Inside the Barn

What was in the Barn
Wow!  This needed another day to process.  The Forest School is one thing, this barn area is another.  So while this barn is where drop off and pick up are each day, some children choose to stay in this location while up to 9 children can go to the Forest School location. In this barn they have a wide open door where the children can play outside anytime they like.  Inside there is a Theatrical center, a engineering center, an artistic center, tables to work at, a kitchen space, and a reading nook.  The children are not assigned seats, they can have the freedom to choose to go to any area they would like.  The upstairs loft is for children who need extra developmental assistance.  It is quiet up there and they can concentrate a lot easier.

Outside Space
This space was amazing! The children were able to play in a fenced in area complete with a mud kitchen and structures to climb on and enjoy the fresh air.  The great thing is, that practically all day the barn door is open and if the children choose to go outside, they can.  Literally, the door is open for them.

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So Many Choices
​To me, this facility is amazing.  The children have the autonomy to explore to their hearts’ content.  This is as close to the German kindergartens as I have seen.  It is brilliant.  Even if the children are not partaking in the Forest School adventure, they still have an environment that is dedicated to their curiosities and intelligence. 

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Education in the Barn
Lessons are facilitated but they are not (forgive my bluntness here) shoved down their thoughts as they are figuratively tied to a single working space and forced to fill out worksheet after worksheet. (Yeah, if you haven’t guessed it, I am NOT a fan of worksheets.  Sure they have their purpose, but in small doses, NOT as a full on curriculum for hours every day.  There are few humans who would respond well to a worksheet as opposed to hands-on  learning or even an intelligent discussion.) But I digress, this is the type of learning where children can flourish.  ​

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Side Bar (small rant)
I am often asked, why research this way of teaching. It sounds interesting an all, but how can you test on that ? <insert arrogant chuckle here> I begin by saying, well, first of all the countries that are employing these pedagogical practices are beating the US is all forms of testing, so maybe they are on to something.  (That usually puts them back on their heals) Then I go for the juggler.  I discuss how important it is to instill the love of learning, exploration and curiosity.  Artists do it <insert their skeptical eyeroll here> and so do scientists.  (That usually gets them… “oh, science… go on.” (now, it’s me rolling my eyes).  Forest Schools and the Barnkids’ style of learning creates resilience.  It teaching the students that, ok this didn’t work, so make a new plan… ok, that didn’t work what next?  These are serious skills that we need in life.  NO, you cannot take a test on these to compare results, but you can use these skill throughout life.  -Hold out for rant- We have an exuberant amount of young adults who have mental illness, a lot of it stems from (what I believe, I am sure I can find data to back me up, but my current situation is not providing access to digital libraries) lack of play, free exploring, too much screen time, over planning, too much adult involvement.  A lot of children in the US have the “helicopter” parent who, although well meaning, has prevented their child from failing, or even being bored, and now we have a bunch of young adults, breaking under the pressure of life and finding it difficult to cope. _Rant over_