“My 5yo grandson (who attends FS), was flying through the children spartan race obstacle course with ease and agility. We credit it to his experience at Forest School”, exclaimed one of the Forest School kiddo’s grandparents.
Since the time we have been at the Rock Paradise and Boulder Playground, children have shown a high level of physical competency in terms of climbing and maneuvering skillfully.
It is known that children should be in movement for an average 180 min per day, instead of sitting and staring at the screen or being static.
In a 3-hour, Forest School session, that is fulfilled without planning specific physical activities.
Children go about playing and moving actively, at their own pace, developing their physical competency throughout the session.
Children who are not ready to climb, will observe their friends while doing other less intense movements (such as jumping between little logs or simply squatting by the side exploring the wild flowers).
They are not forced to ascend any climbs, until they are ready. And this can take close to 1-2 months of consecutive weekly sessions.
In their initial attempt at climbs, children usually struggle, as they are finding out more about their body’s strength, endurance and limit. These are important moments, as it ensures that the child can make good self risk assessments when the time comes. These moments also build a foundation of character and confidence that they will not get if reaching-the-top comes with a lot of assistance.
While the developments of the climbings are very observable in our children, there are many little developments that are less visible.
Such as the development of stamina, endurance and balance that comes from walking and running on non-flat and unmanicured surfaces in the forest floor, on gradient slopes (at boulder playground) or even on pebbled field (at the Rock Paradise).
Children develop a stronger core and back strength through spending time moving in such terrain. These strengths also interestingly lead to them having the ability to focus on tasks for longer periods as proven across many researches around the world with regards to core strength and attention-focus.
Our FS children build a wider range of body muscles through the multi-terrain experiences that increase their agility, mobility and stamina. They last longer in long walks over time, and show greater strength in dealing with illnesses when it comes.
Lastly, through all the physical developments, our children form a greater sense of who they are physically. Their awareness of themselves, leads naturally to a secure and confident child, who is able to recognise their own physical and mental potential.
Isn’t that what we hope for our children at the end of the day?
Written by: Darren Quek
Editted by: Wei Shimin
Library 