Forest School
Beautiful, sunny weather for Forest School today, even though it was a bit cold. The children kept themselves warm by making natural decorations for their forest Christmas tree and by making volcanoes in the mud kitchen!
The Forest School Christmas tree is almost finished and the year 2 children have really enjoyed the decorations even though it was sometimes very wet.
Mud play has been very popular, as has splashing in the puddles but we also found time to plant some bulbs around the school and to do a little worm charming.
It has been a delight to see the classes gaining in confidence during our Forest School sessions and they are now quite independent in deciding what they would like to explore during their Friday afternoons. Highlights for me have been the wonderful natural art that has been created and to see how one group turned a low branch into a complete santa's sleigh!
Week 1 January 2020.
First week back after the Christmas break and the weather has been quite kind, although it is definitely very muddy! This week Yr 5 were taught how to tie and tension a ridge line with a little help from Sammy the Snake ( a story to help them remember the knots involved). A ridge line is the first step in creating an A-line shelter and is not as easy as it looks!
Year 5
It continues to be very wet and windy for year 5 but that hasn't stopped them enjoying themselves during their Forest School sessions. Working on their own initiative they have created rope swings, painted with ice and cooked over an open fire. All the time, they are developing vital co-operation skills and learning problem-solving and appropriate risk-taking. It's been a busy few weeks!
Forest School's Monday Session
Children who attend the Monday afternoon session of Forest School have been introduced to some new woodworking skills. They have had the chance to make their own necklace by sawing a slice of wood off of a branch to create a 'wood cookie' which they could decorate. This took a lot of perseverence and concentration and the Forest School adults were very impressed with the children's tenacity!