Flow: The hottest CPD topic the year!

I would like to introduce you to one of our Forest School Education Team members, Forest School Leader Becky, and at the same time introduce you to what we think is going to be one of the hottest CPD topics, both in the classroom and the forest, this year. You see Becky, who runs some of our Oxfordshire Forest Schools and holiday clubs is also the author of the book "Teaching for Flow: Transforming Primary Education for Optimal Learning".

What is Flow? We have all experienced it, that moment when we (or a child we might be observing) are so committed to a task because it means so much that we have become disconnected from the world around us. We are 'in the groove', 'dialled in', 'on a roll'. But why is it so important for learning and development to foster the Flow state? And, more importantly, How can Forest School encourage such an important aspect to learning? We asked our resident expert Becky.

How Forest School Nurtures Flow

The deepest learning experiences occur when we enter a state of flow. Flow is a term coined by Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who describes it as a state of complete absorption - when you are so immersed by an activity that all external distractions fall away, time seems to shift and you are simply caught up within that moment. We’ve all felt it - if you are doing something you enjoy and are completely immersed in the moment an hour feels like a minute, whereas if you are doing something you are merely enduring a minute can seem like an hour. Because flow is shaped by our individual passions, aptitudes and motivations, the activities that trigger it will differ from person to person.

This raises an important question for educators: What is it about Forest School that enables so many pupils to enter into this powerful state of flow?

"What is it about Forest School that enables so many pupils to enter into this powerful state of flow?"

Autonomy and Choice: The Child Led Pathway Into Flow

One of the six core principles of Forest School as set out on the Forest School Association (FSA) states: “Play and choice are an integral part of the forest School learning process, and play is recognised as vital to learning and development at Forest School” (Forest School Association 2011)

Considering that flow will be triggered differently in each of us, this emphasis on choice is not simply a pedagogical preference – it is essential. A child led approach allows each learner to discover and follow their own interests, curiosities and passions creating the conditions for every child to enter a flow state through their own unique pathway. While the Forest School leader will inject a spark of inspiration during the session, children are free to take their learning in the direction that feels meaningful to them.

A skilled Forest School Leader understands the delicate balance required to protect this precious state of deep immersion. They know when to step back so as not to interrupt a child’s concentration and flow state and when to step in with support to ensure that confidence and a sense of achievement is gained and enhances the experience for the child. This contrasts with traditional classroom practice, where teachers are often expected to “move the learning on” through questioning and direct instruction. In Forest School, such interactions are intentionally gathered into specific moments — usually during group times — so that children’s self-directed flow is not broken.

Through careful observation, the Forest School leader builds a picture of each child’s interests, aptitudes, and emerging skills. These insights then shape future planning, ensuring that sessions continue to offer rich opportunities for every child to re-enter that powerful state of flow. Over time, this creates a learning environment where deep engagement is not an occasional occurrence but a natural, recurring part of the Forest School experience.

Unhurried Time: The Space Children Need to Go Deep

One of the most beautiful gifts Forest School offers is uninterrupted, unhurried time — time that children can truly inhabit. So much of a child’s day is governed by timetables, structured tasks, and tightly sequenced expectations. In these environments, children may only just begin to fall into a state of flow before they are required to stop, tidy up, or move on to the next activity. The moment of deep engagement is lost.

Forest School intentionally removes many of these constraints. Sessions are designed to minimise transitions and maximise spaciousness, allowing children to explore freely without the pressure of a looming deadline. Ideally, sessions run for a minimum of two hours, giving children the opportunity to become fully absorbed in their learning. This extended period is not a luxury - it is a prerequisite for flow. Just as importantly, the regularity of Forest School sessions means that this immersion can deepen over time. Children return each week to familiar spaces, ongoing projects, and self-directed ideas. With each session, their engagement becomes more purposeful, more confident, and more sustained. In this way, Forest School doesn’t just allow for flow - it cultivates it.

Nature’s Calm: How the Outdoors Primes the Brain for Flow

Our brains are far more able to enter a state of flow when they are operating from a place of calm. When a child is hovering near fight or flight mode — overstimulated, stressed, or constantly anticipating the next instruction — the brain prioritises the more primitive, survival focused regions. In this state, deep learning becomes much harder. Nature, however, has a remarkable ability to bring the nervous system back into balance. Woodland environments in particular are rich in sensory experiences that soothe rather than overwhelm: the sound of birdsong, the scent of pine needles, the feel of bark or moss under the fingertips, the gentle movement of branches in the wind, spotting the patterns in nature such as the fractal patterns on leaves. These cues activate what psychologists call soft fascination — a state where attention is gently held without being demanded. This creates the ideal mental conditions for focus, creativity, and immersion. In this way, the natural environment itself becomes a co-teacher. Without any additional resources or interventions, the woodland offers a calming backdrop that helps prime the brain for flow. Children arrive, breathe, settle, and – almost effortlessly — find themselves ready to engage deeply with whatever captures their curiosity.

Hands On Exploration: Where Challenge Sparks Flow

Many Forest School tasks are inherently investigative and experimental. Children don’t need an adult to tell them whether something has worked — the feedback is immediate, tangible, and often delightfully surprising. This fosters independence, confidence, and a willingness to take risks. They learn to trust their own judgement rather than wait for external validation. This hands on, trial and error approach is also a powerful catalyst for flow. Flow thrives when learners are fully absorbed in a challenge that offers clear, instant feedback. In Forest School, every action — balancing a stick, adjusting a den structure, testing a knot, experimenting with fire lighting — provides that feedback loop naturally. The activity itself “talks back” to the child, drawing them deeper into concentration. Crucially, these activities sit in what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes as the optimal zone of challenge. If a task is too easy, the mind drifts; if it’s too difficult, anxiety takes over. Forest School environments offer infinite gradations of difficulty — a slightly higher branch to climb, a thicker log to saw, a more complex shelter to construct. Children instinctively calibrate the level of challenge to match their skills, keeping them in that sweet spot where flow becomes possible. In this way, the investigatory nature of Forest School doesn’t just build resilience and problem solving skills; it creates the perfect conditions for children to lose themselves joyfully in the process of learning. In bringing all these elements together — choice, time, nature, and meaningful challenge — Forest School creates not just the conditions for flow, but the conditions for children to thrive. At Green Planet, this is exactly what we strive for: an environment where every child can lose themselves in learning, feel deeply connected to the natural world, and quite simply have their best day ever!

If you would like to fast track your learning about Flow, maybe to benefit your own lessons or outdoor learning sessions, Becky had a recent frank chat with Bracken on his podcast, The Bracken Outdoors Podcast. Available from all of your favourite podcast sources.

Becky will also be speaking at an online workshop arranged by the Oxfordshire, Berkshire & Buckinghamshire Local FSA Group in May. Tickets are free but booking is essential, Here's a link to that.

And of course what better way to learn more than to go directly to the source, Becky's book. Teaching for Flow: Transforming Primary Education for Optimal Learning ,also available on Amazon.

Enjoy discovering your next Flow moment!

Stay Muddy!