Forest School

Foxes set off on a soggy morning for a Forest School adventure in the woods. They worked together to carry the boxes of equipment and to pull the trolley to the woods, this was not easy as the path to Forest School was rather slippery. Along the way the class noticed how big some of the fallen leaves were on the woodland floor. They picked them up and measured them against their faces, many of the long Sweet Chestnut leaves were bigger than their faces. One child said “I think that it’s bigger than my arm”, using the leaf we measured it and it turned out that the leaf was as long as their arm.

Once in the woods a group of children chose to create a den between two fallen tree trunks. Working together they gathered long and shorter poles of wood, laying them across the tree trunks to make the roof. They then decided to add leaves to the top to make it more camouflaged, however they found that the leaves fell through. To solve this problem the group packed lumps of muddy clay onto of the roof first, when asked what they were doing they said “the mud will help the leaves stick to the roof”. This method was very effective.

With the ground being so nice and soft many of the class chose to do some form of digging. Some dug holes and said they were looking for diamonds, gathering buckets of water that they then used to flush out the holes in the hunt for treasure. Others dug out the mud in lumps and as the mud is very much like clay the children were able to make things from it. One group created a line of mud ducks that sat all the way up a log. Whereas others used the mud to fix the ends of a ladder that they had made between two trees, spreading the mud up the trees that made the sides of their ladder so that they could stick leaves to it as decoration.

While digging in the mud Foxes class came across a Bumble Bee that was hiding underground for the winter. The children carefully took a closer look at the Bumble Bee pointing out how hairy she was before placing her under a log and covering her with leaves to keep her safe.

The children set off on a cold and frosty morning on the hunt for some ice. It wasn’t long before they found some on the plastic that is covering the vegetable garden beds, it looked like a ice rink! The class made their way onto the ice, listening to it crunch as they walked over it. As the children picked up the ice they noticed that it had broken into different shapes “I found a triangle”, “I found a house”. Some of the ice was in rather large pieces, the children picked them up looking at all the little bubbles within the ice before dropping it on the floor and watching it break as it hit the ground.

As the children made their way to Forest School they were on the hunt for as many different autumn leaves as they could find. Working in teams they placed the leaves they found onto an ID sheet, this allowed the children to work out what trees the leaves belonged to.

Once at Forest School some of the class got stuck into creating some more amazing foods in the mud kitchen. They placed many leaves and some soil into the pans before adding some water to mix it all together.

Others chose to collect fallen leaves to fill a bucket that they were then going to add to our Bug Hotel in the pond area. Once their buckets were full they were ready to go and make the improvement to the bug hotel however there was a willow branch blocking our access through the gate. The children worked together to carry the branch out of the way and added it to our log pile. At the Bug Hotel the children started to stuff the leaves they had gathered into any gap they could see. We talked about how it is important to create somewhere dry and out of the cold for all the bugs to hide now that the weather is getting colder.

A couple of children noticed that there were some brambles growing out of the sides of the bug hotel and asked if they could cut them away. Using a pair of secateurs they carefully cut away any brambles that they could see. They worked well as a team with one doing the cutting while the other looked for more brambles to be removed.

Squirrels set off in the Autumn sunshine on the hunt for as many different shaped leaves as they could find. Working in small groups they gathered their leaves, then matched them to leaf outlines on their ID sheet to work out what trees their leaves belonged to. While on their hut for leaves the children came across some that were larger than their faces, these turned out to be leaves from a fig tree. The class also noticed hat the leaves came in many different colours, one that was found was red and yellow and the child said “I found a red dragon leaf”.

Using clay some of the class chose to make leaf prints with the leaves that they had found on the Autumn leaf hunt. They rolled themselves a ball of clay which they then squashed out flat, one of the leaves they found was then placed back down onto the clay and carefully rolled. As the leaf was peeled away it left behind the imprint of the leaf in the clay.

Some children chose to dig for treasure! As they dug into the ground they came across all sorts of different rocks these findings became their treasure. Others came across many worms, they used the excess soil that they had dug up to fill a saucepans making their own mini worm houses.

A few members of the class found some old Daffodil bulbs in some tiny pots and decided to do some planting. However first needed to fill the new pallet planter with soil, making sure to line it with something first so that the soil would not escape. Once this was done they children looked carefully at each bulb in its pot to see if they could see any green growth, they managed to find eight to plant. They then carefully pulling the bulbs from their pots and planted them into their new home, as it was pulled out one child said “look at the roots!”.

Woodland class started their session by sitting round the fire circle, recapping some of the safety rules that they had learnt their previous session. They then had the opportunity to try some of the jam on crackers that had been made by Owls on the fire last week. Many of the class enjoyed this as quite a few hand more than one cracker!

Some of the class chose to create things using clay. They made some Hedgehogs using the husk from a conker to create the spiky back of their Hedgehog, then using a stick they poked holes into the clay body to create the eyes. Others chose to use the conker itself as a snail shell, making the body of the snail from clay. They then found two small sticks that they could push into the clay as the eyes.

Many of the class went off to find the secret tunnel that they had discovered the last time they had Forest School. While making their way through the class discovers part of a rock just poking up out of the mud. Using trowels some of the children worked hard together to dig out this rock, as they dug they came across many worms. When they had found the bottom of the rock the children pushed their trowels under the rock and pushed up to lift if so that they could pull it together out the ground, great team work!

There was plenty of free play in the mud kitchen, with all kinds of food being made from natural materials. Other children chose to look under any log they could find on the hunt for some creepy crawlies. Under most of the logs what they found were many worms and
the occasional slug. The children were told about the importance of putting anything they find back where it came from and making sure that the logs were all turned back over to keep anything living under it safe.

Owls set off for their Forest School session at our new site on the school field. As a group they sat around the fire circle and recapped on how to be safe around a fire. Some children then chose to help lay and light the fire, practicing their striking technique to light a piece of cotton wool. The ones that found this a little tricky did not give up until they had achieved that spark that would light the cotton wool. Once the fire was going the children cut up some apples, they placed the apple in a pan with some blackberries and some sugar. This was placed on the fire and cooked until soft, making jam. The children then took it in turns to toast some bread over the fire so that they could try the jam, this was
liked by all with many of the class coming back for more!

Some children worked together to move some long lengths of timber from the top of the school down to our new site. They did this in pairs or buy dragging it along the grass behind them.

Some of the children worked together to continue to clear the brambles using some secateurs. As they cut there way deeper into the brambles they came across an old birds nest, they carefully cut round it so that they could remove the nest in one piece so that they could show their class mates. Cutting a little further into the brambles the children found something else “look there is a small tree”. The tree had been swallowed up by the brambles, the children made it their mission to clear to and around the tree, unfortunately they didn’t make it however they asked if they could continue unburying next time.

In the mud kitchen the children were cooking up all sorts of creative foods using many different natural materials. Using a piece of bark they made a bark steak then using mud and water they made a seasoning for their bark steak, mixing in a pan with their hands.

Others chose to crush up charcoal adding a little water to create a black paste. They then covered their hands and made hand prints all over any wooden surface that they could find.

Owls finished off the session by listening to each other say something that they had done today that they had never done before.

“carrying wood on my own”

“making charcoal handprints”

“making a bark steak”

Foxes were very keen to get out to Forests School this week, they helped to carry everything needed down to the new Forest School area. Once there they recapped on the ways to be safe around the fire, making sure that they always go round the outside of the
logs.

Some children helped to the lay the fire, placing the larger sticks at the bottom working their way up to small twigs at the top. Then using a flint and steel they practiced their fire lighting, some found this tricky but were determined to keep trying until they had succeeded “look, I did it”. While the fire was warming up the children peeled some apples, they placed these in a pan on the fire and added blackberries and some sugar then boiling it to make jam. They then took it in turns to toast bread, then covering it in jam before eating it. This was enjoyed by all as many came up for second and even thirds.

Foxes worked well together to move some timber from the top of the school field down to Forest School, they did this with one child at each end of the wooden plank. While moving the wood they found a toad, once everyone had looked at him he was carefully placed into the pond garden.

There was lots of creating happening in the mud kitchen. The children foraged for blackberries adding them to a bucket of water before finding  stick to crush it all together, they said they were making their blackberry water.

Using secateurs a group of children started to tackle some of the brambles within our new Forest School area. Making sure to wear gloves they cut their way through almost all the way to the fence, great work Foxes!

