Learning through nature

Once a week St Joseph’s School switches their traditional classroom for the forest, Almadale Reserve to be exact.  They walk the trail, study bugs, learn about seeds versus spores, play games, cook, build forts and hang hammocks.

It started with one teacher, Mark Searle, being inspired to build confidence in exploration within their students.  After a couple of training sessions, each teacher now takes their own class, and the concept is fully engrained in St Joseph’s curriculum.

“The attendance rate is always high on forest days”, tells Mark, “No one wants to miss out.”

Like all things, it takes a multitude of people to help make it happen, from parent volunteers to working with Manawatū District Council, and on Friday 6 September, Aaron Madden, a biodiversity specialist employed through Green by Nature joined in to share his knowledge of plant species, trees and different types of soils.

“When St Joseph's first began visiting the reserve, the carparking was minimal.  To help support their weekly visits, a larger clearing was made to enable safe parking for the cars required,” James Adamson MDC Community Assets Liaison explains.

For some families who move to New Zealand, the concept of the forest being a safe tranquil space is foreign, as it’s viewed as one of danger and not safe for children.  This has been true for some families at St. Joseph’s School and the weekly visits to Almadale Reserve has helped to build knowledge and awareness of hazards specific to the reserves.  The visits begin with reviewing boundaries at the reserve like staying with someone, the river, certain plants - before learning through play.  The hands-on experience learned through the visits to the reserve are invaluable.

“Our reserves are to be enjoyed recreationally and educationally, says Adamson.  Having the confidence in the space to play, explore and discover new things provides the starting blocks to apply that confidence across all aspects of life.”