2.7- Assignment (Unit 3): Evaluate the key principles of play and their relevance to Forest School and explain how learning and development through play has been implemented during own Forest School p

When we think of the education system, play is not something that would naturally be listed at the top as important, however, play is crucial for the development and well-being of all children, particularly children in Early Years. Forest school is able to cater for this and enhance play and help children and adults develop in all areas.

The 8 Playwork Principles were developed by the Playwork Principles Scrutiny Group, established by Play Wales, in consultation with the UK playwork sector and adopted in 2005. Since 2005 the principles have gone on to underpin the UK National Occupational Standards for playwork and been widely adopted internationally.

The Principles are based on the recognition that children and young people’s capacity for positive development will be enhanced if given the opportunity to the range of environments and play opportunities. 

All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

Relation to Forest School - The ethos of forest school is children ‘lead’ the sessions, although we as leaders have a plan of activities for the session, there is an option for the children to have free play and to choose what they would like to take part in. Being in nature allows the children to explore their impulses to play, they have freedom to run, jump and climb in ways they wouldn’t in many other settings. FOr the children to engage in free play it benefits hugely to their wellbeing and development. 

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting  - We allow the children in every session to have free play, we allow them to explore the space, find new creatures, create imaginative play and allow them to have an opportunity to lead their play. We speak to the children whilst they are exploring and ask them what it is they are playing, in our second session a group of children had built a small den, I asked them if they could describe the den to me, and amazingly they showed me the kitchen, the bedroom, the swimming pool and where they could park their car. From a small seed of giving the children a few ideas of what they could play, they had created a whole world of their own in nature. 

Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.

Relation to Forest School - Forest school is child-led and supports play that is freely chosen. Forest school leaders encourage children to follow their interests and may try new interests. Whilst doing baseline assessments we are able to note the different interests of individuals and help build on top of that, whether that be climbing trees, bug hunting, creating artwork or building things, these all promote independent choice and one thing can lead from one thing to the next.

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting  - As mentioned before our sessions are heavily child-led and play a key part in our time in the forest. The children are actively encouraged to try new things, do something different that they did the last session, however, if they choose to do the same, that is ok, however, we try to add an extra layer of challenge on top of their chosen activity if we feel they are able to do so. A very popular chosen activity is bridge building over our little ‘stream’, this is an old stream that has no water, but the children like to imagine it does have running water through it, therefore we allow them to design and create a bridge and see if they are capable of building one and travel over it. It is so interesting as usually they start off with one or two logs, and then to watch them work out how many more logs they may need or shape it may need to take to become strong enough for them, although as adults you think bridges are fairly standard, children can come up with amazing things. I enjoy it most when I witness the children come together and start working as a team, they are choosing to build something together and have the motivation to create something functional, this is enhancing their self-esteem, communication skills, independence and when they get to cross the bridge along with their friends, a sense of accomplishment. 

The prime focus and essence of playwork is to support and facilitate the play process and this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training, and education. 

Relation to Forest School - One of the main drives of Forest school as a leader is to create a space where the children can safely and easily explore and discover our area. As a leader we are expected to provide resources, opportunities and guidance whilst allowing children to freely choose and lead their activities.

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - Whilst at the beginning of each session we have structure, such as discussing rules of the forest and mindfulness listening, after these we then open up the options for the children to choose what they would like to take part in. We set up the forest to have mud kitchen tools, bowls, spoons, paint brushes etc, also facilitating den building, bridge building, bug hunting, the children have all the options we have presented but this does not mean they have to choose one of these. During our first initial quiet time at the beginning of the sessions, we ask the children if there is anything particular they would like to explore or play, some children like to do the same thing and others may like to try something new.  During one session a child wanted to try and build a bug hotel, with little guidance and conversation within the group, the children that wanted to take part created bug hotels, other children in other groups that liked to bug hunt then discovered the bugs and transported them to the bug hotel, creating a community feel of bring two different activities together. 

For playworkers, the play process takes precedence and playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult-led agendas. 

Relation to Forest School - This principle refers to natural and spontaneous ways in which children can engage in play. It’s not about the outcome or being tested, it is more the experience of playing, how children are able to explore, express creativity, experiment and interact with their environment and peers. As a leader this would mean our primary focus is on supporting and facilitating the play itself rather than directing it. Our priority is the children's need to play over other considerations. 

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - Although we do follow a ‘relaxed’ structure, there are certain things we need to cover within our Forest School time, we lay the foundations of our rules, we discuss our surroundings and expect all the children to be able to voice what they could see, hear or feel within the area, however, as a leader we strive to ensure that the child’s need for free, self-directed play is respected and upheld. During our planning, we think of the sort of subjects that will come up during discussion and what conversations could segway a different outcome to our plans. We love being able to speak to the children either within a group or 1-2-1 and discover the options they believe they have when it comes to free play, we make it known that just because they choose one activity, doesn’t mean they have to stick to this the entire session, they are free to choose and change whenever they desire. 