Today’s session was finished by the class taking it in turns to listen to each other share what they had done today that they had never tried before:

“making jam on a fire”

“peeling an apple”

“making toast on a fire”

Woodland class set off in the sunshine to the new forest school area for their first session back in the new school year. They started by sitting round the fire circle and learning some of the ways to stay safe if we were having a fire. They also practiced how we move from one side of the circle to the other buy going round the outside.

With a bucket some of the class set off on the hunt for some blackberries. They then used these blackberries to make paint, squashing them up in a little water using a stick. They then used leaves and smaller sticks to paint onto fabric. The children found that it was more effective to place to berries directly onto the fabric and crush them using their stick.

Some used the same method with some pieces of charcoal that they found on the ground.

At the mud kitchen the class practiced their pouring skills, tipping the water from one pot to another. They added mud, leaves and sticks to create all sorts of yummy foods.

While exploring our new forest school area some of the children discovered a different way into the main site, they called this their secret tunnel. It was great to see the children that had found it sharing it with their class friends, taking them off to show them the way through. They also took the teachers through although it was a bit of a squeeze!

In small groups the children came into the pond area to add some fir cones that they had found to the bug hotel. We talked about why we fill in the sides of the bug hotel with dry materials and also what insects may decide to visit.

We finished today’s session by listening to what they had enjoyed about their morning at Forest School:

“I liked playing in the mud kitchen”

“Painting with berries”

Squirrels set off on the hunt for some blackberries with the hope of finding enough that they could make jam on the fire, they were rather good at spotting them and managed to fill half a good sized tub. Some children then worked with a Teacher to peel some apples and chop them up. Others worked to lay the fire ready for cooking. They then used a flint and steel to light a piece of cotton wool, this can be rather tricky but they kept trying.

Once the fire was going the children placed the apple, blackberries and a little sugar onto a pan and cooked them until they were all soft. The children then took it in turns to toast some bread by holding it over the fire. They then had the chance to try their jam on the toast. This was enjoyed by all with many of the class coming up for more.

Some children chose to build dens using the tarpaulins. They did this by throwing them up into the trees over a branch and back down again to create a triangle. Using another tarpaulin they made themselves a floor. This was rather effective as you could get many Squirrels inside it.

Within our new forest school site, there were a few small trees that were located right in the fire circle, unfortunately these trees have to be removed. A few children used secateurs to cut off as many of the branches as they could reach. They then used a saw to cut down
the remainder of the tree. Working together they stacked the tree to one side, GREAT TEAM WORK SQUIRRELS!

While exploring our new forest school area the class came across many different types of wildlife. They found frogs hopping in the long grass and tucked under logs with some newts. They found slugs and snails hiding away in all the damp areas of forest school, some children walked about with a snail trailing up there jumper. There was a lot of excitement when a log was moved to reveal a slow worm, the class look it in turns to hold the slow worm before returning it to its hiding place.

Hedgehogs class started today by talking about what would happen to cream if it was put into a pot and shaken really hard for a long time. They talked about how it was a liquid as it was poured into the pot, looking at the end result they could see that it was now solid and that they had made butter. The class then had the chance to try some of the butter that they had made on a cracker “masterpiece” was said by one child while munching on their buttery cracker.

Some of the children chose to come and help to put up the slackline, they made sure that there were no twists in it before testing their strength by push the ratchet back and forth until the slackline was nice and tight. Once ready the children ad a go at walking along the slackline with only two sticks to use for balance. This was a little tricky but it was great to see the children preserver and try again with some great encouragement from other members of the class.

While exploring the woodland and looking under logs a group of children came across a small Toad. After looking at the toad for a while the children made sure to put it safely back for where they had found it.

Other children found themselves a rather long and bouncy fallen tree, the called it there “seesaw tree”. One in front of the other they sat and pushed themselves up and down to bounce.

We finished today session by taking it in turns to talk about anything that the children felt that they had tried that was new to them, something they had never done before:

“walking on a slack line”
“making a seesaw in the woods”

Nursery started their forest school session today with a game of keeper of the keys. Some of the children were so keen that they did two laps of the circle without being caught before sitting back in their seat.

Sitting as a class the children watched some cream being poured into a pot, this pot was then passed from child to child so that they could have a go at shaking it with the hope of turning it to butter. Once the cream had separated, the class had the chance to try some of the butter on crackers.

Down on the school field some of the children chose to help put up the hammock. Unfortunately there were not two trees far enough apart to have it up as a hammock so instead it was put us as a swing. The children all enjoyed climbing into the hammock swing and laying down flat, they were then swung back and forth. As they were swinging they were asked that they could see from their horizontal position, these are some of the things that they said:

“I can see a tree”
“I can see the sky”
“I can’t see the birds but I can hear them”

Foxes made their way to their forest school session in glorious sunshine. As they walked they had the task of shaking some cream, with the hope that it would become butter. Once the class arrived in the woods they sat and were asked about how the space we use looks different from the time before. Many said that there were a lot more plants and that the Bluebells where gone. By now our cream had become butter, the class all had the chance to try some on a cracker.

A few children chose to help put up the slack line. They made sure that it was not twisted as it went round the tree, and then carefully treaded it through the ratchet before testing their strength by cranking the ratchet as tightly as they could. Once it was up the class where told that today they would be using the slack line with no top line to help them.

Instead they were given two sticks to use for balance. It was great to see so many of the class give this a go, some found it a little tricky as it can be quite wobbly when you’re up there. Others chose to really push themselves and start by walking along the slack line with only one stick then giving it a try with no sticks. They counted their steps to see if they could beat their distance on their next go, by the end some were able to walk the whole length not holding onto anything.

During the session today a few children where moving around some logs and they came across a Frog, as they looked a little closer they also discovered that there was a Toad hiding in the same place. Carefully they were both picked up, giving other members of the class a chance to come and have a look and see the differences between the two. How one is dry and lumpy and the other is smooth and wet feeling. Many of the class were able to identify which one was the Frog and which one was the Toad.

There was lots of den building at forest school today, it was great to see how creative the class were being. Some chose to build dens using natural materials, placing one longer branch up into the tree and then laying other branches off that to create their den. They then gathered bark from a nearby dead tree and moss to cover their roof. Others chose to use tarpaulins to place over large fallen trees creating a tunnel den that they could crawl into. There was some great team work with all the dens that were created.

One child chose to build a ladder, they did this by wedging sticks between two trees. Each time they wanted to add a new step to their ladder they had to go and find the right length stick as the sticks needed were getting bigger as they worked their way up the trees. They told their class that “it’s not for climbing”, we discussed that it was not safe to climb as they were only wedged in so not properly secure.

Foxes finished their session today by being asked if they had tried anything today they had never done before, they said:

“walking on a slack line not holding anything”
“building a den”

Owls set off to the woods for their forest school session, carrying everything that we needed in the woods for the day as sadly the trailer had a flat tyre. As they made their way through the woods many of the class noticed how much everything had grown since their last visit “it’s like a jungle”. Owl’s class were given a pot of cream to shake as they made their way through the wood, with the hope that they would have some butter by the time they arrived at forest school. A little more shaking needed as it was not quite ready.

Once we arrived we had a recap on how to be safe and then they all set off to explore.

A large amount of the class decided to den build today. They started by making some improvements to some existing dens from previous sessions. However this quickly turned onto a new project all together. They worked well as a team to gather as much wood as they could to make their new fort/tree house. It was great to listen to them plan and work out what they needed to support this structure, one child became the safety inspector for all the new pieces being added. Using small sticks as digging tools they dug holes to put the upright posts in, then placed long lengths of wood on top of these posts and into a nearby tree creating a platform. They then gathered some smaller pieces of wood to start building up the sides to create the walls. I was really impressed with the way they all worked together, listening to each other’s ideas. GREAT TEAM WORK OWLS!

By now our cream had become butter, the class were shown how the cream separates into butter and butter milk. They then had the chance to try both the butter milk and some of the butter on a cracker. The butter was very popular with many of the class coming up for seconds.

Some children helped to put up the slackline, wrapping it round the tree and making sure that there were no twists in it. They then tried out their arm strength by pulling the ratchet as tight as they could. The top line that is normally put up for them to hold onto for balance was not put up today. Instead the children were given two long sticks to use either side for balance to see if they could make their way along the slack line without falling off.

They were a little wobbly to start, however it was not long before some of the class were trying to walk the slackline not holding onto anything. They got quite good at this, managing to make it half way before they topped off.

We finished the session by listening to what others had enjoyed today at forest school:

“butter”
“making the tree house”
“the hammock”

Squirrels started their forest school today by having a go at making some butter from cream. The cream was poured onto a jar, the class then took it in turns to shake it. The class were very excited to be going to the woods today, as a group we made our way there still shaking our jar of cream.

