What would it look like if Forest School or Nature Play (a more community digestable term), is introduced through the grassroot system of Singapore?
Name of Initiative : Telok Blangah CC’s Pulai Eco Club’s Monthly Nature Play
Date : 28 Sep 2025, Sunday / 23 Nov 2025, Sunday
Time : 9.00am – 11.00am (2-hours)
Location : Telok Blangah Hill Park
Group Size : 20 pax + 2-4 Volunteer Facilitator
Fee : $0 / pax
(organised as a GR event for the community)
Actual Cost of Operation :
| Good Manpower (facilitators) | $40-$60 / pax / session |
| Safety Skills & Knowledge of Experience Practitioner | $500 / session |
| Holding Space Power of Experience Practitioner | $100 / session |
| Nature Play / Forest School Mastery of Experience Practitioner | $100 / session |
Plus Points
🌳Parents overcoming their own mindset about possibilities
🌳Parents playing with other children too
🌳Parent scaffolding learn to let go
🌳Parents learn how to safely support their children’s risky and muddy play.
🌱Children play freely and safely in the space
🌱Children explore and learn about the elements of the environment genuinely.
✨Lots of space to be themselves and find self-acceptance.
Challenges
🤔 Administration is bottled neck at PA staff and PEC coordinator.
🤔 PA staff slow to put up material for publicity due to high workload without other PA staff support on a system that only staff has access to.
(i.e. 10 days before event, when details have been ready for 60 days)
🤔 Mistakes are not identified earlier because no other volunteers or members take on the coordination. And limited access to administrative systems.
🤔 Operational Safety issue when conducting personnels have no access to participants details. (Have to lean heavily on PA staff for Emergency Contacts)
🤔 Lack of experience from most of the volunteer facilitators in terms of the operation of the session (leading to high reliance on one key Facilitator)
🤔 Lack of operational readiness (i.e. Facilitator have no first aid kits)
My Personal Reflection
The event was first proposed via Pulai Eco Club as an avenue to allow for PEC members and other interested residents to come together monthly, for a simple and accessible Nature Play session near their neighbourhood.
The decision was made to make use of the PEC volunteers instead of engaging external vendors, to train up the capacity of the PEC community and also reduce cost.
The PEC volunteer facilitator attended one 2-hour morning training with me (a Forest School Practitioner and Master Trainer, with 10 years experience), where I went through some of the basic safety understandings and operational elements of Nature Play in the designated outdoor space.
In the first session there were 4 PEC volunteer facilitators including myself. One of them (Huanting) is an ex-FSS coach, so her experience and readiness was evident. Only she and I came with a backpack with a first aid kit. Many of the rest came empty handed with just a water bottle. But that’s alright for now, as everyone is sensing and figuring out. I plan to share more with the facilitators on what to prepare after they experience at least one session of Nature Play.
Generally the first session flows well, with everyone slowly getting the hang of how a Nature Play session can be like. Facilitators have to hold space for participants to get into the rhythm of exploration and play gradually. Children easily get into the groove without much help. Adults on the other hand needed the children to motivate them to get into the sync.
Administratively, I think we will need a better workflow and coordination to ensure that the monthly event is promptly communicated. There is an obvious bottleneck on the part of PEC and PA staff, which can be cleared up with a simple flow chart of coordination and expected timeline.
Operationally, it will be safer to let the facilitator have access to the name list and emergency contacts, in case it is needed.
The cancellation of the 2nd (October) session due to my (Darren) absence, is also a clear indicator of the lack of experience and confidence of the other volunteer facilitators to carry on the event. This is natural thing at the start, but it can be a problem to the continuity of the initiative, if the initiative leans heavily on 1-2 key leaders.
The above phenomenom also showcases the importance of an experienced facilitator in doing the work of Nature Play, which can sometimes be underrated due to the seemingly easy-do-nothing appearance of the facilitator when they hold-space for moments to develop. It also shows the hard work on risk management as well as the behind-the-scenes Nature Play practices that is required to attain the confidence to carry out a Nature Play session well.
These learning points and reflections will be crucial for how PEC can develop the Monthly Nature Play to fit the context and capabilities of their community members and residences down the line. They are also good learning points for other grassroots and organisations who wants to develop their own Forest School / Nature Play / Nature-inspired Outdoor initiative
Written by : Darren Quek
(Not edited by A.I. hahaha)
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