Cabins For Schools Blog

 

At Cabins For Schools, we regard an outdoor classroom as an investment. When a school’s business manager shared the reason they were considering our products, we began to see this notion in a whole new light.

With permission, we can say that the school had recurring behavioural issues with a student who, despite their best efforts, was close to needing Alternative Provision (AP settings are places that provide education for children who can’t go to a mainstream school). The school’s ethos that 'no child gets left behind' (their approach to special educational needs is best in class – pardon the pun) prompted them to apply some creative thinking to the challenge.   

The school’s plan: Create a cost-effective place within the school grounds that can be used as an inclusion space for children with challenging needs, not just for one child now, but for years to come. 

Topics: schools, forestschools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools, Inclusive Spaces

When you think back to your school days, what are the good memories that fill your head?

For me, it’s the lessons conducted outdoors in the sunshine, and the classrooms that were stimulating (the art room with its colours or the science labs with all their glorious potential for exploration). 

Very few of our good school memories were made in fusty, stuffy old classrooms - the thought of double maths on a wet January Monday morning haunts me to this day.

Environment really matters. The right environment boosts the quality of learning and general experience.

Topics: schools, forestschools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools

The benefits gained by taking learning out of the classroom are huge. It encourages creative thinking, accelerates understanding of subjects, boosts self-awareness, fosters respect for others, nurtures social skills, encourages interactions and helps to build healthy peer to peer relationships.

Topics: schools, outdoorlearning, forestschools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools

Forest School is seen as a way of life in Scandinavia; a child-centred learning process that offers stimulating activities and holistic opportunities for growth through play, exploration and, often, supported and calculated risk taking. It helps develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on experiences in a natural, fresh air setting.

Topics: schools, forestschools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools

Every teacher knows the importance of encouraging kids to read - but schools aren't always the best place to lose yourself in a book. The school library, while it may have a fantastic collection of volumes available, isn't always a welcoming, comfy reading area. Plastic school chairs can be uncomfortable, and banks of computers and the glare of strip lighting overhead might prevent a child from really getting immersed in a story.

Topics: schools, outdoorlearning, forestschools, cabins for schools

“The excitement of outdoor learning that I felt when I was at school comes back to me in floods whenever I head out with my class to our ‘Base Camp’ classroom,” says Bekah, a teacher whose pupils are enjoying the benefits of getting out of the classroom – whatever the weather.

Topics: schools, forestschools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools

The clock is ticking! The new sugar tax is good news for schools, but only if you can decide how to spend the windfall on offer. With the deadline approaching, schools are struggling to figure out how to invest the sugar tax money.

Topics: schools, outdoorlearning, sugartax, forestschools

Schools should be more than just a place for kids to sit at desks and memorise facts - but it's not always easy to balance sparking creativity with learning. So maybe it's time to look beyond the classroom. Children respond well to being in different environments, so change their surroundings and you'll open up a whole world of possibilities to them. Young people are deeply influenced by their environment, so it's essential that the space around them reinforces and supports their education and developmental needs to the fullest.

Topics: Garden Playroom, schools, cabins for schools, Multi-Function Space For Schools