ESSENTIALS
We Are Aishling Forest School, Because of Each of You!
“Community involvement sends a powerful message to children. It’s one that says you are important. You are loved. You belong. And it’s a message that, with it, holds the strength to empower every child in the world.” - The National Education Association With grateful...
Why Peace Begins With Children
If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.-Mahatma Gandhi We all know the headlines of fear and worry facing our children: bullies, school shootings, apathy, and...
Fire: The Only Element We Can Create
When you light a fire, you commit an act of magic...what thrilling enchantment, what cunning sorcery has the work of your hands created?"- Anthony Murphy As we come closer to the winter solstice here in the northern hemisphere, we feel the temperature shift as the...
Meeting Children Where They Are Amidst a Global Pandemic
“The key is to meet children where they are. The way children choose to play and learn is usually better than enough- it is the perfect thing for them to be doing at that particular time.”- Janet Lansbury, author of “Elevating Child Care” These past few years have...
What It Means to Belong
“Most children fail in school not because they lack the necessary cognitive skills, but because they feel detached, alienated, and isolated from others and from the educational process.” - Dr. Peter Gray Our home in the forest at Aishling Forest School is a community,...
Discovering the Light Within Each of Us
“The light you give to the world multiplies the light you receive from the universe.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo As our days shorten, we feel the weather change and as we enter deeper into the brisk winds of autumn, we begin discussing these changes with our learners at...
A Look Inside the Magic of Forest School: A Practice in Being Human
“Uncertain times require personal responsibility, independence of thought, self-initiative, self-assertion, flexibility, creativity, imagination, and willingness to take risks.” —Peter Gray Aishling Forest School is a home for all, as we are part of Mother Nature and...
Just Let the Kids Play: The Science Behind Play Based Learning
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." -Howard Thurman Children come into the world with instinctive drives to educate themselves. These...
How Forest School Soothes Our Seven (Yes Seven!) Senses
"The more exposure your child has to sensory experiences throughout the day, the more integrated and organized the brain,senses and body become."- Dr. Angela Hanscom As an occupational therapist in the public school system, I worked with a range of children with an...