Once in the woods the class got stuck straight into some den building. Some chose to make improvements to some existing dens where as others chose to start from scratch. Some of the dens that were made were not for the children, they were for the fairies. The children added some bark for the floor and leaves to decorate the area they had made. One group of children made a bug hotel, a rather large mound of leaves with a wooden arch door that created a cave entrance with discs of wood making a path showing the bugs the way in.

The cream has been shook enough and had become butter, the class all had a look at how the cream had separated. Then sitting on the log they all tried some of the butter milk and then tried the butter on a cracker. They were all impressed and wanted seconds.

Some children chose to decorate a disc of wood using some paint pens. They were then going to make a hole in the disc so that they could use it as a necklace but first they had to be shown how to be safe when using a tool. They learnt about their ‘blood bubble’, this is the safe distance around them that no one must cross when they are using a tool. They then used the palm drill to make the hole in the disc. This is quite a tricky task, I was really impressed at the perseverance from the children to make to hole through their wood.

Squirrels finished their session by sitting in a line on a fallen tree and doing a woodland whisper. First time we tried we only lost a word, however the second time it got really muddled. Think we need to have a few more practices of a woodland whisper.

We set off to Forest School on the school field, getting into small groups to have a go at a spring scavenger hunt. The class worked really well in their groups to look for the things on their sheet “I found a slug”. One of the items to look for was something that flies, there were many birds flying over the field, the children pointed out that some were big and some were small. One child said “I am going to jump high and catch it with a net”.

In small groups we went into the pond to see if they could catch some of the creatures living beneath the water. We first talked about how to be safe when by the pond, how we must always lay on our tummies when dipping our nets in the water. The children started dipping their nets, pulling them out to see if they can see anything wiggling inside their nets “I have caught slime”. Everything that was caught was put into a tray of pond water, the children then used an ID sheet to work out what they had caught. One net that was pulled out was really full of blanket weed, as the child looked in they suddenly shouted “I caught a dragon”. They had managed to catch two Newts, these were popped into the tray and shown to the rest of the class. As the tray was clear we were able to lift it up so that the children could look at the colour of the Newts tummy “it’s orange”.

Other children chose to take buckets to collect water so that they could water the tree that was moved by Owls class last week. They then sprinkled some wild flower seeds in the mud around the tree to grow flowers for the bees.

There were some beautiful leaf printed pictures created. The children first walked round gathering leaves of different shapes and sizes, they then added some paint to the back of the leaf and popped it face down onto the paper, carefully rubbing it and peeling it off to leave an imprint of the leaf on the paper.

Working in groups Squirrels class set off on a spring scavenger hunt on the school field.

They had many different things to look for, from three different shaped leaves to something the crawls. They found almost everything however the bird nest was a little tricky to spot, when asked why this was they said “because of all the leaves”.

In small groups the children made their way into the pond area, before we made a start we talked about all the different things that they thought they may catch “tadpoles”. Then lying on the tummies they dipped their nets into the pond, dragging them about a bit before pulling them out to see what they had caught “there is something moving in my slime”.

Everything that was caught was popped into a tray of water for the children to use an ID sheet to identify what they found. We found a Newt, when looking at it closely Squirrels class pointed out that it has spots and a orange tummy. After that almost every net that went in was pulling out another Newt, we just kept hearing the children shout “I got a Newt”. The children in the class said that many of the creatures that we had found today in the pond they had seen in the ponds that they have at home. We found Damselfly Nymphs, Water Louse, Pond Snails and one rather large Dragonfly Nymph.

The children popped on some gloves and used secateurs to continue to remove the brambles growing next to the pond. As they worked their way further into the brambles they came across many different insects, one was a small green caterpillar that was found making its way across someone’s head.

There were some beautiful leaf print pictures made using paint, the children made sure to apply the paint to the underside of the leaf to make sure that they got the best print showing all the veins of the leaf.

We started today with a spring scavenger hunt, the children got into groups to work together to find what they could off the sheet. There were many different things to look for from something red to something long. Some of these proved to be a little trickier than others but there was some great imagination to find items that fitted the descriptions they had been given. One group found a long Slug for their something long
rather that a long stick.

In small groups the class went to the pond to have a go at some pond dipping. Sitting next to the pond we talked about all the different thing that we may find hiding beneath the water “a frog”, “tadpoles”. Then lying on their tummies they dipped their nets into the water filling their nets with blanket weed, however when they looked a little closer the noticed little things moving around “I have something wriggling in my net”. Everything that was caught in the nets was carefully put into a tray of water, the children then used an ID sheet to work out what they had caught. They had caught some Damselfly Nymphs, Ramshorn Snails, Water Boatman and lots of Water Louse. There was a little excitement
when one child pulled out their net and found that they had managed to catch something a little larger. The something larger that they had caught was a Smooth Newt, the children pointed out that it had an orange tummy with little spots on. While in the pond area some of the children used secateurs to cut back some of the brambles and a hand saw to cut back any over hanging tree branches.

Some of the class started the task of clearing the vegetable patch. They did this by removing the weeds and digging over the soil so that is was ready for planting.

With paint some beautiful leaf printed pictures were created. This was done by adding paint to the back if the leaf, then placing it down onto paper. When the leaf is removed it leaves a print of the leaf showing all the veins of the leaf.

Before & After:

Hedgehogs started their session today by talking about the season we are in “spring”. They were asked what they had noticed was changing now that we are in spring “the trees are making leaves”, “seeing ladybirds”.

The class got into pairs and we set of onto the field for a spring scavenger hunt. There were lots of things for them to find from something yellow to something that crawls. Each time they found something they added to their bucket, however when they found the something that crawls they popped it back under the log it came from. While on the hunt for things that crawl the class found a snail. They waited patiently for the snail to slime alone one hand to the next, leaving a slimy trail across their hands “it feel’s cold and slimy”.

We split into two groups, each group having the chance to come and do some pond dipping. We sat by the pond and talked about what we may find hiding in the water of the pond.

Then lying on their tummies they dipped their nets into the water scooping out lots of blanket weed, however when they looked a little closer they noticed little things moving around “look, something is wiggling”. Everything that was caught in the nets was carefully put into a tray of water, the children then used an ID sheet to work out what they had caught. They had caught some Damselfly Nymphs, Water Boatman and lots of Water Louse. There was great excitement when something a little larger was caught, using the ID sheet they worked out that it was a Dragonfly Nymph.

The children not pond dipping had a go at painting leaves and printing then onto paper, they discovered that it worked best to add the paint to the underside of the leaf. Others chose to use some secateurs to start cleaning the brambles growing next to the pond.

We finished today session by taking it in turns to find out what each other had enjoyed about forest school today-

“finding the dragonfly”
“painting the leaves”

Today the Year 1&2 Classes from East Hoathly and Park Mead joined together for a sunny adventure down on Eastbourne beach.

Once on the beach the classes were really keen to start exploring the beach and even more keen to go and paddle their feet “will it be warm”.

Some children chose to look amongst the stones to see what they could find, then using the ID sheet they were able to work out their findings.

They found Mermaids Purses, Whelk eggs, dry Sea Weed and some stones with holes that went all the way through. Working in groups there was a lot of construction on various different sand castles. Some were mounds of sand surrounded by a watery moat, working hard to fill their moat with buckets of sea water before it soaked away into the sand. Whereas others were made with stone, using wet sand as a kind of cement to hold them together. One group dug a rather large hole and placed stones around the edge. When asked what they were doing they said
“we are making a rock pool”. Others chose to dig channels down to the sea, this was for the water that was running down the beach to run in. They kept having to make it longer as the tide was going out.

As the tide went out it exposed the bottom of the groins, this was a great place for us to see some marine life. The children found some Limpets, Barnacles, Whelks and Anemones.

Some of the Anemones were open as the water was still just covering them, this allowed the class to see their tentacles, where as others that were out of the water were closed.

The children enjoyed paddling their feet, running back up the beach as the waves broke trying not to let the wave touch them. Some paddled a little more than their feet getting a little soggy. Others took the approach of jumping the waves, sometimes not getting it quite right and getting splashed by the wave.

It was great to see the two classes play and work together, really amazing day Squirrels and Chestnuts!

We started today by learning a game called ‘bat & moth’. The class stood in a circle making our cave, with two children in the middle one bat and one moth. The bat was then blindfolded and had to listen hard to catch the moth that was making a little sound doing its best not to get caught.

On the way to the fire circle we stopped at the shed to gather some firewood ready for later in the session. Sitting around the fire circle we went through some of the rules of being safe by the fire. Some of the class stayed to help get the fire ready, they stacked the wood largest at the bottom to smallest at the top. They talked about how we were using dry sticks otherwise they wouldn’t burn. Then using a flint and steel they lit pieces of cotton wool to add to the fire, it was great to see other children helping the ones that were finding it a little tricky. Once the fire was going the children helped to hold the popcorn over the fire waiting for it to start popping “I see some small white bits”, when it was ready it was enjoyed by the whole class.

A selection of bird teddies joined us at forest school today. Some children made nests for the birds using hay, they twisted it round to create the circle they then gathered moss to line the inside of the nest. Stones were then decorated as eggs and placed into the nests.

There were two very good dens created today, one at the bottom of the field and the other in the willow dome. The children worked well as a team to peg the tarpaulin in place, one of the dens used some garden chairs to help block an opening in there den. The children asked if the dens could be tested to see if they were water tight. After chucking cups of water over the tops of the dens we were left with some soggy children, think there may need to be some redesigning ready for next time.

Some children twisted the hay to make a sort of rope, they then attached the rope they had made to a piece of willow to create a bow. Very creative and it worked really well.

We finished today’s session by sharing what we had enjoyed about our time at forest school today-

“I loved all of it”

“building dens”

“yummy popcorn”

“getting wet”

We continued with our bird theme at forest school today. The class set off onto the school grounds looking for eight little bird teddies that were hiding around forest school. Once they were all found we listened to the bird sounds that each teddy made, talking about what each bird the teddy was.

Sitting as a group around the fire circle we went through some of the rules that are there to keep us safe when we have fire. They learnt how you must never go in the fire circle unless invited by an adult, also that they can shout ‘red dragon’ to anyone that walks uninvited into the circle.

A few children stayed in the circle and helped to get the fire ready for lighting. They started by placing some larger sticks of the ground and working their way up to smaller sticks, then placing some dry oak shavings on top. Using a flint and steel they had a go at striking a piece of cotton wool that once lit would be added to the fire. They found this a little tricky but with some help it was soon lit and added to our fire. When the fire was ready the children added popcorn kernels to a sieve that was then placed over the fire, when asked what would happen they said “it will go pop, pop”. When it was ready we added some sugar and the class all enjoyed a handful or two of popcorn.

Other children chose to gather some dry grass and twigs to create a big bird nest for all the bird teddies that had joined us at forest school. Using pens they decorated some stones to use as eggs, it looked very sweet all the birds huddled in a nest together.

We finished today’s session with a game of bat and moth. The children all held hands to create the cave. Two children were chosen to go in the middle, one as the bat and one as the moth. The bat was blindfolded “it’s gone all dark” listening for the moths squeak, trying their best to catch them as the moth ran away around the cave.

Hedgehogs got themselves all wrapped up for a soggy morning at forest school. We started today by learning a game called ‘bat & moth’. The class stood in a circle making our cave, with two children in the middle one bat and one moth. The bat was then blindfolded and had to listen hard to catch the moth that was making a little sound doing its best not to get caught.

We set off for the shed to find everything that we needed to light a fire. We talked about the ‘crack’ sound that a stick makes when it is dead and how this is perfect for burning on our fire. The class filled up a box of firewood and worked together to carry it over to the fire circle. We sat and talked through how to be safe around the fire, how to shout ‘red dragon’ if someone walks into the fire circle without being invited.

A few members of the class helped to lay the fire, larger sticks at the bottom working up to smaller sticks at the top. They then had a go at using a flint and steel to strike a piece of cotton wool; they found this a little tricky. Once the fire was going we placed some popcorn kernels in two sieves and held it over the fire, listening for the pop sound to start. As it started to pop the class said, “I can see white bits” and “its jumping”. Once it was all popped we sprinkled it with sugar then it was enjoyed by the whole class.

There were six bird teddies that joined us at forest school today, they were all hiding waiting for the children to find them. Once they had all been found we talked about what each bird was, we had a Robin, Blackbird, Jay, Blue Tit, Goldfinch and Green Woodpecker. We then took it in turns to squeeze our birds to listen to the different song that each bird makes. Some children then chose to make nests for the birds, using dry grass and sticks to create their nest in a tree.

We finished the session back in the classroom decorating our own paper birds that were then pushed onto the end of a stick so that it could be flown around the class.

We set off for Forest School today keeping an eye out for any birds that we may spot along the way. The children used their hands as binoculars to help them to spot the birds.

We talked about what birds we might see and what they might look like “they have feathers”.

On the way we stopped at the Dinosaur Tree so that the class could practice their climbing skills. They took it in turns to get on the tree and shuffle up the trunk making space for the next person.

Some children chose to make animal tracks in clay. They did this by rolling some clay into a ball and then squashing it flat with the palm of their hand. Then using stones with foot prints on they pushed them into the clay, when it was peeled away it left the footprint behind.

Harold the Hedgehog joined us again for Forest School; a group of children made him a little home at the base of a tree. They gathered sticks to lean against the tree creating the roof. He was so cosy in his little house that we almost forgot to take him with us!

The class found the den that was made by the bigger children, this sparked them into creating their own den. They gathered sticks and dragged branches to make themselves a little house.

There was lots of free play in the hammock today. Some children chose to crawl under the hammock as if it were a tunnel. This then changed and they climbed into the hammock and started pushing each other using it like a swing.

Owls started their session by having a look at some pictures of different birds that we may see around the school and at Forest School. Dormouse tested their knowledge to see if they could identify these birds, there was only one that they were unsure of. Using some empty cardboard toilet rolls the class then made some binoculars to use on our journey to Forest School to see what birds we could spot along the way. A Robin and a Blackbird were spotted.

Once in the woods the class were very keen to get going, wanting to add to the dens that they had created last time. They found that the dens had been tampered with but this gave them more to do to build them the way they wanted. They used trowels to dig holes for some upright posts, then using clay that they had dug from the ground nearby to help hold other pieces of wood together. Another group of children made their den on a fallen tree; they covered their log of balls of clay made from what they had found while digging. They called themselves the “The Clay Ball Clan”, using this clay they also made a bowl that they used to transport water. Unfortunately it didn’t work too well, as the water made the clay slippy and the bowl collapsed.

Using air dry clay and stone footprints some of the class had a go at making their own animal tracks. They did this by first rolling the clay into a ball, squashing it with their palm and then pushing in the stone into the clay to leave an imprint.

The slack line was put up with the help of two members of the class. They were asked how they think it went up, then working together they managed to figure it out and put it up. There was then plenty of balancing not just with feet, some of the class tried balance in a sitting position this was a little tricky especially when Dormouse wobbled it!

We set off for the woods, on the lookout for some animal tracks along the way. Using some ID sheets to help us identify what we found, we think we found some dog and deer tracks. Along the way we stopped at the Dinosaur tree, the whole class squeezing together to make sure that everyone could fit on.

When we arrived at the woods Foxes were very keen to continue their den building from the previous session. They discovered that their dens had been tampered with but this did not bother them, they got stuck in with some new den creations. One group of children used clay/mud that they dug up as a cement to help the branches stay against the tree. They also made a long curved path that lead to their den using logs to line the path and sweeping all the leaves away. Once the den was ready they opened as a shop, selling balls of clay mixed with different natural materials.

Some children chose to make pipe cleaner bird feeders. They did this by using a pipe cleaner and posting cheerios on to it, they then hung them in the trees ready for the birds. As they were made we talked about what birds may come to eat from the feeders looking at pictures to see if they were able to identify the birds.

To finish the session today the class were asked what new things they would like to try at forest school. There were some very ambitious ideas and creations. I look forward to giving some of them a go in our next session.

We started our session today by looking at the Daffodil bulbs that were planted last time to see if they had started to grow. The class found that most of the bulbs had started to send up green shoots and the roots had grown so much on a few of them that it had pushed the bulb out of the pot.

On the way to the woods the class had a look for some animal tracks, with the ground being frozen it made them easy to spot. We found lots of dog tracks, one was so big that the class were sure it was a bear.

In the woods the children went on the hunt to find the den made by Owls class, this then set off some great team work in creating their own dens. One group used a tree to prop up the branches of their den. They then used more branches to create a path leading to the den, sweeping the fallen leaves away to keep the path clear. Another group created a fort inside a Holly bush, with guards to protect it from invaders.

