Wow, what an amazing week with the warmest weather for February. We have seen beautiful butterflies, heard amazing birds song and I have seen a couple of toads the water. We have run sessions this winter with snow and ice on the ground, rain and sleet and now for this beautiful sunshine.
The bluebells are pushing up, buds forming on twigs and spring fungi for us to explore. We have two deer hanging around near to our camp and I see them daily and I am expecting to see little ones at foot soon.
When I am outside in the woods on my own, with my family or running a Forest School session I feel relaxed, and emotionally at ease. I consider myself very lucky and I am a stronger believer that Forest School helps many adults and children step away from the busy world we live in.
With all the modern day problems we face in our families, schools and workplaces I have faith that forest school can help especially when it comes to emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is having the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Psychologist, Daniel Goleman, developed a model for Emotional intelligence.
This consists of 5 key areas:
The summary of the 5 key areas:
1. Self–awareness, is the ability to know your own emotions, strengths and weaknesses, desires, qualities and purposes and understand how these affect others.
Forest School can promote self-awareness by offering opportunities for learners to challenge themselves and taking risks.
2. Self-regulation,requires control of disruptive behaviours and adjusting to changing circumstances.
Forest school can promote self-regulation like it does self-awareness, by offering activities that challenge.
3. Social skills, handling and influencing people to get them to do what is desired.
Forest school can promote social skills by offering children opportunities to work with different learner groups.
4. Empathy, taking on board other people’s feelings.
Forest school can help with development of empathy by building an environment where all learners are equal and urging learners to discuss how they feel.
5. Motivation, to having the desire to achieve.
Forest school sessions are learner led which promotes motivation as this encourages the learners to explore and discover interests and learning technique.
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