A set of full-time activities during and off the term, and which are developed with the purpose of supporting families with children who do not attend school, being able to promote the contact with other children in the context of the Forest School educational model.
This model of activities assumes an individual follow-up of the development of every child, in partnership with the family. This plan considers the different areas of development, the individual characteristics of every child and the observations made by the school and the family.
The Individual Plan is created with the family on a half-yearly basis, as a way to assure that the work done by Escola Lá Fora is in sync with the needs of the individuality of the children and their family.
It is our concern to assure the holistic development of the child, not forgoing any of the areas of development.
You can register for the 2024/2025 academic year and check the pricing. In case there are no vacancies, you will have to stay in a waiting list.
To know more about the pricing, schedule and some frequently-asked questions, please check our information leaflets for Lisbon, Almada and Ericeira.
Meals can be ordered through our partners at the three Escola Lá Fora sites.
In case the child brings food from home, it is necessary to take a morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.
In case you want lunch and afternoon snack to be provided by a partner company (Sem Espiga), you should only take a morning snack.
An educational model is a set of information that guides and sustains an educational practice. These are the premisses that serve as a basis for an educational intervention and which are well-documented and tested.
We say Forest School, in English, because this is the actual name of the educational model, just like Walford, Montessori or MEM regard specific educational models.
No. Although the educational project includes the Ministry of Education's curriculum guidelines for preschool, we are not considered a formal preschool.
The children are welcomed in the forest from 8:30 and by 9:30, they start their day with a group meeting. This is a time when they plan their day. The activities vary between free play, activities proposed by the children and the adults.
The children have lunch at 12:00 and then there is nap time for those who need it.
Snack time is at 15:00 and play continues until 16:30, at which time we prepare to take the children to the pick-up point, where applicable.
Yes! The only times we use our indoor space are when we need to dry the equipment or in case the weather conditions are not safe (for example, in case of strong winds).
Naps are taken in the woods near the activity area. Each child brings their own sleeping bag, which is placed on top of a tarp. When there is a chance of rain, a shelter is put up. Only on days of very heavy rain or other very adverse weather conditions is napping done indoors.
Activities vary according to the needs and interests of each group. In general, they aim to respond to the integral development of the child, always according to their motivation. Weekly plans are made with everyone's participation. The proposed activities are never mandatory and there is always the possibility to choose other areas of interest, such as climbing trees, motor challenges or mud cooking. The important thing is for the child to be motivated in the activity they are doing. The project area is also developed according to the themes that emerge from the children, challenging their creativity and interest in knowing more.
As this learning is focused on the individual and on the abilities and interests of each one, we feel that it is neither necessary nor justifiable to group them by age, as everyone has something to learn from each other and age is not a definitive factor in each child's development. It has been proven that it is helpful for younger children to learn from older children but that for older children it is also essential for learning that support for younger children - we never learn as well as when we explain it to someone else.
They can be brought from home or ordered from our partners. In Lisbon, meals are provided by Sem Espiga while in Almada and Ericeira, they can be provided by Go Natural for a cost added to the monthly fee.
All the links to the registration forms are available here.