Project Green Lantern – inspiring the environmental champions of the future

We are delighted to announce that Single Steps Nursery Medstead has been awarded funding by East Hampshire District Council to develop and transform our existing Forest School area as part of an exciting new project called Project Green Lantern.

The idea behind Green Lantern is actually very simple: we want to inspire environmental champions of the future.

We already use our woodland area as part of our Forest School curriculum, giving the children opportunities to get outside, explore, get muddy, take appropriate risks and learn through direct experiences with the natural world. Now, thanks to this funding, we have the opportunity to take that provision to another level and create something really special for the children.

A woodland with a purpose

For us, Forest School is about much more than simply taking children outside.

The woodland is a place where children can discover things for themselves. They can climb, balance, dig, build, investigate, create, listen, observe and work together. They can experience the changing seasons and begin to understand that they are part of a much bigger natural world.

The new Green Lantern area will give us a dedicated space designed specifically around these experiences.

We are creating a carefully planned woodland environment with natural materials, wildlife habitats, planting areas and sensory spaces. There will be places for storytelling and group activities, areas for climbing and balancing, a mud kitchen for imaginative and sensory play, and spaces where the children can get closer to the wildlife that shares their environment.

We will also introduce bug houses, bird feeders and nature trails, encouraging the children to look more closely at the small creatures and plants around them.

And, of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to get muddy!

Learning through doing

One of the things we love most about Forest School is that it allows children to learn without always realising that they are learning.

A child balancing carefully across a log is developing coordination, physical strength and confidence. A group of children working together to build something are developing communication, cooperation and problem-solving skills. Collecting leaves, examining insects or planting something encourages curiosity and an understanding of the natural world.

Even something as simple as sitting together around a log circle listening to a story can become an opportunity to develop language, imagination and social skills.

The new area will also include a supervised, child-safe fire pit. Used appropriately, this will allow the children to learn about fire, safety and responsibility, as well as giving us opportunities for outdoor cooking and other Forest School activities.

Importantly, the children will be encouraged to take appropriate risks within a safe and carefully managed environment. We believe that learning how to assess risk, try something challenging and discover that you can do something you weren’t sure you could do is an incredibly valuable part of growing up.

Creating a love of nature

Perhaps the most important part of Green Lantern, however, is the environmental message behind it.

It is one thing to tell children that we need to look after our planet. It is something very different to help them develop a genuine connection with the natural world from an early age.

By spending time outside, caring for plants, watching wildlife and understanding the different things that live within our woodland, children begin to develop empathy and responsibility for the environment around them.

The development itself will reflect those principles too. We will use sustainable, natural and reclaimed materials wherever possible, minimise disruption to the existing woodland and introduce additional planting and wildlife habitats to encourage biodiversity.

In other words, the woodland isn’t simply going to be a backdrop for learning. It will be part of the learning.

A project that will grow with the children

Green Lantern isn’t something we see as a finished project. The area will continue to evolve as the children use it, discover new things and come up with their own ideas.

The children will be involved in caring for the space through planting, seasonal activities and looking after the environment. We also hope to encourage family involvement and opportunities for the wider community to take an interest in what we are doing.

Our aim is that the children will take what they experience at Forest School home with them – perhaps noticing a bug in the garden, planting something with their parents, asking why leaves change colour or simply understanding that the world around them is something worth looking after.

That is where the name Green Lantern really comes from.

We want our children to become little guiding ‘green’ lights – inspiring the people around them through their curiosity, enthusiasm and growing understanding of the environment.

We are incredibly grateful to East Hampshire District Council for supporting us in making this project possible, and we can’t wait to see the children exploring, learning and enjoying their new woodland environment.

Project Green Lantern is about giving children the opportunity to discover the natural world today, so that they can help protect it tomorrow.