The role of the playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play. 

Relation to Forest School - Playworkers are dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment where children can feel safe, supported and free to engage in play. We can ensure the space is conducive to spontaneous, child-led activities, which are essential for holistic development. Forest school naturally provides an open, adaptable environment where children can explore, discover and engage with the natural world at their own pace. We are there to facilitate the process by ensuring the space is welcoming, inclusive and allowing opportunities for exploration and play. The majority of our Forest school area is available for free exploration and children can direct their own play. 

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - In our Forest School we allow the children to move freely throughout the site, as long as they are staying within the boundary!  We place around the site different resources, such as mud painting equipment, tools for digging, bug hunting equipment, which we tend to change where we place these to help guide the children to a new hunting space. There are a few different spaces along the ‘stream’ where children are able to build bridges. We encourage children to try different ways and areas to create bridges and set themselves challenges. Although we set up ‘stations’ for the different activities, the children are able to take these anywhere with them and explore the forest. We have 2 education leaders and 3 parent volunteers during our sessions, we space ourselves out through the area and all engage and encourage the children, we ask questions about their activity, engage with them and help guide them.

The playworker’s response to children and young people playing is based on a sound up-to-date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice. 

Relation to Forest School - Having a sound up-to-date understanding of the play process allows us to be aware of the latest research, theories and best practices in child development and play. Keeping up with professional development not only helps the playworker, but understand how different play activities can benefit children and what factors might influence how children play, such as their developmental stage, environment or social context. The play process encompasses the various stages and types of play, including imaginative play, social, physical play and more. 

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - Keeping up to date with the knowledge of the play process allows us to support and enhance the children's play experiences. We are able to recognise when a child needs more space to explore, when to intervene or when to simply observe and let the play unfold naturally. Whilst completing this course, it has opened my mind up to the different play, emotional and behaviour patterns of children in the forest setting. As well as this course I am also completing an ELSA course (Emotional literacy support assistants) This is helping me understand children’s behaviour and how to look deeper into the situation, this also helps with reflecting on situations not only the children’s but my own behaviour within forest school. 

Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker.

Relation to Forest School - I have learnt throughout this course the impact myself, the children and anyone visiting the area has on the natural surroundings. Our walk to the space, playing in the area and any disturbance we cause can all have an impact on the environment. Our duty as playworks is to minimise the interference with the environment and recognise the impact we do have. As a playworker, we are there to help the children access the forest school space and gain the best experience they can have in that time, without negatively impacting the area. 

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - As outlined in our session planning, although there is a plan, there is flexibility, it is important as a leader to facilitate play by providing resources, setting up the environment and ensuring safety, but without imposing our own agenda. As a leader, we are aware of the impact we have in our play space, meaning when we bring resources to the site to allow free play and experimental play we minimise any risk they may pose to the surrounding environment and ensure any items are returned and not left out in the elements. Allowing the children to understand the impact they have on the surroundings, allows them to make good choices for their activities and can open their minds up to the possibilities of play.

Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well-being of children. 

Relation to Forest School - As part of our sessions, we allow for observation studies, we observe the children as individuals and assess how they work within the space, the best way to interact with them and how to get them to engage with the sessions. The children are taught the risk of outside play and that they are free to choose activities, but there is an element of risk management in there to which they need to be aware of. We as leaders carry out dynamic risk assessments to ensure any activity a child may wish to choose is safe and cannot endanger them, although we are unable to completely rule out any risks, we are able to minimise those risks.

How we approach this in our Forest School Setting - During our observations, we are able to assess how individual children react with different techniques of influence and intervention, some children are better to be left to work out a challenge themselves, some children better with group discussion to work through an activity and some children need visual guidance and help with starting an activity. When we began bridge building, the group I was assessing could not work out how to begin, they kept talking about different ideas they could try and couldn’t quite agree on an idea and the ones they did try didn’t quite work, I approached the group and asked if they would like help, they all said they needed help to start the project, we discussed their different ideas, amalgamated and came up with an idea that used all of their creations, once I helped them implement the start of this, they all managed to carry on, use their communication skills to build onto the project and no longer needed my help. I kept observing their progression and not only were they able to enhance on the bridge physically, but they started to use the same communication skills we started the project with, every so often stopping, discussing and continuing, showing emotional intelligence within the group. 

By adhering to these principles, Forest School sessions foster a nurturing and dynamic environment that honours and encourages children's natural play instincts, thereby supporting their holistic development and well-being.

References:

https://www2.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/sites/default/files/folders/documents/childreneducationandfamilies/educationandlearning/earlyyearschildcare/ThePlayworkPrinciples.pdf

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