Some children chose to make pine cone bird feeders. They did this by filling the pine cone with lard and then rolling it in bird seeds. Others used pipe cleaners which they posted cheerios onto, both feeders were then hung in the trees ready for the birds. As they were made we talked about what birds may come to eat from the feeders “a Robin”, “a Black-bird”.

A fallen tree was found by Squirrels class today. They took it in turns to sit on the tree and bounce.

At the end of the session we listened to what we had enjoyed about our time in the woods today:

“I like forest school because you find something new”

“bouncing on a branch”

We started Forest School today by learning a new game called spirit of the forest. The class chose what woodland animal they wanted to be, we had foxes, badgers and squirrels. The spirit of the forest then called the animals one at a time, they run across to the other side and if they were caught they became a tree with long branches to catch other animals. Soon we had created a woodland full of trees ”I’m an Oak tree”.

We set off for the woods, hunting for animal tracks in the mud as we went. The path was very muddy, the class enjoyed squelching in the mud “I can hear your boots Dormouse”. We did find a track in the mud, the class was convinced it was a Bear foot print.

Using stones with different animal footprints on, the children created their own tracks in clay by pushing the stone into the clay leaving an imprint of the animal track. We talked about what animal was leaving what footprint.

Some children helped to put up the slack line, taking the rope around the tree then posting it through the ratchet and pulling it tight. There was then some great balancing, they are definitely getting more confident at doing it on their own.

Some children chose to make pine cone bird feeders, filling the cone with lard and then rolling it in sunflower seeds. They then hung it in the tree ready for the birds.

There was some great independent bug hunting “I found a worm”. They worked together to roll over logs getting more of their class mates if the log was too big to manage alone. The bug hunt very quickly turned onto a Toad hut, sadly we did not find one this time. We talked about how they have hidden themselves away as it is winter.

We finished today’s session by listening to what they had enjoyed about their morning at Forest School.

“I liked the mud”

“Everything”

We started our session today with a game of keeper of the keys; the children took it in turns to sneak in a steal the keys from the keeper then ran as fast as they could back to their space without being caught.

On our walk down to forest school the children collected as many leaves as they could and pushed them onto a stick; it was a little tricky but kept trying. Some of the leaves they found were as big as their faces, ”wow, so big”.

As we walked these were some of the things that the children said,

“Spiky leaves”
“A tree tunnel”

The path taking us to the woods was very muddy, the children enjoyed stomping a squelching in the mud “squishy mud”.

When we arrived we talked about how important it is that we don’t pick or eat anything that we find at forest school as it could make or tummies poorly.

Once the slack line was up the class practiced their balancing skills again, walking all the way to the end then finishing by jumping down.

We took Harold the Hedgehog to forest school with us today, a group of children gathered sticks, pine branches and leaves to create him a little home to live in.

To finish the session today we sat and had a cup hot chocolate to warm our tummies and a piece of fruit.

We started off our session with a game of ‘keeper of the keys’ on the playground; the class decided it was really tricky to run in wellies. Owl’s class then set of for a morning in the woods. We stopped to climb the dinosaur tree, trying to get everyone on, unfortunately there was not enough space.

Once in the woods we talked about what we might see growing in the woods at this time of year. Lots of fungi and mushrooms, we talked about how it is not ok to pick or eat anything we find at forest school as it could make us poorly.

Today we were building dens from natural materials. The children set off to find a good place to build a den then working as a team they carried lots of fallen trees and started construction, sometimes two children to a log to make it easier to carry. When the main part of the den was built they gathered lots of pine branches for the roof “we need more to fill in all the gaps”.

Some of the children helped to put up the slack line, working hard to tighten the ratchet making sure it was nice and tight. They started with one at a time working on balancing along the slack line.

This then changed to many children on the line wobbling it to see who could be that last one standing.

As it was a little chilly today, Owls class enjoyed a hot chocolate in the woods, all settling on the fallen tree enjoying something warm.

We finished the session with woodland whisper ‘yummy hot chocolate’, unfortunately it was a little different by the time it made it to that last child.

 

Hedgehogs did really well, making sure that they had all the right waterproof gear on for a potentially soggy Forest School. We made our way out to the playground to do some conker rolling, taking it in turns to see how far we could roll our conker. We had a game of ‘keep of the keys’. Taking it in turns to sneak in, steal the keys and run as fast as possible back to our seat without being caught. With a wet floor this was a very slippy game.

Some children helped to put up the slack line, working really well as a team and listening very well to instructions. There was then some great balancing, not so easy in wet wellies.

Others in the class remembered their den building skills from the previous session and worked hard to create another den. They used parts of the trim trail to peg to, however when the wind blew it managed to pop all the pegs off. Hedgehogs were straight on it with repairs to their den.

There were some beautiful rubbing pictures created using leaves. The leaves were placed under a piece of paper and a crayon was then rubbed over the top leaving an outline of the leaf.

We finished the session with a woodland whisper that got a little muddled along the way.

Then listened to what they had enjoyed about their morning at Forest School.

“Den building”

“Slack line”

We started our Forest School today with a little walk to collect some wood ready for a fire. The children worked really well together finding the sticks and passing them back down the line to the trolley. It wasn’t long before it was full and we headed back.

We had a game of Foxes and Rabbits, very fast foxes today as they always caught their rabbit.

Some of the children worked together to prepare the fire ready for lighting, big sticks at the bottom working up to smaller ones at the top. Then some children used a striker to light some cotton wool to add to the fire. I was impressed at how they did not give up until they had succeeded. And how other members of the class helped those that were finding it a little tricky, great team work Owls. They then cored many apples, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and wrapped them in foil. These were then placed on the fire to cook. The result was a very popular with many coming back for seconds “wow, they’re yummy”.

Owls worked very well together to make a tarpaulin shelter. They used the goals as a frame in the hope that this would add the strength needed for their den to pass the waterproof test. They then all hid inside the den while a bowl of water was thrown over it to see how waterproof it was. Their dens were pretty waterproof until the water pooled taking out one half of the roof, leaving some slightly soggy children.

Some beautiful leaf rubbings were created using charcoal and pastels.

We finished off the session by standing in a circle telling each other what we had enjoyed at Forest School today.

“Den building”

“Leaf art”

“Eating apples”

We talked as a group about the rules that we have at forest school to keep up safe, they were all very good at remembering them.

We then headed out to start our session with a game of Foxes and Rabbits; we had some very fast Rabbits making it a tough job for the Foxes to catch them.

Some of the children worked to clear the fire pit of cut grass in preparation for our fire. They then worked together, to gather up fire wood and laid the fire ready. Some children then used a striker to light some cotton wool to add to our fire; with some great perseverance they were successful. They then cored many apples, sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar and wrapped them in foil. These were then placed on the fire to cook. The result was very popular with many coming back for seconds.

Foxes worked really well together to make some tarpaulin shelters. Working out where was best to use rope and where was best to use pegs. They then hid inside their dens while a bowl of water was thrown over it to see how waterproof it was. Their dens were pretty waterproof; however their lookout towers (trees next to their dens) were not so waterproof so we did end up with some very soggy children.

Some beautiful paper Ladybirds were created and placed on a stick of willow so that they could be flown around the field.

We finished off the session by sitting round the fire circle telling each other what we had enjoyed at Forest School today.

“I liked getting wet”

“I liked the apples”

“Helping to make the fire”

A very wet and soggy first Forest School for Hedgehogs today, this did not bother them at all. We got our waterproofs and boots on and headed outside, in the hunt for some puddles to splash in.

We headed down to the trees on the field to have a go at building a tarpaulin shelter, to see if we could keep dry. Hedgehogs worked well as a team, pegging the tarpaulin to the trees and the fence, this was not easy when it’s so windy. It was too windy for the pegs so they decided to use ropes to secure the last two corners. We all got under the tarpaulin as the wind blew it up and then back down onto our heads creating lots of giggles.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.The impact can be seen through the skills gained, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

We moved over to the fire circle for a bit of bug hunting, we talked about the importance of being gentle with what we find but also returning the logs to their original places once finished. Hedgehogs were great at identifying all the minibeasts we found. “I found an Earwig, come see” we looked at the Earwig closely and talked about how it’s best not to touch as you may get pinched. We found a Toad and everyone took it in turns to hold the Toad and talk about what it felt like “it’s cold”.

They then sat and went round the circle listening to what they had enjoyed about their afternoon at Forest School.

“I liked bug hunting”

“Making the den”

“Touching the Toad”

First session back and all of squirrels were very keen to get going and explore forest school. We set off onto the field and started with a game of foxes and rabbits, the children ran round playing the part of the fox trying to catch the rabbit.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.

