Year 1 – January 2022
Well, Forest School time has kicked off for Year 1 (Robins). The children are loving it!
They are fully engaged, which is brilliant to see. We even had visitors today, who said the same.
Wrens – Dec 2021
We made some angel halo’s using fir trees to decorate them. What do you think?
We also learnt how to travel around the fire pit safely, ready for our fire lighting session next week.
Wrens – Nov 2021
They are having a great time at ‘Forest School’. We have played some fab games to keep us warm, but also to help develop our listening skills.
We have also created some fab pictures using natural materials we have found outside.
We created some foxes faces.
Then obviously had fun in the leaves.
Autumn Half Term Family Fun! – 2021
Over half term why not venture out for some family time? Autumn is such a beautiful season, and one of my favourites. There are so many colours out there to see, and natural items to find.
I thought I would share with you some great autumn ideas you could do together.  Why not get creative with leaves?
Make a leaf bowl perhaps, using leaves, glue and a balloon.
Create some little animals/insects of your own.
Create some leaf rubbings, or create a leaf spray painting.
Or just let your inner artist come out, and create some autumn pictures. Let your ideas run wild.
You could also go on an autumn scavenger hunt by printing of the sheet below.
There are lots more ideas on the woodland trust too.
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/10/autumn-leaf-crafts-for-kids
Enjoy!
Spring Family Fun! – 2021
Over the Easter holidays you might have got some family walks planned, so I thought I would put some spring activity ideas on here for you to complete.
Why not get your child to make a nature walk bracelet.
Items needed –
- cardboard tube cut in half
- double sided tape – strip attached to it
- natural items collected from the woodland
- string to tie – when home.
Make a nature jar by collecting interesting items whilst out walking. then pop them in a jar when home, for your child to display their findings in.
Items needed –
- Interesting items found in the woodland.
- One jar to display them in when home
You could play spring – bingo. We all love a good game of bingo! This springo bingo sheet from the RSPB looks good fun! (Click on the link below to download and print)
You could use this leaf identification sheet from the woodland trust to see how many trees you can identify. (Click on the link below to download and print)
Or this blossom and catkin identification sheet. (Click on the link below to download and print)
There are lots more ideas on the woodland trust too. .
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2021/03/lockdown-activities-for-kids-6-ideas-for-spring/
For safety reasons – please always check what your child is picking up, and ensure they don’t pop anything in their mouths. Then on returning home, get them to wash their hands.#
Fingers crossed the weather stays as nice has it has been, but if not wrap up, pop those wellies on, and still have fun!
Forest School is an inspirational process, that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.
Year 3’s Forest School
We had 10 sessions together, and a fair few of these sessions we had to wrap up, as the weather was interesting.
Due to high winds, which meant it was too dangerous to be amongst the trees, we ended up working inside. We made heart shaped wands using our new knot tying skills and willow.
We used a variety of tools such as sheath knives, secateurs and loppers. We created bird feeders and finished off with a camp fire.
Year 2’s Forest School
Five sessions with Year 2 children and staff.
We played games at the beginning of each session. The children particularly loved the ‘Camouflage’Â game, as well as the ‘Squirrel’ game. The games we played really helped to develop communication and team work.
We explored our environment more closely, using colour charts, go-find cards and leaf identification sheets.
We made new homes for our pebble friends.
The children all learnt how to use tools safely, by learning tool talks. We worked with mallets, potato peelers (for whittling wood) and fire steels.
We pounded colour out of leaves and flowers, using the mallets. Look at our fabulous work!
We learnt how to use fire steels, after we had discussed fire safety.
The children helped find tinder and kindling for the fire, placing it in order of thickness.
We had a fabulous last session toasting our own marshmallows, making popcorn and drinking hot chocolate.
The children helped to build the fire, and they helped to put the woodland back to how we found it too. We used this as our final reflection time.
We talked about how we needed to respect our woodland, so some children helped pick litter up too.
I can already see the impact Forest School has had on Year 2 children in such a short space of time, but they shared their thoughts regularly at reflection time. Here the children are using the reflection stick at the end of one of our sessions.
Here we decided to use the natural environment to make words to show others what we thought about Forest School.
The weather was very kind to Year 2, but in the next sessions I can see a few tarps being needed now the weather is changing.
Year 5’s Forest School
We played lots of games to warm us up, and to develop our team work skills.
We played ‘Pick up Five’ – to create a simple natural collage.
We learnt two tool talks. One for the ‘loppers’, and the other for the ‘sheath knife’. this then enabled us to use them safely.
We learnt to tie reef knots. Here we are making golf sticks and picture frames.
We learnt how to use ‘fire steels’ safely to make a fire.
We gathered sticks, and learnt about the different sizes need to build a campfire. We then put them to dry for a few weeks.
We had a campfire.
We toasted marshmallows and made our own popcorn.
Year 5 had the coldest Forest School so far, but they worked so hard.
This is what they thought about Forest School.
