WLA
Woodland Learning Adventures - Edinburgh.
“WLA provides bespoke environmental education experiences for all ages and backgrounds.”
WLA Forest School Group
WLA hosts a Forest School group that operates Monday through Friday in and around Edinburgh. Phil Hardie, alongside his wife Emma host Forest School groups such as the group in Meadows Yard Nature Preserve. In October of 2022 I had the unique opportunity to spend a day attending their Friday program in Meadow Yard. Although there were inherent variations, such as the training required to lead Forest Schooling sessions, WLA’s forest school group operated in great similarity to the Forest Schools I worked out of in Los Angeles, California. This goes to show you how Forest Schooling has become a world-wide educational approach, adapted in different states, governments, and educational methods across borders.
Flexi Programs
Phil and Emma offer a Forest Schooling program to primary students within the Flexi program of Edinburgh. Flexi schooling is essentially a homeschooling program within Scotland. When a student applies for Flexi they are asked how they will meet educational needs. Forest schooling is a popular option for these Flexi students to fulfill educational needs. Flexi students typically go to school some days and come out to the Forest other days. Although not all of Scotland is supportive of Flexi programs, Edinburgh is quite in favor of this learning style, ultimately allowing parents and students an avenue to pursue Forest Schooling options.
Child-Led + Play-Based
Phil and Emma’s Forest Schooling programs encourage nature-immersion through a play-based, child-led model. On the day I visited, students started the day out with a set of certain duties they were to take care of, but had autonomy over how they chose and directed these experiences. These responsibilities included building shelters for the day, gathering wood, and prepping the fire for example. Once duties were taken care of students were free to engage in nature play, with the option to branch off and try an activity. Activities included assisting in splitting firewood for the fire, whittling sticks, and prepping and cooking bread over the fire to pair with a bramble jam the students had previously prepped from locally foraged berries. Students had a part in every step of the experience, from foraging a good cooking stick, whittling it down, to mixing and prepping dough, to prepping the fire and assisting in chopping firewood, finishing with braiding the dough around the stick and cooking it over the fire. Jokes were made about why I was calling the brambles, blackberries. The end product was well-earned, warmed our tummies on a rainy afternoon and gave me a taste of traditional Scottish culture! A memory I’ll cherish forever.