The impact can be seen through the skills gained, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Squirrels did an amazing job of collecting blackberries from the hedges on the field, when asked what colour they should be when picked the all shouted “black”. We took what we had collected back to the fire circle, some blackberries were placed in some cotton which we folded and they took it in turns so stomp on creating a beautiful picture. Some of the blackberries where crushed up to create paint, then using Buddleia flower heads as paint brushes squirrels painted individual cotton pictures.

Turning over logs was very popular, it seemed that there was a toad or a frog under every log “wow! a toad”. They took it in turns to hold what we had found, while we talked about the differences between toads and frogs “it’s slimy” was their thoughts of a frog ”it’s all lumpy” was what they noticed about a toad.

There was lots of teamwork going on in clearing some of the vegetable garden. Squirrels then used what they had cleared to make potions “I’m making a potion for snow”.

Squirrels ended their session by sitting round the fire circle and sharing what they had had enjoyed about the morning.

“I liked holding the toad”
“I liked playing”
“Picking blackberries”

The last session of Forest School of the year brings a time of reflection. The whole class thought about their Forest School experience and its IMPACT on them this year. The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience. The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

YOU – Has forest school affected how you feel about yourself and your well-being- If so how?

“Happy…it is good keeping active….adventurous… calm…free…happy”

NATURE – Has forest school affected how you feel about nature – if so how?

“It is fun…respect for nature….I like the birds…I like the animals that are in the
woods”

LEARNING – What skills did you learn or develop this year at Forest School?

“I have learned how to make a fire”
“I have learned how to balance and not fall off the slack line”
“We learned how to make dandelion pancakes”
“Using a flint and steel ….we learned fire safety, with red and green dragon”
What activities did you enjoy most or would like to do more of?
“I liked the hammock”
“Making a fire”
“I like playing the fox and rabbit game”
“I like playing 1,2,3 change tree”
“I like the slack line and making dens”
“Making sparks with the flint and steels”

What did you like about the woodland space and Forest School environments?

“I like the space, and the slack line we can use”
“I love seeing birds and it is peaceful”
“I like seeing birds”
“I like going to the woods…it is fun there.”

We spent the first part recalling the importance of risk assessments and the things the children can do to make sure they are safe when learning about fire. Then the class then used fire strikers to ignite cotton wool from a spark. It took a lot of perseverance and persistence to use the fire strikers . It was great to see how the children were supporting and encouraging of each other, sharing tips, working together and taking turns really well. They are developing skills of patience, resilience, focus, perseverance and encouragement. So many of the children were successful at independently starting a fire by the end of the session.

Once the fire was going the class sorted some blackcurrants from their stems and leaves.

We boiled up the berries to create some dye. This is a traditional ink used in the 1600s.

The children then used the ink to tie dye the fabric, by wrapping it with string and practising tying knots. They turned out beautifully with some lovely colours and patterns!

There was time to explore the field and they really enjoyed playing in the willow dome and play independently around the field. Some children made some bug hotels with some bark they had found.

Then the Foxes class had a game of ‘fox and rabbit’ and had to work together as a team by creating a circular ‘warren’ to protect the rabbit from not getting tagged by the fox.

Well done Foxes for a really busy week and a massive thank you to our volunteers who support the children and all of our Forest School experiences at East Hoathly.

The whole class thought about their Forest School experience and it’s IMPACT on them this year.

YOU – Has forest school affected how you feel about yourself and your well-being- If so how?

“It makes me feel calmer when I’m around nature”
“Doing Forest School helps me think more about the world around me”
“Happy”

NATURE – Has forest school affected how you feel about nature – if so how?

“I love nature now”
“It has developed my understanding of nature”

LEARNING – What skills did you learn or develop this year at Forest School?

“I have learned how to make a fire”
“I learned to tie knots and make a den”
”How to put up a hammock”
“How to make shelters”

What activities did you enjoy most or would like to do more of?

“I liked printing with hammers and plants”
“I liked hide and seek games and den building activities”
What did you like about the woodland space and Forest School environments?
“I like the space, the trees”
“The space makes me feel freer”
“I like the trees and the open nature space of it”
“It is relaxed”
“I would like more trees at school”
“There is nothing I would change about the woods, it is amazing how it is”

We spent the first part recalling the importance of risk assessments and the things the children can do to make sure they are safe when learning about fire. Then the class used fire strikers to ignite cotton wool from a spark. It took a lot of perseverance and persistence to use the fire strikers- It was great to see how the children were
supporting and encouraging of each other, sharing tips, working together and taking turns really well. They are developing skills of patience, resilience, focus, perseverance and encouragement. So many of the children were successful at independently starting a fire by the end of the session.

Once the fire was going the class sorted some blackcurrants from their stems and leaves.

We boiled up the berries to create some paint and ink. This is a traditional ink used in the 1600s. The children then used the ink to dye and paint on fabric. They cut willow to then sharpen with peelers, to create pens to draw with. Some also made arrows, bows and decorated pens with binding and feathers.

We took a jar of cream to try to create butter. The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the morning and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted with crackers. Some then tried it with blackcurrant sauce.

Some children used the charcoal they had made last session to draw and create with. Lots of the class explored and played independently, making dens and swings with tarpaulins, rope and found pieces of wood. There was lots of time to garden, clearing weeds and tidying up the hedge, using the secateurs, loppers and rakes.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who have supported the children so brilliantly throughout the year and got involved in all of the Forest School activities.

The last session of Forest School of the year brings a time of reflection. The whole class thought about their Forest School experience and it’s IMPACT on them this year.

YOU – Has forest school affected how you feel about yourself and your well-being- If so how?

“I feel Happy and excited, happy, happy!”

NATURE – Has forest school affected how you feel about nature – if so how?

“bees, flowers, leaves, trees”
“When it is sunny the flowers grow so high”
“Foxgloves are poisonous, you don’t touch them”

LEARNING – What skills did you learn or develop this year at Forest School?

“I really like spending time with my friends and teachers”
“Making things with nature and pictures”

What activities did you enjoy most or would like to do more of?

“I like playing around”
“Making with clay is good”

What did you like about the woodland space and Forest School environments?

“I like the sticks”
“I love bugs…digging for them and looking for woodlice”
“I like my friends in the woods”

We then set off for the woods together on midsummer’s day. On the walk to the woods the children collected samples of wildflowers and plants on sticky tape, they tried to create the colours of the rainbow. They talked about, buttercups, herb Robert and blue coloured speedwell. They were careful to avoid the stinging nettles. Some of the plants had grown so much since the last time we visited the wood, lots of the bracken was taller than the children and the adults!

We took a jar of cream along the way to try to create butter The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the morning and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted with crackers in the woods! It turns out the buttercups were correct- they do like butter! Once in the woods they each had a go at decorating their own card butterfly with chalk pastels. They then fixed them onto sticks and flew them around the woodland.

The class all found 2 sticks and tapped out patterns and sang a song together. We played a game of ‘1, 2, 3 change tree’ where the children had to run to find a new tree
to be safe at before the end of a countdown. There was lots of time for independent play this week, with the children balancing on the slack line, swinging on the hammock, digging in the mud, creating mud mixtures and paint and exploring the woodland in summer.

At the end of the session the class managed to pass a ‘woodland whisper’ all the way along the line of them, listening brilliantly to each other. They also shared some of the things they had enjoyed about their session. Well done Hedgehogs, it was great to see the children engaging so well with developing their physical risk and challenge when exploring the woodland. A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play.

The last session of Forest School of the year brings a time of reflection. The whole class thought about their Forest School experience and it’s IMPACT on them this year. The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience. The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

YOU – Has forest school affected how you feel about yourself and your well-being- If so how?

I feel Happy and excited, happy, happy!

NATURE – Has forest school affected how you feel about nature – if so how?

“bees, flowers, leaves, trees”

“When it is sunny the flowers grow so high”

“Foxgloves are poisonous, you don’t touch them”

LEARNING – What skills did you learn or develop this year at Forest School?

“I really like spending time with my friends and teachers”

“Making things with nature…bit and pictures”

What activities did you enjoy most or would like to do more of?

“I like playing around”

“Making with clay is good”

What did you like about the woodland space and Forest School environments?

“I like the sticks”

“I love bugs…digging for them and looking for woodlice”

“I like my friends in the woods”

We then set off for the woods together on midsummer’s day.  On the walk to the woods the children collected samples of wildflowers and plants on sticky tape, they tried to create the colours of the rainbow. They talked about, buttercups, herb Robert and blue coloured speedwell. They were careful to avoid the stinging nettles. Some of the plants had grown so much since the last time we visited the wood, lots of the bracken was taller than the children and the adults!

