Forest School: Three happy years spent in the woods

Into the Woods is a Forest School nursery and club with three main locations all based in/around North London. This was my own son’s Forest School for three years and this shoot was conducted in his very last week. The group featured is his own and I confess I feel so very lucky to have sat in on even a small part of his day here to see what goes on. Hanging back after drop off I watched with fascination as the children began their morning explorations, testing the quality of mud that day, climbing trees as familiar as those in their own garden and of course catching up with friends - two of the children instantly settled themselves into nooks in tree branches that were clearly tried and tested for comfortability over the years. Soon they set off for their daily walk whereby various natural and seasonal occurrences were observed by children and adults alike. Reaching their regular snack spot children were handed a selection of pictures of bridges and told that after they finished eating they could form their own groups - or work independently - to build a bridge over a small crevasse in the forest floor nearby. The diversity of materials used was astonishing and each and every child put so much care into their structure, using ivy leaves to decorate, mud to secure bonds and some even testing their strength by tentatively placing a booted foot in the middle of their creation. Forest School usually take children from 2.5 up to CSA but there are many clubs that offer family sessions that welcome younger and/or older children. https://www.intothewoodsnursery.co.uk/