Is my child safe in the forest?

At the forest, your child will be exposed to risks. Any risk that you put your child into means that you have your own fears and issues about safety. That is why at Forest School Philippines, we prioritise making every learner feel safe both physically and emotionally.

But first, benefits.

Children are in charge of their learning. This includes handling situations when they get hurt and dealing with challenges. But how can they deal with these unfamiliar situations if they are not exposed to the risks that come along with it?

If they don’t fall and scrape their knees,

how will they learn to rise up again?

If they don’t climb trees,

how will they know that they are
capable of reaching higher?

If they don’t play with sticks that may harm others,

how will they be mindful of their friends?

If they don’t break out into fights,

how will they learn to resolve conflicts?

In other words, if we don’t expose them to harm or adversity, they will not discover their capabilities.

Keep them safe all the time, and they will grow into soft adults. Soft adults are weak and may experience difficulties facing the cruel world. Surely you don’t want your children to keep on running to you as a 30-yr old adult, right?

So what do we do to manage risks?

To keep things balanced, it does not mean that children at Forest School Philippines are left unsupervised.

In a monitored environment, we give learners the opportunity to take acceptable risks. When they take risks, they will develop a natural risk assessment strategy. This means they are responsible for their own actions, and they know that their actions have consequences.

“I can climb that tree.”

“I fell the last time. I will hang on to the branches more tightly this time.”

We provide a positive learning environment with certain boundaries:

  • FS leaders are qualified first aiders, carrying a first aid kit.
  • Person in charge will be a trained Level 3 Forest School Leader.
  • Appropriate 1:8 adult-child ratio (including volunteers or teaching assistants)
  • Site checks and risk assessments done before children are permitted on the site
  • Held in all weathers so the child develops resilience (physically and mentally) to being outdoors  
  • Regular reminders “1.2.3. Where are you?” “1.2.3 Here I am!” and “1.2.3. Stop”.
  • Tools (peelers, scissors, knives) will be introduced when learner is ready.