A rural Welsh perspective on how and why learning works in the woodland classroom

摘要

It's a typical spring day in Ceredigion and we are in the woods. The wellies are on, leaves are unfurling, and 30 primary school children are huddling together in a tight group. "Imagine you're a tree in a forest", the activity leader says, "and we'reall growing close together". The group of Year 4 pupils shuffle around in their waterproofs. "How do you feel?" "It's too cramped", says one. "I can't move", complains another. "When lots of trees grow very close together, we sometimes have to cut someof them down", the leader explains, "so that the sunlight reaches the other trees and they have more room to grow". The children don't seem convinced that cutting trees down could be in a forest's best interests. "But it's important that we don't waste the trees we cut down", the leader explains further. "We can make them into a habitat for insects by letting them rot on the forest floor, or we can use the wood to make something beautiful. What do you think we could make from the wood?"