4.2- Assignment (Unit 1): Explain ways to involve learners in sustainable woodland management

To start this unit, I began by sending out a short survey asking some key questions as suggested to gather responses.

• Do you enjoy spending time in nature?

• Do you actively pursue experiences in nature?

• Did you spend much time in nature as a child?

• If you did, how often would you spend time in nature?

• Are you aware of your impact when you do spend time in nature

Out of 23 people who completed the questions, most of them mentioned that they go to nature to help with their mental health and that they felt better after being outside, whether it was just a walk through a field, working outside or taking part in outdoor activities.

From the survey, what I found, from the question 'are you aware of the impact when you do spend time in nature?' The majority of people answered with a yes and then went on to say they helped this by clearing litter when leaving the area.

What I think is although people have the basic understanding that littering and leaving unnatural items in nature can harm the local space, they do not understand that disturbing certain spaces, or moving logs, rocks, trees etc can also disturb the natural ecosystem and create a difference in the biodiversity.

---

There are so many benefits to having access to nature:

1. Physical benefits - Walking in nature can improve your health through exercise and reduce the risk of heart disease. Exposing yourself to the natural environment can boost your immune system, it has been found that phytoncides which are natural oils released by plants, may be able to increase white blood cell count. Allowing your body to breathe in fresh, clean air can improve lung function and reduce risk or respiratory conditions. Finally spending time in nature has been linked to lower levels of inflammation in the body.

2. Mental health benefits - Nature is known to have a calming effect that can lower stress levels and reduce cortisol levels whilst elevating relaxation. It is also commonly known that being in the natural environments can enhance your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Being surrounded by water bodies, greenery and natural light has a particularly positive impact. A study carried out by Harvard University shown exposure to green space can be linked to better sleep, improvement in focus, concentration and creativity, whilst restoring mental fatigue and problem solving abilities.

3. Emotional and social benefits - Nature activities often lead to greater feelings of happiness and well-being. Being outdoors can encourage mindfulness and help people to present in the moment, feeling peaceful and tranquil.

4. Some additional benefits to being within nature include stimulating creativity and inspiring new ideas, an increase in awareness of environmental issues and being able to foster a sense of responsibility for protecting natural spaces. Overall, regular visits to nature and outdoor space can lead to an enhanced quality of life.

As a practitioner it is important to understand sustainability and the positive attitudes we can put towards it for many reasons.

To foster these positive attitudes there are a few things I can do, for example, organising after school forest club, exposing the children and possibly any adults that also want to be involved the education on sustainability topics, ensuring they are engaged and can interact with the natural surroundings.

Within our school we currently have the eco-committee, they are very good at researching new ways our school can be eco friendly and be as sustainable as we can, for example once a week we have a meat free lunch and also have weekly litter pickers to go around the school including some of the surrounding grounds to clear any rubbish.

I think it would be important to incorporate within our forest school sessions time to discuss the concept of sustainability, the importance of maintaining forests and to practice sustainable habits and behaviours in the forest setting.

We can do this by speaking about what sustainability means, that it would involve carrying out what we need to do within nature, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This would include taking care of the environment with basic needs of clearing rubbish and not destroying the area, but also by teaching them the woodland managements discussed in my last unit and the reasons behind the management.

By asking them questions such as 'what do you think sustainability means?' and 'Why is it important to take care of our forests and environment' it will allow for some independent thinking, but also allow them all to build on each other's answers.

Using the information I have learnt through the past units, we can talk about how to identify plants and species and how each of these help the forest and what we can do to keep them helping the environment.

As our forest school is part of the Ernest Cook Trust, I think a good experience we could expose our learners to is a talk with the manager at the trust for our site, with a talk from them through the plans for management of the woodland we visit and the reasons behind carrying them out, if there are any opportunities to see them carry out any of the woodland management, this could be a great thing to be exposed to, making sure health and safety is carried out!

In our day to day life in school, we also practice sustainability, relaying the importance of recycling and making sure food waste is correctly disposed of. We also speak about sustainability in some of our PSHE lessons and have the children write or draw information of how we can help the environment and continue to help it develop.

Overall, I believe it is everyone's duty to have an understanding of sustainability and the impact we as humans have on our environment and what we can do to help keep it safe and enhance it. Also appreciating what benefits we obtain by being in the open space, mentally and physically.

Photos from the walk to our setting.

"It's surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth." - David Attenborough