We took a jar of cream along the way to try to create butter The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the morning and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted with crackers in the woods! It turns out the buttercups were correct- they do like butter! Once in the woods they each had a go at decorating their own card butterfly with chalk pastels. They then fixed them onto sticks and flew them around the woodland.

The class all found 2 sticks and tapped out patterns and sang a song together. We played a game of ‘1, 2, 3 change tree’ where the children had to run to find a new tree to be safe at before the end of a countdown. There was lots of time for independent play this week, with the children balancing on the slack line, swinging on the hammock, digging in the mud, creating mud mixtures and paint and exploring the woodland in summer.

At the end of the session the class managed to pass a ‘woodland whisper’ all the way along the line of them, listening brilliantly to each other. They also shared some of the things they had enjoyed about their session. Well done Hedgehogs, it was great to see the children engaging so well with developing their physical risk and challenge when exploring the woodland. A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play.

The last session of Forest School of the year brings a time of reflection. The whole class thought about their Forest School experience and it’s IMPACT on them this year. In small groups they chatted and recorded some of their ideas.

“I felt joyful, happy and proud because I achieved new stuff, like making a fire”
“Forest School makes me feel calm, happy and relaxed”
“I can feel how soft the flowers are”
“I got better at building a den, last it was a pile of sticks and now it looks better”
“I love the slack line, making paper birds and building dens”
“I feel better because I have lots of fun at Forest School”
“I feel happy because I love doing exciting things”
“I like climbing on the logs and balancing on slacklines”
“My climbing skills have got better, I want to climb more trees now”
“We could play more hide and seek games”
“I feel happy and alive in the woods”
“I feel happy and calm”
“We learned about growing flowers and how to make bug palaces”
“The ropes and swinging on the hammock are my favourite!
“The trees in the woods are great, they are there to get us air to breathe”
“I love animals and plants, so I love the nature at Forest School”

We then set off for the woods together on a beautiful bright morning. On the walk to the woods the children collected samples of wildflowers and plants on sticky tape, they tried to create the colours of the rainbow. They talked about, buttercups, herb Robert and blue coloured speedwell. They were careful to avoid the stinging nettles.

Some of the plants had grown so much since the last time we visited the wood, lots of the bracken was taller than the children and the adults!

We took a jar of cream along the way to try to create butter, inspired by the buttercups. The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the morning and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted with crackers in the woods! It turns out the buttercups were correct- they do like butter!

The class all found 2 sticks and tapped out patterns and sang a song together to start the woodland session. The children had a go at creating symmetrical butterflies with pastels and paper, attaching them to sticks to fly around the woodland once created.

There was lots of time for independent play this week, with the children digging in the hard mud, balancing along fallen logs, making nests for birds with sticks and leaves and exploring the woodland in summer. The Squirrels were really good at challenging them-selves to balance on the slack line and took care to take turns well.

They loved swinging on the hammock and independent play on the fallen logs, decorating them with pastels. At the end of the session we played a game of ‘1,2,3 change tree’ where the children had to run to find a new tree to be safe at before the end of a countdown.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly during our Forest School sessions.

Hedgehogs set off for the woods together on a beautiful bright morning. On the walk to the woods the children spoke about what plants they had observed, such as buttercups and blue coloured speedwell. They compared the heights of the stinging nettles, bracken and cow parsley as they passed by. We talked about the importance of not picking any plants that we are unfamiliar with and the reasons why;

“The bees need them for nectar”

“We mustn’t stop the plans growing, they help us to breathe”

“Things might prickle or sting us”

This week the children had a go at ‘leaf wapping’; printing with leaves and flowers. They collected different leaves and flowers in the woodland and learned to identify them by their shapes. They found buttercups, speedwell and bluebells. They took hammers and fabric and folded the flowers into the fabric and hit the sap and juice out of them with hammers, creating symmetrical patterns on the fabric.

The class all found 2 sticks, tapped out patterns and sang a song together. We played a game of ‘1,2,3 change tree’ where the children had to run to find a new tree to be safe at before the end of a countdown. There was lots of time for independent play this week, with the children balancing on the slack line, swinging on the hammock, digging in the mud, creating mud mixtures and paint and exploring the woodland in spring.

At the end of the session the class managed to pass 2 ‘woodland whispers’ all the way along the line of them, listening brilliantly to each other. They also shared some of the things they had enjoyed about their session. Well done Hedgehogs, it was great to see the children engaging so well with developing their physical risk and challenge when exploring the woodland. A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play.

The bluebells are growing in the woodland, so to preserve these amazing plants, the Owls had their session on the field this week.

We spent the first part talking about risk assessments and the things the children can do to make sure they are safe when learning about fire. The Owls stacked wood from thick to thin, to lay a fire. Then the class used fire strikers to ignite cotton wool from a spark. It took a lot of perseverance and persistence to use the fire striker- “…it is not as easy as it looks…”. It was great to see how the children were supporting and encouraging of each other, sharing tips, working together and taking turns really well. They are developing skills of patience, resilience, focus, perseverance and encouragement. So many of the children were successful at independently starting a fire by the end of the session.

Once the fire was going the class went and picked dandelions. The Owls made sure they were free from dirt and bugs and then pulled the petals to add to some pancake mixture. Then using the great fire they had made, the pancakes were cooked over it in a frying pan. Lots of the children tried them. It is good to see them experimenting with trying new, unfamiliar foraged foods. The class were very enthusiastic about cooking and want to try more during their next forest school session.

This week the Owls had a go at ‘leaf wapping’, or leaf printing. They chose some leaves and flowers from around the site and arranged them on half a piece of fabric. The fabric is then folded over and then hammered to tap the plants and printing the leaf shapes onto the fabric in a symmetrical pattern.

Some children used secateurs to cut willow from the dome, strip it of its leaves and cut it into lengths. They then placed this in a metal tin, which went on the fire to make charcoal. Lots of the class explored and played independently, making dens and swings with tarpaulins, rope and found pieces of wood.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their activities.

Nursery set off for the woods together on a beautiful bright morning. On the way the children looked out for stinging nettles and sticky weed. The children had a go at developing fine and large motor skills by drawing the zig zag edge of the stinging nettles with our fingers and arms. On the walk we found a beautiful cherry blossom tree and investigated and collected some of the fallen petals.

We talked about the bluebells and enjoyed the amazing colour they create on the woodland floor. The children were brilliant at sticking to the paths in the woods. The children talked about why it was important to preserve these beautiful plants on the
woodland floor and thought about how many flowers they think they saw.

“The bees like flowers….I have bees in my garden”

“Butterflies love the flowers, they eat them”

“I think there is 15 bluebells”

“I think I see 41 bluebells!”

The children then walked through the grassy meadow on the way back to nursery and spotted lots of insects, such as woodlice, spiders and ladybirds on the stinging nettles.

We collected lots of sticky weed and made some crowns and nests when we got back to the nursery, then added some dandelion flowers to them to decorate. Some of the children spent a long time carefully decorating their crowns and nests with dandelions, daisies and tree blossom.

Some children wore their crowns and others used them as birds’ nests. They counted the birds and had a go at identifying them by their calls and colours of feathers.

We spent the first part talking about risk assessments and the things the children can do to make sure they are safe when learning about fire. The class learned about ‘red dragon, green dragon’ as a way of communicating to each other about whether they were moving around the fire area safely. ‘Green dragon’ is around the outside of the log circle safely and ‘red dragon’ is to remind people when they step into the circle, it is not a safe place.

The wood was stacked together, from thick to thin, to lay a fire, which they then placed their sparks upon. Then the class used a fire striker to ignite cotton wool from a spark.

The children worked in small groups, sharing fire strikers and equipment. It was fantastic to observe the Foxes developing skills of patience, resilience, focus, perseverance and encouragement to each other. So many of the children were successful at independently starting a fire by the end of the session.

Once the fire was going the class went and picked dandelions. They spent a long time collecting and comparing the lengths of them, estimating which stems were longest and even got some metre rules to measure accurately. Foxes washed the dandelions to make sure they were free from dirt and bugs and then pulled the petals to add to some pancake mixture. The clean dandelions were then dipped in batter and put in the frying pan and cooked. Delicious dandelion pancake lollipops!

The class then learned about extinguishing the fire, by pouring a cup of water on the fire and sharing what they had enjoyed about the session.

There was time to explore the field and they really enjoyed playing in the willow dome.

