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Forest Schools- Into the Woods 
an Investigation in England, Germany, Denmark, Scotland, and the Netherlands

A journey investigating Forest Schools across the globe.

I'm Baaaack!!!

5/15/2025

 
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Well, it has been 5 years a pandemic and a whole lot of other life changes, but I am back and thrilled. I have still been visiting Forest Schools, but not at the level pre-pandemic.  But here we are.

I only took a year off of Reggio Emilia visits in 2020, so that has continued to be amazing. And two year ago I visited a Forest School in Copenhagen,  I'll get to both of thoes at a later date, but I have just had the pleasure of visiting an "Outdoor Nursery" in Fort William, Scotland.  It is an "outdoor nursery" and not a Forest School because in the UK the rules and regulations of a Forest School would not include the school.  

The name of the outdoor nursery school is Stramach which according to the Scotish dictionary means:
  • An uproar, commotion, hubbub, disturbance, a broil, squabble
Perfect name for kids free playing in nature, right?
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If you look at the logo, you can see a blue river running under a mountain range.  Stramach rests in the shadow of a mountain range that includes the mountain, Ben Nevis.

According to my good friend AI, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Britain, standing at 1,345 meters (4,413 feet). It's located in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, near the town of Fort William. The summit is often referred to as "the Ben" and is a popular destination for both walkers and climbers.

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Image retrieved from Stramach website: (https://stramash.org.uk/home/vision-mission-values/).

The Story of Stramach

There are four locations for Stramach located in vastly different terrains and settings in Scotland, however the ethos for each location remains the same, learning through outdoor play.  Below are the links to the various Stramach locations if you want to take a look.
  • Elgin Nursery
  • Fort William Nursery
  • Oban Nursery
  • Tornagrain Nursery
Vision 
Scotland’s children are inspired to play and develop outdoors, connected to nature and their place and community.* 
Mission
We provide the nurturing environment which inspires children to become resilient, empathetic and achieving in harmony with the natural world, its seasons and native climate.  We do this through our network of outdoor nurseries as well as our contribution to developing the young workforce working outdoors via our apprenticeship scheme.

* This information was taken directly from the Stramach Website: 
​(https://stramash.org.uk/home/vision-mission-values/).



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    Who I am

    I am an Associate Professor at the College of Charleston and a former public school teacher of 15 years and now the Department Chair of Teacher Education,  This blog began as a documentation for my sabbatical in 2018. It was a journey through Germany  Netherlands.

    Since then I have visited Forest Schools in England, Copenhagen, the USA and Scotland. I investigate how the arts are infused in their daily curriculum.

    A side bar- I feel like I am playing pokemon.. I got to get them all. Each location is so different, but they alll have the same concept. Learning through play and a deep appreciation for nature. And the arts are a serious part of each location as well.
    DANKE!!!!

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  • HOME
    • About me
  • Art Infused Class & Study Abroad
    • Art Infused Class
    • Study Abroad
  • Forest Schools
  • Research
    • STEAM Research
  • STEAM Camps
    • Camp Inspire
    • Camp ART ATTACK!!!