Building dens, lighting fires, making mud pies, chopping wood, tying knots, feeding animals – these are just some of the activities involved in forest school, or desert school as it’s also known. Just a bit of fun? Just a fringe strain of education? Or does outdoor learning deserve a place in every school and curriculum?

From a host of important transferable skills to a wealth of benefits that promote well-being, fitness and mental health, not to mention the fact that all children seem to love it because it’s so much fun, there’s no shortage of positives when it comes to forest school and outdoor learning.

For this fascinating, eye-opening episode, School of Thought host Hfu Reisenhofer is joined by outdoor learning experts Claire Nami and Lewis Miller, whose passion for their profession is probably only matched by the enthusiasm of their students.

Claire is Foundation Stage Leader and Assistant Headteacher of Primary at GEMS FirstPoint School, while Lewis is Head of Department – Outdoor Learning and Digital Literacy Coordinator at GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis. Both lead the outdoor learning provision at their Dubai schools, proving that the forest school ethos can be successfully implemented anywhere – even in the UAE desert.

To find out more about their schools' outdoor learning provision, contact Claire at [email protected] and Lewis at [email protected].