FOREST SCHOOL in French
Below we have prepared a list of the most frequently asked questions. We are aware that you may have other doubts. We will be happy to answer them all. People of interest we invite you to the appointment to which you make an appointment you're welcome.
Will the children be prepared for school education?
It is implemented in kindergarten the core curriculum of the Ministry of National Education, as well as an original program based on the Maria Montessori method. In addition to the materials provided by nature, we have an equipped educational room and aids typical for free education (wooden boxes, boards, stones, etc.). Children will be prepared to start learning both at Polish and French schools.
How is language learning done?
Up to 6 years old a child learns a foreign language naturally. It learns the native language automatically, soaks it like a sponge with water. He can learn another language at the same time and with the same ease. A child immersed in a foreign language will absorb all its subtleties, happily not knowing that there are any grammatical complexities. The great potential of a child at this age allows him to open up to a foreign language, even when it is not used at home.
What about fine motor skills?
Just like in building institutions, children acquire the necessary skills such as painting, drawing, cutting with scissors, etc. The forest kindergarten prepares for reading and writing, and develops mathematical competences.
Will children running in the woods in kindergarten have problems with focusing attention at school?
Not. Thanks to the optimal stimulation of all senses, children from forest kindergartens, compared to their peers, have better motor coordination, are more creative, are able to focus attention longer, listen more carefully, are more perceptive and calm, and more self-confident.
Is there a place for music in the forest kindergarten?
Yes. Raising children's awareness of the arts is one of our primary goals. Children learn songs, listen to the guitar and the flute. They make instruments and make music.
What about art?
The classroom in the building is not essential for creative activities. Little artists paint on the fence, where I have large sheets of paper at my disposal, they are made of clay, create spatial structures and draw under the cloud. Nature liberates in them creativity that cannot be limited.
How are interests developed?
Children in our kindergarten develop freely. Everyone experiences and learns new things at their own pace. Children observe the behavior and actions of their peers, educators and invited enthusiasts. If any activity interests them, it is supported and strengthened by the educator.
What happens when it rains?
The rain does not bother children in free play. With rainwear (trousers, jackets, galoshes, hats, gloves) they can play in its streams as they like, splash in puddles or splash in the mud.
Sometimes they shelter under a roof or they hide in the building. They change their clothes and drink warm juice. It all depends on the weather, well-being or temperament of the child.
Teachers check the exact weather forecast every day and if storms are announced, the children do not go to the forest but stay in the kindergarten.
How do children cope with the cold?
Heavy frost does not come unexpectedly. The body gets used to the lower temperatures slowly, in line with the changing weather and seasons. This is how it hardens. Good clothes, thermal underwear, woolen socks, balaclavas and a few pairs of gloves are winter "must have". The educators make sure that none of the children get cold to ensure enough exercise. Children can always warm up by the fire or spend time in the building.
Aren't children sick more often?
On the contrary. Children become resistant to cold, and while spending time outdoors, they become infected much less frequently than each other. If a long time outdoors is new to a child, the body's immune system may need to adjust. Children in forest kindergartens fall ill less and are more resistant to temperature changes.
What about dirty hands?
Children in the forest kindergarten often have dirty hands. We pay attention to maintaining hand hygiene, especially after using the toilet and before meals. Then they wash their hands with soap. In the forest, we use water in a canister, in the base we have direct access to water. There is a toilet and washbasins in the building.
How often do the children go to the forest?
We try to go out for walks in the forest every day. In the forest, we have a place designated by the Forest Inspectorate, which children treat as their second base. In agreement with the forest district office, we will develop a small one there infrastructure so that it can better serve us in the forest.
Are children at risk of ticks?
Yes but…. no more than anywhere else, even at home. Ticks feed on the blood of various animals, such as lizards, birds, mice, dogs, cats, deer and humans. That is why we can find ticks everywhere: in the forest, in the park, in the garden, in the playground and at home (if we have pets). In the period of increased occurrence of ticks, i.e. in early spring and autumn, parents and educators are more vigilant. The right outfit is long pants, socks, full shoes, a T-shirt tucked into pants, a hat. Such clothes work well in the forest, even in summer. We also use natural insect repellants.
What about wild animals?
Animals have incomparably more sensitive senses than humans. A group of preschoolers make a lot of fuss in the forest. Wild animals stay away from such groups. The noise made by children effectively excludes direct contact with wild animals. However, we can freely observe their tracks.
What about smog?
There are no "smoking" single-family houses in the vicinity of the kindergarten. The area of the kindergarten base is directly adjacent to the forest. Unfortunately, the Wawer smog does exist and we cannot ignore it. During the heating period, we check the air condition in the application and we take a reading from two sensors located in the kindergarten. If the acceptable standards are exceeded, children spend time in the building where the air purifier is installed.
Do the children have any shelter?
The building provides children with safety during very difficult weather conditions. Children can stay in it during frosty days, storms or gusts of wind. Inside, they have at their disposal an equipped room, a cloakroom, a bathroom and a kitchenette, also if during a winter afternoon, after a walk in In the forest, they will feel like a fragrant apple pie, nothing will stop them.
Will every child find himself in a forest kindergarten?
Forest kindergarten is for every child. It is open for girls and boys. We invite children who are 3 years old.
How do you balance issues of freedom and security?
The task of adult guardians and educators is to ensure a sufficient level of physical and mental security so that everyone can feel safe and at ease. When a child engages in something that, in our opinion, may be risky, we will talk about the consequences, share our experience, and ask if the child feels safe. We do not guarantee that we will physically stop them from performing a given activity. The exceptions are, of course, situations where the so-called protective use of force, e.g. when a child runs into a busy street or in an uncontrolled manner uses tools.
What does forest kindergarten do with waste?
We have segregation containers and a composter in our garden. It turns out that even in such an ecological facility there is enough waste to fill such large containers. Children actively participate in segregation, thanks to which they build their ecological awareness.