What Is Forest School?

Remnant Nature Academy is a forest school —but what exactly is forest school? Let’s get into it.

Forest school is not kids running wild in the woods like it’s Lord of the Flies. It’s intentional. It’s structured. It’s educational—with fresh air, trees, and common sense. Forest school is an approach to education that uses the forest as the classroom and nature as the source content for all academic subjects. Your middle schooler will learn core academics—here at Remnant, that’s math, science, language arts, and Spanish—but here’s what that looks like in a forest school.

1. We use nature as our main classroom and learning tool

Instead of reading about the food cycle from a dusty text book, our students read living books and get their hands dirty in the raised bed garden. Instead of abstract math, they’re chopping logs to learn measurement, cooking outdoors to learn fractions, and experiencing nature as the backdrop to reading about it.

2. Learning is based on inquiry and immediate relevance

One of the biggest complaints middle schoolers have about their core classes is this: “How does this relate to real life?” Forest school pivots from the questions that students are asking now and from touch points that are directly relevant—like their community, their family, and their experience. We call this place-based learning. That means centering our experiences, our families, our community, and our nation. We match the students’ questions and interests to the class' goals. That way, we are challenging them to reach high standards, but keeping them engaged in what's relevant now.

Forest school may look and feel like free time, but it’s really exploration and discovery that builds independence, focus, and critical thinking—skills your child will need long after the math test is over.

3. We encourage young people to learn with their whole body

Not all students can learn cooped up within four walls, listening to a teacher talk, and doing a worksheet. Some young people need to touch something, move their bodies, and take in the brown noise of nature. Others can go head down and do the academic work, but they build stamina by going for short hikes or taking a sit spot break under a tree. Sunshine and fresh air tend to be natural methods of Ritalin, helping students maintain calm focus. Forest school gives them room to move and space to focus.

Mostly Screen-Free

Remnant students get to learn in a technology-light environment. Screen may only be used to reinforce a lesson. That’s it. Our students hang out on trees, not on screens. When screens are overused, they can be high-tech brain rot, particularly for literacy.

The technology used in mobile devices is addictive. And it's is robbing our young people of basic skills like eye contact, curiosity, and holding a conversation—during the last few years before they become adults.

That goes away in the forest. Young people get a different fixation. They become more spatially aware, because they detect the sound of a woodpecker hammering at a tree trunk. They’re retention improves because they are actually observing and touching what they're learning about. They engage in five-sense learning. Because they are learning through experience, their cognitive focus naturally switches to “do not disturb.”

What About "Bad" Weather?

This part always makes parents clutch their pearls: Forest school believes in learning in all weather.

Rain. Cold. Wind. Heat. The same conditions life uses every single day. We will make a judgement call on whether the climate is too dangerous to learn outdoors, specifically with extreme cold, extreme heat, and storms. In those cases we will bring learning indoors or cancel class.

Here’s the philosophy: there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad preparation. When kids learn to plan ahead and adjust to all of nature’s conditions, they build grit and responsibility. They learn that discomfort isn’t danger, and a challenge isn’t a stop sign. They’ll learn that they’re capable of more than they think.

In the rain, kids slow down (or get energized). They observe. They can learn to read clouds or observe patterns in water flow, soil, and plant life. They learn teamwork—how to keep moving, how to problem-solve, how to care for one another.

In the heat, they learn pacing, hydration, and self-awareness. Nature becomes the teacher, and the lesson changes with the forecast. They’re learning with the environment, not fighting it.

This quietly raises young people who don’t get nervous when things aren’t perfect. They can adapt, persevere, and stay curious even when life throws a curveball.

The truth is one day your child will face a storm—and it won’t be in the sky. When that happens, they’ve already been trained on how to handle it: grab your gear, take a breath, and keep going.

Remnant Gear Recommendations:

Dressing appropriately is THE MOST important way to prepare for forest school. It’s hard to stay engaged or enjoy a hike when your fingers are frozen and your feet are wet. Our students must be properly dressed for outdoor learning.

Our staff will do a gear check at drop off. If your child is not appropriately dressed, we will not allow the child to be dropped off, and there will be no refunds for inappropriate clothing. To avoid blowing your budget on forest school gear, we recommend Mountain Warehouse or Sierra Trading Post.

That said, here are our recommendations and requirements:

For every day, we recommend cargo pants/shorts. The extra pockets are great for rock collecting and carrying supplies, like bottled water and tools.

For hot days, we want to avoid poison ivy contact, bug bites, and sunburn. We recommend

A sleeveless base layer, a light weight long sleeve layer on top and light weight pants or long shorts.
Linen is a good lightweight material for tops. If they get too hot, they can remove the top layer.
Sweat wicking materials are more comfortable for hot days because they dry fast.

For cold/snowy days, we may likely be inside if temps drop below 25 degrees. But for short outside activities recommend:

Hats, not hoods. Hoods can block peripheral vision.
Neck warmers, not scarves. Scarves tend to dangle and get in the way of working on the ground.
Ski gloves because they tend to be water proof with heavy insulation.
The best formula is a fleece lined base layer, a heavy middle layer, and a thick top layer, such as a sherpa lined hoodie or a down jacket.

Here’s a short video on Ms. Kadesha's freeze-proof formula for layering when that winter hawk comes:

INSERT VIDEO

Fall and Spring are unpredictable in our area. You could literally have all four seasons in one day. Layers are the best way to be prepared, because you can remove them if it’s too warm or keep them when it’s cold.

DO NOT WEAR

Cotton - It absorbs moisture rather than wicking it off the body. This makes the cold even colder. At worst, it could lead to hypothermia. Instead of cotton opt for wool or synthetic fabrics.
Expensive/name brand clothing - The forest is beautiful, and messy. And we dive right in. We will make no effort to protect expensive clothing. Name brand gym shoes are especially terrible for forest school because they are cheaply made and will get damaged.
Fancy Jewelry - Because forest school is all about movement, we cannot be responsible for lost jewelry.