Hello! Welcome to our Forest School Blog. We will be updating this page frequently so that you can see what we have been up to in the forest.
Mrs O and Mrs P - the 'Forest school Fairies' (aka The Forest School Team)
We had an exciting Forest School session today. The children were making the fire, using a variety of tools and trying out the 'slack line'. Coben made a fantastic fishing spear, and some of the girls were making a clay bakery. A special mention needs to be made to Mr Parker for showing Mrs Owen some exciting new knots that were used to put the new equipment up, thank you!
Rainbows were fire lighting in Forest School today. They listened carefully to the safety talk at the beginning of the session, and paid close attention. They all tried really hard to create sparks using the fire steels, and some of the children persisted with the activity with some adult support.
Whilst the children were waiting to do the fire lighting, they made clay hedgehogs and dens. They enjoyed exploring the woods and choosing their own equipment to complete different activities.
Willow Class enjoyed using the hammock today. They were also using lots of different tools to make different things. Charlie made a stick man and used nails to attach the legs and arms, and some of the other children enjoyed whittling. There was den building and clay models being made as well.
Apple Class enjoyed cooking bread on the fire today! They shared some interesting facts about the 'Great Fire of London', and referred to it when they were looking at the fire. Some of the children continued thinking about the 'Great Fire of London' by creating their own London monuments, and mini fires using natural materials. Lots of the children were also using the 'Scramble' net.
Ash Class enjoyed lighting the main fire today so that they could toast marshmallows. Some of the children started to make 'wood cookie' Christmas decorations by sawing wood, drilling holes and hammering nails. There was some den building and whittling with knives. It was a productive session, with lots of activties going on!
Oak Class really enjoyed baking 'damper' bread on the fire today. The children remembered how to keep safe around the fire, and they could discuss the 'fire triangle'. The rest of the children used the 'scramble' net, and built dens using the green wood that we have acquired.
Sycamore enjoyed completing lots of different activities today! We started the session off with a group game, and then lots of the children wanted to whittle the new 'green' wood. Blake made a pencil and Coben was splitting seasoned wood to use as kindling on the fire. A group of children did try to light the fire, but a lot of the kindling they found was too damp. Some of the other children enjoyed using the tyres and the 'scramble' net, and a group of girls made some lovely clay sculptures!
Willow Class enjoyed den building today. Some of the children made a large natural den using branches from a tree, and others used a tarp. Some of the girls had fun putting up the hammock and sitting in it. Oscar and Joshua enjoyed collecting brambles for the stick insects in Willow Class. We ended the session with a group game which the children played sensibly.
Sycamore had a very productive Forest School session today. The children were making charcoal tins and charcoal on the fire. We also had tree surgeons on the 'bank' so the children were collecting leftover branches and sticks and taking them to the Forest School area. All of the children worked well together, and were using a variety of tools to complete the job.
Rainbows were learning to use another tool today. They were using the 'hand drill' to make holes in their 'wood cookies', so that they can turn them into necklaces next week. Most of the children had a go at this activity. Some of the children made farm animals using clay and natural materials, and others went bug hunting.
The children were also using their imaginations and pretending that they were all on a bus trip. It was a lovely session despite the wet weather!
Most of Apple Class decided to make something to mark Remembrance Day. Some of the children used the bow saw to cut 'wood cookies', and then they painted them so that they looked like poppies. A few children made clay poppies, and a couple of the girls made a large poppy on the ground using natural materials.The children also enjoyed using the 'scramble' net.
Most of Oak Class enjoyed making poppy 'wood cookies' for Remembrance Day. They remembered how to keep safe around the bow saw. Some of the children chose to build dens, and others used the 'scramble' net.