “auditing tool” to minimise the carbon footprint of your own Forest School activities.

Information and Displays:
Composting and toilets at Forest School ~ information and examples for you to try
Minising the impact of Forest School fires ~ wood as fuel
Forestry Stewardship Council ~ labelling scheme, resources and a game

Games:
Trees as climate champions, Moving carbon (FSC), Carbon relays

Drop in and skillshare activities ~ so far we have:
Grow your own trees from seeds
Tin Can charcoal making
Make your own Stick stove and Solar oven
Wildfoods ~ the ultimate local!
Practise low-fuel cooking techniques
Simple woodcraft projects using coppice and other sustainable materials ~ including recap of last year’s brilliant Woodcraft skills training project
Make Your own Natural string

Anyone want to do something on natural dyes? or Water wheels (seems a shame not to make use of the river..)

Comment on these activities, help to develop them, share your own ideas

Social on Saturday evening ~ share a local, organic and fairtrade meal, and bring a bottle, instrument, song or game for afterwards.  There will be lots of (fairtrade) refreshments for those who want to chill out and chat.  Children are welcome ~ please let us know so we can plan ahead.

Opportunities to chat to other practitioners from across Wales ~ whether you are having trouble completing your Level 3 folders, settnig up your own Forest School, or other queries.

For further information or to make your skillshare offers please contact Hazel on 01792 367881 or email info@forestschoolwales.org.uk

November 2009

Members of Forest School Wales are being canvassed for their views concerning the development of FS, in a wide ranging questionnaire launched by FSW in response to the WWS Action Plan. Forest School Wales has been recommended for inclusion in the Action Plan (Woodlands for People section) as principal supporting organisation for Forest School, Play and 14-19 Learning Pathways. FSW has raised the issue of core funding for the Action Plan.

“Our inclusion in the Action Plan is really exciting news for FSW” said Trustee Maggie Fearn. “We will be updating our Business Plan over the next few weeks, and the questionnaire is the first part of this process.”

Maggie and trustee Sarah Wilson will be meeting at the end of November with members of the Forestry Commission team responsible for producing the Action Plan. “We hope that as many FS practitioners as possible will join FSW over the coming weeks, and take advantage of the questionnaire to make their views heard” said Sarah.

Scott Blytt-Jordens of Dragonfly Creations has been a most inspiring and supportive trainer to all participants. The success of all the events has been down to his clear, calm manner of teacher which empowered participants at each stage of their learning.

We would like to thank the voluntary support from the following individuals who ensured participants were supported and fed and that the children had a great time too! :

Sarah Wilson, Rosie Barker, Louise Gladwyn, Mel Chandler, Ross Blytt-Jordens, Catherine Dancyger , Maggie Fearn, Sasha North , Jessica Wallington, Colin Titley, James Kendle, Adam Thorogood, Melissa Harvey and Dai Morris

Step-by-step instructions of how to create some of the projects that were on offer will be available in our members section soon. Participants are now delivering their wood craft sessions across Wales and their feedback from these sessions will also be made available in our member’s section in November.

Scott is available for further training at his workshop on the Gower, or alternatively, Scott can visit your neck of the woods. See Dragonfly Creations

We would also like to thank the following venue providers for their hospitality and use of their beautiful sites:

• Jeanette and Robin Mitchell of Gweryd Lakes, Denbighshire
• Annie Thompson of Cefn Wood, Llandidrod Wells
• Rex and Alaea Beynon of Seren Retreat, Gower
• Ian of Cornel Scouts Centre, on the shores of Llyn Crafnant
• Joan Carlisle of Penquoit Centre, Pembrokeshire

See our links page for their website information and contact details.

Many thanks to Kirsten Manley who co-ordinated the events and created the resources which were edited by Scott.

Fun was had by all and we would like to thank Scott for providing excellent and supportive training, whilst still maintaining a great sense of humour!

Ride ‘em shave horses! Cefn Woods, June 2009″

Funded by:

Ernest Cook Trust

Forestry Commission Wales

Environment Wales

Blessed with a beautiful autumn day, participants really enjoyed using natural materials to design their own mini FS sites, at Fforest Fawr, near Cardiff as part of the CPD training on planning, developing and managing a Forest School site led by Rosie Carmichael.

This interesting and practical training was particularly relevant to those of the group still to complete their Forest School Leader training and keen to get started. It was also very useful to those of us who have been running Forest School for some time because we are always looking for fresh ideas and new ways to maximise the potential of our sites. We discussed the logistics of constructing a compost toilet, suitable materials to facilitate free play and how to relate Forest School to people with learning difficulties.

There were 19 participants in all, drawn from various parts of Gwent, South Glamorgan, The Vale, (even Denbighshire!). Most were teachers or teaching assistants but the local Council and fire brigade were also represented. We were able to spend plenty of time chatting and networking around the fire, sharing home made vegetable soup provided by regional rep Louise Gladwyn who hosted the event.

There was a lot of discussion about how to source the raw materials necessary to support Forest School delivery in school grounds.
Louise agreed to look into how this might be co-ordinated for South East Wales.

Participants expressed an interest in attending a followup skillshare day, sometime before Christmas. Louise will be delighted to organise this ~ watch this space for more information!

The children who came to visit our stand took great delight in being given free reign to create various art pieces using natural resources.

Large projects: