The Treehouse Club: Forest School learning in Essex

Have you been wondering what a Forestry & Nature School is all about? Well, if you are keen for your child’s learning to be tied to child-led discovery and natural recreation, then that’s what The Treehouse Club and our learning through play and Forest School curriculum is all about. Here’s a bit more about who we are are and what we do…

What is Forest School?

The concept of Forest schooling originated in Scandinavia and involves learning in an outdoor environment with a play-based approach. Forestry education has a rich history in the UK and a proven record of effectiveness; promoting physical activity, encouraging an overall healthier lifestyle and stimulating cognitive growth.

Tell me more about The Treehouse Club

At Treehouse Club we encourage hands-on experiences for the children that a traditional classroom based setting inhibits, and we are proud of the fact that we were the first nursery and pre-school in Essex to offer a Forest School curriculum for our curious little learners. In addition to our EYFS curriculum, we offer a range of diverse nature experiences for different age groups which have been carefully designed to meet the individual needs of every child. Our qualified forestry practitioners are highly skilled in observing the interactions and interests of the children in their group, tailoring sessions appropriately to offer a more interactive way of learning. This in turn helps to build children’s self-belief, confidence and a natural propensity for education.

Being outdoors in all seasons and all kinds of weather also helps children learn how to solve problems and be creative and imaginative both individually and as a group. The benefits of a Forest School curriculum are extensive and include:

• Learning through healthy and active exploration;
• fostering self-esteem;
• building confidence;
• managing and fostering risk analysis;
• stimulating cognitive growth with all five senses;
• enhancing mindfulness;
• developing physical literacy;
• learning how to utilise nature’s classroom.

Treehouse children are given space to take part in a ‘wild’ yet entirely safe environment. If this sounds like something you would like for your own child’s Early Years education path, then get in touch with our friendly admissions team today. They will be able to answer any question you have about our curriculum, our settings, our funded places and our availability. We also welcome you to come and take a look for yourselves at our forest and countryside settings dotted around Essex in Billericay, Brentwood, Wickford and Ingrave.