FOREST SCHOOL 24.9.26
YEAR 1 & 2
We began with a fun action game that develops listening skills through following different verbal instructions and having to switch the action to the opposite of what was said. It was definitely a brain stretcher! Today our session focused on the Autumn Equinox which occurred this week. Emma chatted to the children about it using a special Wheel of the Year mat. Autumn Equinox is a time when day and night are perfectly balanced. It is a time of year that invites us to focus on gratitude for what the Earth gives us, particularly the abundance of the harvest. With this in mind, the children took part in a nature hunt to gather autumnal resources from the ground and create an Autumn display to celebrate the occasion. Children found crunchy brown leaves, seeds from trees, sticks and feathers and thought carefully about where to place them. For the rest of the session, there were different Autumn Equinox-themed activities available for the children to explore. Some children experimented with the balancing resources we had brought along. Linked to the balance of day and night, children attempted to balance two buckets on scales using different natural objects. Other children used their gross motor skills to try and balance on the wooden planks. Watercolour paints and a variety of autumnal natural objects were available to inspire the children to create their own autumnal scenes. The children enjoyed mixing colours and were very focused on their individual creations. Some children used a picture of Stonehenge (a place where people gather to celebrate the seasonal shifts) and balanced stones to make their own monument. Groups of children returned to their play from last week (Harry Potter and Forest Friends play) building on narratives and bringing in new ideas. Other children discovered ‘micro-habitats’ which linked to learning they have been doing in school. Some Year 1 children enjoyed climbing trees and considered carefully which branches to step on and hold onto under the supervision of Carrie. At the Closing Circle, the children took part in a reflection about Autumn and shared some ideas about what they liked about this season.
YEAR 5
We began with a reflective discussion about values. Emma shared the value cards we used last year with the children and they chose cards that resonated with them and their Forest School experience. Some values that were spoken about in more detail included empathy, gratitude, self-expression, patience and mindfulness. There was an interesting discussion between the children about the terminology of certain words and human needs in general. Next, Emma introduced a partner stick challenge. Each pair was given a long stick and the aim was for them to both keep holding the stick without letting go. The pairs could choose whether they were going to play a cooperation game or add an element of competition to it. Emma reminded them about consent and talking about their ‘no’s, too. The partners worked well together and some decided to create their own dance routines with the stick. After this, Emma chatted to the children about the Autumn Equinox and the changes in the amount of daylight and night-time over the year, including the balance of these hours during this week. She emphasised that it is a time when we can live gratitude for harvesting produce and the beauty we can experience as the seasons change. For the rest of the session, all of the Autumn Equinox-themed activities that were available for Year 1 & 2 were invitations given to Year 5, too (please see above). In addition, Emma had brought a new felting activity for the children to experience as many of them had asked for more felting opportunities this term. The children who chose to take part learnt how to make a felting bowl and this is a project that they will continue next week. Groups of children returned to debris den projects with a lot of enthusiasm and great community spirit. They used leaves to make decorations and painted welcome signs to hang up.To conclude their session, each child took a turn to express a gratitude for Autumn time. Some of their sharings included the colours of the leaves, the sound of the crunchy leaves when you step on them, the weather being not too hot and not too cold, and it reminding one child of jumping in the leaves when they were three with their Grandma.
RECEPTION
After our welcome routines, Emma invited the children to observe some of the changes to the trees and the children noticed that some of the leaves were changing colour. We had a brief chat about Autumn as this week is the Autumn Equinox. Today’s main focus for Reception was squirrels. Emma taught the children how to play a version of the game Squirrels. They had to listen carefully to the different squirrel actions and copy them as quickly as possible. This game helps to develop listening skills and the capacity to follow instructions quickly. There is also an element of peer cooperation within this game and all of the children were able to pair up with a classmate when the game required them to. When children saw that someone was without a partner they invited them to join their ‘tree’ and make a group of three which was heart-warming to observe. Then the children listened to a story book called ‘The Squirrels Who Squabbled’ by Rachel Bright. It is a story about two squirrels arguing about the same nut. It contains important messages about sharing, kindness and friendship. At various points in the story, the children predicted what might happen next. For the rest of the session, some children explored clay and chose to make squirrels like the one in the story. They used pine cones or teasel seed heads for the tails. Other children explored apple halves with paint. They made different designs with the paint and some children really enjoyed the sensory experience of this activity. Another creative provocation was an area with different natural materials (acorns, conkers, and pine cones) for the children to create patterns with. There was a circular pattern and a repeating pattern for the children to continue working on. Playdough was available for them to manipulate and make patterns with the seeds, too. In the woods, children took turns on the hammocks and this was a valuable time for peer communication and some imaginative chat, too. Children in the mud kitchen were engaged in transporting and pouring water – an example of the transporter play schema. This repetitive action supports cognitive development as it gives the children the opportunity to explore movement, capacity, spatial awareness, and cause-and-effect relationships while strengthening fine and gross motor skills. At the end of the session, the children sang ‘Boom, Boom, Boom’ and learnt an action song about squirrels called ‘Grey Squirrel’.
Best wishes,
Carrie and Emma
