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Windsor Great Park provides ‘Forest School' outdoor classroom for early years children in partnership with The Royal Borough of Windsor and MaidenheadThe Crown Estate is providing an exciting new outdoor space in Windsor Great Park for the creation of a ‘Forest School’ which is a Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead education initiative to enable young children to learn outside in the natural environment. Philip Everett, Deputy Ranger, Windsor Great Park, says: “The Crown Estate is delighted to be involved in the ‘Forest School’ learning initiative to give children a greater understanding and awareness of their natural surroundings. Windsor Great Park and forest has the largest collection of mature, over mature and ancient oak and beech trees that remain in Europe north of the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. It provides a thriving and diverse habitat for animals, insects and birds. The Crown Estate looks after this very special area and welcomes the opportunity to give children an early understanding of the significance of their environment and how to protect it which they can carry with them throughout life.” Rita Vasa, Senior Adviser for Early Years and Primary, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, comments: “The Royal Borough is delighted to be working with The Crown Estate as part of the ‘Forest School’ initiative for children in the early years. This is the first one of its kind in the Royal Borough and we are all very excited about what it has to offer to the children. It has long since been recognised that the outdoor environment offers many rich learning opportunities for young children, supporting and challenging their imaginations and curiosity. The forest site at Windsor Great Park is a wonderful resource for them to discover, explore and learn and we look forward to watching it develop and evolve.” The ‘Forest School’ concept is a child-initiated learning approach that knows no boundaries but the children are also involved in their own risk-taking, aware of their own limitations. This environment creates learning across the whole breadth of the curriculum. The Forestry team at Windsor Great Park have shared their knowledge and expertise with the early years education consultants and countryside rangers to help to shape the programme of activities. These will include creating adventure playgrounds out of the natural environment, den-building, devising games and storytelling sessions as well as lying still to listen to the sounds in the natural world around them. (All activities are adult supervised and have been risk assessed). Many schools and early years settings are taking part in the ‘Forest School’ initiative and the children will range from between 2 to 6 years of age. The programme will initially run throughout the autumn and spring terms and the activities will reflect the changing seasons and wildlife diversity which thrives in Windsor Great Park’s mature woodland.
Ends For more information about The Royal Borough Windsor and Maidenhead Department of Education visit www.rbwm.gov.uk For further information about Forest Schools visit www.forestschools.com For more press information call Sarah Halstead, Marketing Dept, The Crown Estate, on 07918 121905 or email Sarah.Halstead@thecrownestate.co.uk; or Frances Hewitt, Senior Corporate Communications Officer, on 01628 796507 or email Frances.Hewitt@rbwm.gov.uk |
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