Noah, came to his first FS private tryout session with the lovely Zoe and Handsome (ahem) Darren. In his first run, Noah walked a good 1.5km in total. He was very excited to start his day with D&Z in the FS session.
The First Time
At the start of the session, he chose the direction on where they will go that day. As they walked, a few squirrels and starlings came to greet them as they went about their day. Noah paused to watch as the creatures of the Forest sang their song and went about their day.
Noah went on towards “no-where” – a physically unknown area, but philosophically it was an opening towards exploring possibilities. A FS practice in the approach towards a session.
As they walked on, they entered a space with more trees and foliage. Darren bent down intentionally to pick up a stick. Noah watched, and followed. He got really excited with the stick, and picked another for Zoe.
As they wandered along the path, they saw a family of Long Tail Macaque (monkeys). The monkeys were going about their day, foraging and socialising. Noah paused and observed them without a fence, as is the wildlife-human interaction we faced in FS in the wild woodlands. He noticed the babies amongst the group, and called out that there are babies in them, as he found relatedness in his presence with the animals of the forest. Connection.
As they walked along, they came by a rocky path, laid with rocks of various sizes. He navigated the path with intention and carefulness, understanding his own balance and physical ability. He struggled a bit, and felt like he needed the comfort of home. So he called out, “I want to go home”. Zoe gently encouraged Noah that he is doing really well. And that we will reach the field in front soon. She also assured him that they will be heading home after the session. Noah took a while to rest and recalibrated, but continued in “scaling” through the path in strength.
Noah slipped and fell a few times, but trudged on. Near the tail end of the path, Darren engaged with Noah, in a running-sport-commentary as he hopped and stretched from rock to rock. Noah felt encouraged, and accelerated a little in enjoyment of the commentary and attention.
Upon exiting the rocky path, they found themselves in the big open grass field, surrounded by granite cliffs that is Dairy Farm Quarry. There is space.
They laid their bags on the ground. Noah sat down with Zoe and Darren for a little while, taking in the unfamiliar but spacious location that they are in. After a brief time, Noah decided to take his snack and water out to refuel himself. He enjoyed his food and water, together with D&Z. It was a comfort moment for Noah, as he engaged with elements that provided him with a sense of something he is used to.
At the time that Noah was at the field, he crossed paths with a group of kids who were doing a Forest School session. He observed them intently, curious and cautious of their behaviours and play. He did not join them, even though one of the girls came by to invite him (like a child would at the playground). Almost everything at that moment was unfamiliar to him except Zoe and Darren. He stayed close to them throughout.
Pitty, patty… raindrops fell from the lightly clouded sky. Noah, Darren and Zoe rummaged through their bag for their raincoat. They hopped it on, earnestly, and went about their day, unbothered by the rainy weather. After about 15 minutes, the drizzle stops, inviting a breeze of cool air surrounding the little basin of grass.
After a good hour exploring, playing and connecting with the Natural space of the Forest, they were ready to leave and reunite with Noah’s parents. They packed their things into their bag, and journeyed back to the pick up point.
On their way back, Noah traverses through the rocky path, with more ease, even with some moments of slips and landing on his bum. He smiled and laughed about some of them, falling. But he also felt uncomfortable, and dearly wanted some help. Darren and Zoe, scaffoldingly, assisted him, making sure that they supported him emotionally and psychologically with words and their physical positioning. But they were intentional to not assist him physically, so that he builds stronger physical awareness and balance from the uneven terrain.
After clearing the rocky path, Noah once more saw the group of Forest School children in front. He was very amused by their presence in the forest.
As they walked back, there on the paths, were some pockets of puddles and a little rain-made stream. Darren squat down and rinse his fingers and hands. Noah followed suit. Zoe put her feet into the puddle of water inviting Noah. He tried cautiously, dipping the tip of his shoe first. Once he realised it was safe and ok, he started jumping and pundling through every puddle and water pocket that he passed by. He was giggling and having so much fun with the natural water play, with little bother about the “dirtiness” of it. He was joy.
Nearing the pick up point, Noah was initially distracted by a puddle on the path. But once he saw his mum and dad, he ran to them excitedly, like a scene from a movie. Haha.
Noah is 2.5 years old…
Second Time
It was the second session, and, like the first, Noah greeted Darren and Zoe with a smile, but his energy was slightly different this time. Nonetheless, he separated from his parents and went with Darren and Zoe happily, eager to spend the day in the forest.
As Zoe predicted, Noah chose to turn left like he did in the first session. He saw puddles of water on the ground but was not as excited to jump in as he previously did. The Forest was seemingly quieter that morning with fewer animals.
While walking to the big field, Noah was humming and bouncing his body while picking up some sticks. He didn’t just choose any sticks, but deliberately looked for long ones. Noah was all happy until he felt uncomfortable from a mosquito bite. He was scratching persistently, but still heading towards their destination.
Noah eventually paused and looked at Zoe for a moment before saying “I want to go home and sleep.” He recognised what his body needed. Zoe acknowledged that he was feeling tired and uncomfortable and that they could rest once they reached the big field. At this point, Noah was bawling loudly. Zoe whispered “I cannot already” to Darren – she couldn’t stand just watching him cry and wanted to comfort him. However, Darren and Zoe still held space and allowed him to express his discomfort without rushing him. They trusted that he could make it to their destination, all he needed was their assurance and presence.
How we interact with our children reflects our perception of who they are.
Despite being tired and uncomfortable, Noah made it through the rocky path. Though unspoken, Darren and Zoe both felt relieved when they finally reached the big field because they knew that Noah would feel more at ease now. It was not easy for them to watch Noah cry and “not do anything”. They could have simply carried him and walked. This would have been much easier for all three of them, but Darren and Zoe didn’t… simply because they trusted him. (It also didn’t help when a passer-by saw Noah crying so badly and told Zoe “tired already luh”. He sounded like they were mistreating Noah, hahaha.)
When they reached the field, Noah placed his bag down and sat on Zoe’s lap. Darren intentionally took a knife out of his bag and began whittling. Noah quietly watched and soon fell asleep in Zoe’s arms. The Forest became a place of rest.
Once Noah got up from his nap, he was all ready to be reunited with his parents. He insisted on carrying his bag and walked back to the meeting point. This time, his energy felt better and he was smiling again.
Noah is 2.5 years old…
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Noah’s beginning in Forest School across 2 very short sessions, is an example of the possibilities and range of elements that a young child would experience in the big and infinite world of the space under the sky. It is not always fun, sunshine and unicorn. It is a range of emotions, experience and moments inter-woven into a sphere of the universe of life and energy. Through this sphere of seemingly objective-less journey, a child discovers about their own capacity, potential and boundaries. When do we pause? When do we challenge? When do we follow? When do we play? When do we fear? When do we be kind? Who are we?
What kind of world will our children experience if the Forest School ways are the foundation of every child in Singapore?
Co-Written : Darren Quek, Zoe Xu
Edited By : Shin Ee
Library 