FOREST SCHOOL TODAY:
RECEPTION
Today our focus was birds. We started with a game called Nest Robbers. The children shared ideas about what birds used to make nests and then they went on a hunt in the woods to collect the correct materials to build a nest. Then the children worked in pairs to create their own nest together. During the game, they had to try and collect as much ‘food’ as possible from the ‘bird feeder’. There was an added challenge of predator birds (Emma & Carrie) trying to catch them.They really enjoyed the game and pretending to be birds together. Back at the log circle, Emma told the children a story called ‘King of the Birds’. The children learnt the names of some different UK birds within the story and some of their characteristics. For the rest of the session, some children were eager to help the birds at Forest School and made individual bird feeders for them. They used a piece of wire and threaded chunks of apple and cheese onto it and then fastened it together to make a circular shape. When their feeders were finished they found different branches to hang them on. Today we brought our soft toy birds and children enjoyed playing with them. Some children spent time looking at the bird books we had brought along and pressed the buttons to hear the different birdsong. Emma introduced/reintroduced the children to a different tool today – the bow saw – and they worked with Emma to saw a log slice which they then decorated with a pen. One creative invitation was to draw a bird on the wood. The children enjoyed the experience of sawing and feeling strong! In the woods, children were curious about some tiny eggs Carrie found on the back of a leaf. They discussed ideas about what type of eggs they could be. During the Closing Circle, the children had a reflection time about their first term at Forest School as a Reception class. Children shared some of their thoughts about what their favourite moments have been. These included: “Playing on the slackline”, “Making the bird food”, “Going on the hammocks”, and “Making the log slice.” Then Emma asked the children what one of their favourite songs was to sing to finish the session and they chose ‘The Ant, the Bug, and the Bee’.
YEAR 5
Year 5 had asked to play Giant, Wizards and Elves again so we started the session off with some rounds of this. Lots of hilarity ensued as both teams chose the same characters multiple times! Back at the log circle, Emma retold the old traditional tale ‘The Magic Porridge Pot’. The children joined in with the repeated refrains and we had an interesting discussion afterwards about what they should do with the excess porridge. Ideas included giving it to charity, selling it, and inventing a giant vacuum cleaner! For the independent choosing section of the session, some children had asked if they could make musical instruments and Emma brought hazel wood for them to make frog sticks (guiros). In the past, Emma has supported the children when batoning wood but today they had a go at doing this themselves as Emma felt they were responsible enough to do this. After they finished the ‘frog’ part of the instrument they whittled a thinner piece of hazel with Carrie to make the striker part. She was impressed with the perseverance they showed as the hazel wood was harder to whittle than some of the softer willow wood they have used in the past. Other children enjoyed the creativity of moulding clay and some played a running hide and seek tag game that was great fun. During their Closing Circle reflection, Emma encouraged the children to consider what has been a highlight for them this term or what they feel they have got better at. Some of the answers focussed on improvement over the term included whittling skills, teamwork, and getting better at details within projects.
YEAR 1 & 2
On arrival, one child showed Emma an interesting discovery they had found on the way to Forest School. He showed everybody in the group while Emma explained what it was – a knopper gall – and how they are created. It was lovely to observe the curiosity here. We had a stone focus today due to some children last week saying they would like to paint with stones as an activity. We started with the game Secret Stone and the children loved it. They had fun coming up with ideas about how to confuse the other team and secretly get the stone through the goal. Next, Emma told a story called ‘The Precious Stone’. In it, the main character learns the secret to happiness after a long search and missteps along the way. The story challenges the notion that material possessions bring true happiness, and instead suggests that the act of giving to others and showing kindness with a loving heart can lead to a deeper sense of joy and contentment. For the rest of the session, lots of children chose to paint on stones with the special acrylic pens Emma had brought today. Other children learnt how to make autumn flowers out of leaves. This involved going on a hunt for fallen leaves and carefully taping them to double sided tape. This required a lot of focus and precision. They were pleased with the results. Some children enjoyed playing with the toy birds and tree climbing. They thought carefully about where to place their hands and were overheard problem solving some of their moves with phrases such as “That’s not safe” and “Which way will I get down?” There are many developmental benefits of tree climbing including learning how to manage risk and critical thinking. Some children were keen to play Secret Stone again and they had great fun playing it with Mr Sumroy. During the Closing Circle, the children had a reflection time about their term at Forest School. Some of their reflections about what they had enjoyed included: “The stories that we listened to”, “Making the leaf rose”, “Wet felting”, “Making the bug hotels”, “Making the woodpecker drum”, and “Having a go with the bow drill.”
We wish everyone a wonderful half term break.
Best wishes,
Carrie and Emma