Author: Victoria Gray

With only one week of Forest School remaining, it has been wonderful to see the children still so enthusiastic and engaged. This week, they explored their creativity by using a range of natural materials, alongside some recycled items, to design and build small homes or shelters for an animal of their choice, an activity they have been eagerly anticipating for several weeks. As they worked, the children carefully considered what their chosen animal would need to feel safe and comfortable, as well as where the best place might be to position their shelter.

Alongside this, Mrs Gray worked with small groups to develop practical tool skills. The children were introduced to using a hammer safely, learning how to tap nails into wood to create a Forest School keepsake featuring their first initial. They thoroughly enjoyed this hands-on experience and continue to show great excitement when given the opportunity to use real tools.

We were so lucky this week that the rain held off to allow us to have our campfire!

The children learnt about the safety expectations when fires are made in Forest School, and they also learnt about the ‘fire triangle’. We discussed the varying thicknesses of sticks needed to build up the fire, too. They really enjoyed watching it come together and having a turn at using a flint and steel to create sparks.

The children used their  ‘pointy sticks’ that they whittled in the previous session, to hold and toast their marshmallows. A lovely treat after their half term break. 

As requested, we shared a story round the campfire and the children helped to make sure that the campfire was extinguished safely.

A drizzly day gave us the perfect reason to get some shelters up! Mrs Gray tried to demonstrate what she thought was a quick and easy tent-shape shelter, that required fewer trees… it didn’t go quite to plan, and the children struggled again to create shelters. Luckily the drizzle stopped… but more practise is definitely needed!

Using a hand knife, group 2 also learnt how to safely whittle, today. They sharpened a point on their sticks ready for toasting marshmallows. All of the children worked really hard on these skills and created fantastic pokey sticks. Well done!

Group 2 were back at Forest School this week, the weather was a little cooler and the skies were looking a little rainy but that didn’t put anyone off.

We had a lesson on how to create a lark’s head and a timber hitch, so that they could attempt to erect some group shelters. This is definitely something the group need to work on! Once they had assembled something that looked as though it could be sat underneath, they enjoyed a biscuit for their efforts. 

After that the children busied themselves hunting for bugs! They really enjoyed themselves and managed to find slugs, snails, ladybirds, spiders, beetles, woodlice and more. They were very careful when handling what they found and made sure they but them back where they found them! 

This week, Mrs Gray and Mrs Howarth had the pleasure of taking group 2 for their first Forest School session. As with the first group, the children learnt a little about what Forest School is, the boundaries we must stay within and assessing for risks themselves when they are out there.

Our first session focused on our senses. The group listened carefully to what they could hear around them and made some collections of things that intrigued them, explaining why they chose particular items. The children then used their collections to create a piece of artwork. This group were very content with having the time to be creative and wanted more time to explore the surroundings and collect natural items for their creations. 

At the end of the session they shared what they would like to have time to do in the next session, their ideas were much more nature based than the previous group and we are hoping to take part in a bug hunt!

The children in Group One were sad that this would be their final session this week, they have thoroughly enjoyed themselves over the 6 sessions. We cannot believe how fast the afternoon goes when were are out in the fresh air, learning new skills.

As requested, we took a walk around the school grounds this week, looking out for the changes in the environment, now that the warmer weather is here. The children identified some plants and looked out for any insects that they could find; they are really learning to show respect for the nature that is around them and to think about how they can care for it.

They also finished off making their little Forest School keep-sakes, which many of them found tricky, but they persevered and got them done!

To end the session, a few of the children helped to get the fire started, added sticks to keep it burning, and toasted marshmallows, this time to make s’mores – great suggestion! 

The children were certainly looking forward to their session today after 2 weeks off for Easter. They were absolutely wonderful – so well behaved and full of smiles. During today’s session, we warmed up with a game and then got straight into making bird feeder balls and first initial decorations. 

The bird feeder balls were super messy and sticky, but all of the children really got stuck into the task and made some great feeders. After making them, they hung them around the area ready for the birds to find. 

Following a ‘tool talk’, the children also had a go at using a hammer to hit nails into a wooden ‘boscuit’. They were using the nails to create an outline of the first letter of their names. These are ready for them to weave coloured wool around in the next session, as a little Forest School keep sake.