Grayswood Forest School

Grayswood village on the border of West Sussex and Surrey had open gardens today. For a fiver you could walk round the village and explore 12 gardens. The absolute joy of gardens is multiplied in this way, maybe especially because a lot of the gardens are too small to open on their own, but are much easier to relate to than some of their larger cousins in stately homes etc. They could be yours or mine. At each one, the owner was there to welcome us and answer questions. A lovely friendly village.

The biggest joy for us was the opening of Infant School garden. Grayswood is a Forest School and the children have an option of working on the vegetable gardens, plus a secret garden with a child-size rustic arch leading into it. Delightful to see their enthusiasm. Forest Schooling also means that the leader of the forest school, seen here, takes the intake class one day a week for a block of 6 weeks to have lessons in the woods. They learn about the natural environment, how to handle it, how to handle fire safely, and essentially about stewardship. They develop skills in co-operation, team building, communication etc all in a relaxed outdoor atmosphere. And the 6 week block enables them to build on their skills week by week. You can see the forest classroom here with seats, shelter and a hearth.

While we were there, two small children, quite unbidden and playing without adult supervision, decided to move a small but heavy tree branch. We watched them work out how it could be manhandled by the two of them, how and where they needed to turn, and then put the plan into action. I am very impressed. More of this and we would improve the world in no time. I understand that up till now forest schooling has only been available for the very young, but is now being introduced for secondary schools. What an amazing introduction for our new generations.