When exploring educational options for your child, understanding the nuances between different approaches can feel overwhelming. This guide explores the key similarities and differences between Forest School and Montessori education, while also briefly touching on Waldorf education, to help you determine which might best suit your child’s unique personality and learning style.

Understanding Forest School

Forest School blends elements of the Reggio Emilia approach with nature-based education. Originating in Scandinavia and gaining popularity in the UK since the 1990s, Forest School, known as the “head, heart and hands approach” provides children with regular, immersive experiences in natural outdoor settings.

According to the Forest School Association, this educational approach is characterised by “a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than one-off or infrequent visits; takes place in a woodland or natural environment; promotes the holistic development of all involved; and offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and themselves.”

At its core, Forest School embraces child-initiated learning, with teachers serving as facilitators rather than instructors. Children are encouraged to explore, discover, and engage with the natural world at their own pace.

The Forest School Association emphasises that this approach helps children develop “confidence, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence through hands-on experiences in a woodland or natural setting.”

Understanding Montessori Education

Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 20th century, Montessori education is based on scientific observations of child development. It emphasises independence, freedom within limits, and respect for the child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.

The Montessori St. Nicholas Charity, which oversees Montessori teacher training in the UK, explains that “Montessori is an education for independence, preparing not just for school, but for life.”

Montessori education is renowned for its practicality, not only in education but in daily living and that indeed these things are interconnected. Children raised within the Montessori ethos and environments assist in doing household chores, they wash dishes, sweep the floor where they’ve played and are generally shown and encouraged to clean after themselves as contributing members of their community.

Key features of Montessori education include:

  1. Prepared environments with specialised learning materials
  2. Mixed-age classrooms typically spanning three years
  3. Uninterrupted work periods (often three hours)
  4. Freedom of movement and choice within boundaries
  5. Self-directed learning with teacher guidance
  6. Focus on developing concentration, coordination, independence, and order

“In Montessori education, children learn by doing and are free to learn at their own pace,” states the Montessori Society AMI UK. “They are not constrained by the limitations of a curriculum, a timetable, a classroom, or by the pace of other children.”

Similarities between Forest School and Montessori

Despite their different origins and approaches, Forest School and Montessori education share several fundamental values:

  • Child-centred Learning: Both philosophies place the child at the centre of the educational experience, respecting individual interests and developmental pace.
  • Hands-on Experience: Both approaches emphasise learning through direct experience rather than abstract instruction.
  • Independence and Self-direction: Both value children’s autonomy and capacity to make meaningful choices about their learning.
  • Mixed-age Groupings: Both often incorporate children of different ages learning together, though this is more fundamental to Montessori.
  • Respect for the Child: Both approaches are rooted in deep respect for children as capable, curious learners.
  • Emphasis on Process over Product: Both value the learning process more than measurable outcomes or standardised achievements.

The Montessori Schools Association notes that “both Montessori and Forest School philosophies share a commitment to fostering independence, critical thinking, and a deep connection to learning.”

Key differences between Forest School and Montessori

While there are important similarities, Forest School and Montessori education differ significantly in several aspects:

Learning Environment

  • Forest School: Almost exclusively outdoors in natural settings
  • Montessori: Carefully prepared indoor environments with specific learning materials

Structure and Materials

  • Forest School: Less structured, using natural materials found outdoors
  • Montessori: More structured environment with specially designed, sequential learning materials

Teacher Role

  • Forest School: Teachers as facilitators who follow children’s interests
  • Montessori: Teachers as guides who observe carefully and introduce materials at optimal moments

Risk and Exploration

  • Forest School: Embraces managed risk-taking as essential to development
  • Montessori: Emphasises safety within the freedom to explore prepared materials

Approach to Nature

  • Forest School: Nature as the primary classroom and teacher
  • Montessori: Nature study as one component among many areas of learning

Daily Rhythm

  • Forest School: Flow often follows natural rhythms and children’s emerging interests
  • Montessori: Typically includes a three-hour uninterrupted work period

The Montessori Education UK explains that “while Montessori environments offer freedom within structure, Forest School provides structure within freedom.”

Waldorf Education: Another Alternative

Waldorf education (also called Steiner education) offers yet another approach, emphasising imagination, rhythm, and artistic expression. Unlike both Montessori and Forest School, Waldorf follows a teacher-led curriculum based on developmental stages, with a strong emphasis on fantasy and storytelling in the early years.

For a more detailed comparison between Forest School and Waldorf education, please see our companion article.

Is It Right for Your Child?

Consider these observations to help determine which approach might best suit your child:

For Forest School, your child might thrive if they:

  • Are energetic and crave physical movement
  • Show deep curiosity about the natural world
  • Enjoy seasonal changes and outdoor exploration regardless of weather
  • Process information through physical and sensory experiences
  • Demonstrate comfort with less structured environments

For Montessori, your child might thrive if they:

  • Enjoy order and organisation
  • Show concentration and focus on tasks
  • Appreciate completing activities from beginning to end
  • Demonstrate independence in self-care activities
  • Learn best through hands-on manipulation of materials
  • Prefer calm, orderly environments

For Waldorf (which differs from both in its emphasis on imagination, rhythm, and limited technology), your child might be better suited if they respond well to storytelling, artistic expression, and predictable routines.

Making your decision

The UK’s Early Education, a leading early years organisation, advises that “the most important factor in choosing an educational approach is how well it aligns with your individual child’s temperament, learning style, and needs.”

Many families find that elements from different approaches can be beneficial. Some children attend Montessori schools that incorporate Forest School sessions, while others might follow Montessori principles at home while attending a Forest School programme.

For families preferring their older children above 5years go on to attend a more structured weekly educational environment like a Waldorf or Montessori School or even home schooling, participating in weekly Forest School Sessions is an ideal combination.

Although each approach has its own niche focuses, Forest School as an early childhood modality or playgroup option, being the more modern pedagogy, does incorporate a lot from both Waldorf and Montessori methodologies in addition to its own specific approach.

Consider arranging visits to schools following these different philosophies. Observing your child’s response to each environment can provide valuable insights into which approach might best support their development.

Remember that while educational philosophy is important, factors such as location, cost, community, and individual teachers also significantly impact your child’s experience.

By taking time to understand these approaches and observing your child’s natural tendencies, you can make an informed choice that supports their love of learning and overall development.

Visit SAMA to learn more about options in Montessori education within South Africa.

And to book a Forest School visit with Pamela, founder of Nature Plays, simply send us an email to arrange.

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