In nature, the child has all the time in the world
exploration
Šumska škola
is a space located in nature
on the edge of Fruška Gora National Park, open for spontaneous learning, play, collaboration, and creativity
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Pedagogical approach
The pedagogical approach of the Forest School stems from an understanding of our human nature, which is intelligent, sensitive, empathetic, creative, and collaborative.
We believe that every child is naturally curious and capable of holistic growth and development within a community that provides full support.
Our method is based on positive practices from various inspiring educators and existing schools, such as Montessori, Forest Schools, Summerhill,
Sudbury Valley, and Waldorf...
We view each human being as a whole, in physical, psychological, social, and spiritual terms.
Holism
It implies the understanding of the individual as a whole in the physical, psychological, social and spiritual sense.
Freedom and responsibility are shared between the child, who has the freedom to explore ways to acquire knowledge, and us adults, whose role is to ensure that this freedom includes the responsibility to respect the needs and rights of others.
Autonomy &
self-direction
A pleasant and safe family environment encourages the child to feel free to be who they are, and to receive support and inspiration for learning, creating, and collaborating.
Family environment
Group work is based on collaboration rather than competition. We teach practices of working together, connecting, creating team spirit, and cooperation.
Collaboration
All living beings in nature have their own value, and these values should be respected. The best way to gain awareness of the value of living beings is through daily immersion in nature. The subtle connections linking members of a biotic community are best learned and experienced through spending time in the forest, at a lake, or by a river.
Nature and ecology
Young children need role models, while older ones need to learn care and responsibility. Mixed-age groups provide an environment where these skills are most easily learned.
Age mixing
The school's space is situated on a spacious plot with a yard featuring a playground made from old wooden beams and locust trees, a garden pond with fish, and shady corners beneath black pine, locust, linden, ash, cherry, apricot, apple, walnut, and plum trees.
The area also includes a small organic garden, educational boards, a cooking space, sandpit, and a kitchenette for experiments, a trampoline, and an open field for group games, as well as quiet spots for handcrafts, drawing, conversation, reading, and relaxation.
These spaces serve as inspiration for children to explore and develop their physical abilities, various interests and skills in gardening, caring for other living beings, cooking, storytelling, painting, playing music, and building.
Areas of learning
In the Forest School, learning subjects are not separated from each other. We do not aim solely for the development of specialized knowledge but for a comprehensive understanding of objective human reality.
We believe that children learn better through examples that require knowledge from various fields (mathematics, biology, drawing, dance, etc.).
For instance, while building a birdhouse, we learn about trees, the ecology of the species that will inhabit the birdhouse, the proper use of tools, and how to calculate the size of the entry hole for an adult bird, among other things. In creative classes, the focus and attention may sometimes be on mathematics and logic, physics, chemistry, and biology, and other times on philosophy, history, psychology, sociology, and art.
Modern research blurs the boundaries between natural and social sciences, between nature and society. Where and how are the boundaries established between music and mathematics, between ethics and aesthetics, between psychology and sociology, philosophy and anthropology?
The pedagogical approach of the Forest School develops intellectual skills and knowledge in parallel with the understanding of our emotions and intuition, our cultural patterns, and habits in everyday life.
Self-awareness and awareness of others
The universal awareness that we teach through our pedagogical approach illuminates our inner strengths, voices, and motives that guide our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Movement
By directing energy and attention towards movement, we learn to develop physical abilities and capacities, as well as our talents for sports, music, and other artistic activities.
Maths & Logic
Through mathematical and logical workshops and activities, we develop our brain's capabilities, learn to think, and solve problems both individually and as a team.
Communication
The development of communication helps children understand content and communication in different world languages, with a focus on Serbian, English, Italian, and Spanish. We also explore various forms of nonverbal communication.
Ecology & Permaculture
For the development of self-esteem and respect for others, we need knowledge about the relationships that create the rich living world in nature. Ecology helps us understand the world and nature, ourselves and our place in it, and to live in harmony with that understanding.
Food
From seed to plate
Working in our organic garden provides the opportunity to explore and understand nature, its laws, and relationships. Gardening and horticulture based on permaculture principles respect the cultivation of food according to nature’s principles, which are older than current human methods of growing and producing food.
Practical life excercises
Personal hygiene, the hygiene of our environment, and our relationship with nature and the environment teach us to respect living beings, evolutionary processes, and the relationships that create life.
Arts & Crafts
The creation of artistic content begins with listening and mastering the movements of hands, pencils, brushes, keyboards, and other tools. Drawing, painting, knitting, dancing, singing, and playing music...
Navigating nature
We learn to navigate natural environments using our own skills, knowledge, and available resources. This includes how to build a shelter, safely start and maintain a fire, and find edible and medicinal plants...
Program
The focus of the program is on the needs of the students themselves, spontaneous play, internal motivation, and curiosity, which are satisfied through unstructured time—free for exploration and spontaneous learning—and through organized workshop activities with experts in various fields.
The Forest School program is implemented daily, either for half or a full day, or once a week during weekly forest gatherings on Wednesdays.
We invite all those who are interested in nature and in sharing knowledge and experiences about nature and humanity to join us in this adventure of creating spaces and tools for natural learning. The most beautifully shared lessons are those learned from the heart.
The Forest School starts on September 30, 2024.
The '24/'25 program will run from September 30, 2024, - May 30, 2025.
Whole day
Monday - Friday
8 - 16 h
Half day
8 - 12 / 12 - 16 h
Weekly forest meetings
8 - 16 h
The school program for 2024/2025 is for children approximately aged 4 to 14 years.
"
Learning comes naturally through play and exploration when a child freely expresses their curiosity.
Maria Montessori
"
Being free means being able to think one's own thoughts—not just thoughts about the body or society, but thoughts generated by one's deepest, most original, essential, and spiritual self, one's individuality.
Rudolf Steiner
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Get in touch
with us
If you would like to get involved as a family and enroll your child, join us as an occasional or regular workshop facilitator, donate materials you no longer need but we could use, or contribute money for the further development of the Forest School, please send us a message or contact us
at +381/62-168-55-96.