Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
School’s out! Mum is setting up a classroom in middle of woods
‘We are visitors to the forest so we leave it exactly how it is’
An ancient wood in the middle of the countryside may not be the typical setting for a classroom but a mum-of-four from Canterbury believes Blean Woods is the perfect place for children to learn and is getting ready to open her forest school in half-term.
Jasmin Chiaramello-hopker says come rain or shine – with the exception of high winds – every aspect of the school will be outdoors.
Children aged four to 11 will take part in a variety of activities, from building dens to making fires and using knives to whittle sticks.
It may be far from traditional, but Mrs Chiaramello-hopker believes this holistic approach to learning builds confidence and teaches them to respect the environment.
“They have fun but also it’s a learning journey for the child and staff; we always learn something new,” she explains.
“We don’t leave anything behind, we are visitors to the forest so we leave it exactly how it is.”
She says children learn how to take care of themselves and their environment, find out about nature and are taught how to use tools, tie knots, make shelters and cook.
“They learn how to be confident happy people. Taking appropriate risks with trained staff,” she said.
The 41-year-old, of Old Dover Road, Canterbury, has run various forest schools since training five years ago.
“I set this up because I couldn’t find childcare for my own chil- dren that was similar to this in Canterbury,” she said.
“I wanted to work and earn money, I was a single mum with three kids and found it hard to work with no childcare.”
Now married, she runs the school with her husband Richard Hopker, but is on the search for a permanent outdoor site.
“I’d love to run it all year but I need somewhere to do it,” she said.
“I can only use Blean from September to March because birds nest there in the summer.
“I would like it to be quite central to Canterbury and Whitstable, but really, as long it’s outside that’s the main thing.”
The school runs February 13-17, 8.30am to 3.30pm, and 10% of proceeds will go to the RSPB nature reserve at Blean Woods.
“The money will help towards the management of the woods,” she said.
For information email jasmin. chiaramello@yahoo.com