Some of the class went and filled pots with soil and planted some cornflower and sunflower seeds. They labelled them and took them back to their classroom to nurture over the coming weeks.

At the end of the session the Foxes class had a game of ‘fox and rabbit’ and had to work together as a team by creating a circular ‘warren’ to protect the rabbit from not getting tagged by the fox.

The Squirrels class had a go at planting some tree saplings along the fence line of the school field. They planted a hawthorn, silver birch and rowan tree. They looked closely at the structure of the saplings; noticing the complexity of the roots and how leaves were emerging from the shoots on the trees small trunks. They had a great time digging holes for the saplings. The class found lots of worms and even a small snake in the soil. This inspired some children to create a small bug hotel in the corner of the field. Once the saplings and plants were planted, the children spent lots of time watering them.

We discovered lots of bindweed, which is really fast growing and invasive and would cover the fruit bushes planted in he growing area, so the Squirrels class spent lots of time removing it and making the growing space tidy.

Each of the children had a diagram of plants and had a go at drawing how the water is drawn up from the roots and how the food created in the leaves from sunlight is passed around the plants. Some of the children had a go at making some rubbings of wood with paper and wax crayons.

This term Squirrel Class’ topic is all about growing and plants, so the children took care to spot how the environment has started growing this spring. They walked to the woods and they identified blossom bluebells, violets, celandines and wood anemone flowers.

Once in the woods the children each chose a ‘sit spot’ and spent 5 minutes sitting quietly whilst listening to the sounds of nature. They talked about the importance of not playing in amongst the bluebells as they are flowering, to preserve them. There was time to all climb up on the dinosaur tree, where the children showed great agility and risk taking.

Well done Squirrels class and again a huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so fantastically.

As the spring equinox (eui- equal, nox- night) has come, the bluebells are growing in the woodland, so to preserve these amazing plants, the Owls had their session on a wet field this week.

After learning a song about spring the class were introduced to the game of ‘Giants, Wizards, Elves’. They had to work as a team to decide which magical creature they would be, in a game similar to ‘rock, paper, scissors’.

The children all played a game of ‘Spirit of the forest’ where they had to dodge the spirit of the forest, without being turned into trees. Through the game the class learned about different aspects of a woodland and how the balance of trees and animals are important to the health and development of this ecosystem.

Owls had a scavenger hunt, where they followed clues to various locations around the school field site. Once they had decoded the riddles, they found some Easter treats!

Lots of the class explored and played independently, making up games, making dens and creating with wood and tools.

They learned how to use a pruning saw safely with a saw horse, to cut their wood to length. Once the children had shown an understanding of safe tool use, some moved onto using knives to start to carve with. They had a go at peeling bark, sharpening the ends of sticks and some started to create patterns on their work.

Some of the children went on to make their own pens out of elder, by pushing holes in the soft centre of the wood and inserting charcoal.

There was time to continue exploring the pond area. A group of children cleared some winter debris and found evidence of newts, frogspawn and other life.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play and supported the exploration of the pond area.

On the way to the woods, the Squirrel Class looked out for some emerging signs of spring. We learned to identify a cuckoo pint plant, hazel catkins and saw some celandines and primroses which were nearly about to flower.

Once in the woods, the Foxes Class each found two sticks to tap out a rhythm song with. They each took a moment to find a quiet ‘sit spot’ to observe and listen to the woodland. The class had practised being quiet in their PSHE lesson last week, thinking about techniques they could use to help themselves feel calm. There is more and more research that shows the benefits of nature connection on our well-being and it was brilliant to see how calm and quiet the class were.

Lots of children heard a tapping noise on their sit spot, which they guessed was a woodpecker. The class were introduced to lots of different native birds and learned a little bit about their colours and bird calls.

They talked about what materials birds might use to build nest and had a go themselves with hay, leaves, sticks and clay which they dug from the woodland floor. There were some beautiful creations!

The children played with toy birds around the woodland and had a go at making their own birds with card, coloured pastels and sticks and then flew them around the Forest School area.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. The slack line was popular, as was pushing each other on the hammock.

Some of the class discovered that the bluebells sprouting under the leaves on the woodland floor had grown up taller since their last session. We will be using a different part of the woodland during the next few weeks, to ensure that we are not damaging the growth of the flowers.

Lots of the class worked to develop the den of sticks they had started last session. They thought about how to balance the sticks carefully and where they should make space for a door.

On the way to the woods the Hedgehogs class looked out for birds and commented on some of the features of the woodland which might be animal habitats. They spotted bat boxes and talked about how bats hang on upside down when they are sleeping. They noticed some bird boxes and nests and listened out for birds in the trees.

Hedgehogs developed their session by talking about the story they have been reading in class this week-‘The Three Little Pigs’. We talked about the different materials which the houses were made of and how, why and if they were good materials for house building.

The children then had a go at using straw, sticks and clay to explore and create with. Some children made a ‘soft play area’ for the three little pigs. Some made a woodland garden with trees and plants and there was lots of creative clay making in pairs and groups.

There was time for the children to have a go on the slack line; carefully balancing along the line with the help of a guiding rope. It was great to see the children’s risk taking and how in such a short space of time, that their confidence in climbing and balancing grew.

The children explored freely in the woodland. There was lots more sensory exploration of the clay, starting with digging it out of the ground. The Hedgehogs had buckets, spades and forks to dig with and were really observant, noticing the difference between the mud and the orangey coloured clay below.

The children found an animal hole, with a large pile of clay around it and enjoyed digging and exploring and making up imaginary stories about what might live in the hole and the woods.

The Hedgehog class ended their session by each talking to each other about what they had enjoyed about the session.

“I really liked the slack line, it is really fun”

“The hammock is really nice, I like swinging and looking at the trees”

“I really like making my fairy village garden it had lots of plants”

“I liked digging in the hole, and there was a root we were trying to get out, and we saw a spider in the hole, it might have been a poisonous one”

“I liked looking in the holes, I think there might be a mouse living in there”

There was time to all climb up on the dinosaur tree on the way back to school. Well done Hedgehogs class and again a huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so fantastically.

Owls set off for the woods in the week of the Lunar new year.

The class have been learning about the story of ‘The Great Race’ in which the order of the animals of the Chinese Lunar New Year are determined. This year is the year of the rabbit.

The Owls played a game of ‘Fox and Rabbit’. They got into pairs and the fox had to chase the rabbit, until they were ‘safe’ in the burrow. The class showed good listening skills and were agile and quick with their moving around the woodland during the game.

The class learned about how to identify animals by their tracks and used flour, sieves and stencils to create some tracks on the woodland floor. They also had a go at moving like rabbits, to try to create their distinctive track marks and learn about how rabbits move.

The children had a go at putting up the hammock again- this time independently. It was great fun swinging and twisting the hammock under themselves and hanging upside down in it!

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Lots of the class independently built dens together. Some children had disturbed the leaves n the woodland floor and had discovered some shoots growing. They carefully swept away more and discovered the beginnings of the growth of the bluebell carpet. They talked about looking at the development of the growth next session and whether the bluebells would be flowering or not.

This week some of the children developed their tool skills, by starting with using peelers to peel the bark from hazel. Once the children had shown an understanding of safe tool use, some moved onto using knives to start to carve with. They had a go at peeling bark, sharpening the ends of sticks and some started to create patterns on their work.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.

The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The class finished the session with a game of 1,2,3 change tree and then all had a go at climbing onto (and jumping off) the fallen tree on the edge of the woods.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play and supported their use of tools and equipment.

Foxes set off for the woods in the gorgeous, bright, cold frosty morning. Once in the woods, the children started the session with a game of 1,2,3,change tree to warm them up before we started! They showed good running, direction changing and really enjoyed the game, paying great attention to the rules. Well done Foxes.

This term the Foxes Class learning journey is all about Roald Dahl, so we started the day with a story; ‘Billy and the Minpins’. It is about Billy exploring the deep dark woods and discovering creatures living in the trees. The children looked and listened to the woodland environment around them as they listened to the story, to enrich their imagination.

Then the children had a go at using some tools to peel the bark from some freshly cut hazel sticks. They learned to use loppers and peelers safely and showed great enthusiasm for their work. They took their creations back to the classroom to draw character faces onto later in the day.

The children found, then made some creations using clay. They scooped out the clay into buckets, which was tricky initially, as the ground was frozen! Some went on to create some small woodland people and houses with the clay. They also used sticks and frozen leaves in the roots of some of the fallen trees. They used our wooden play set to create some small world stories inspired by the story they had heard earlier.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. There was some excellent turn taking and balancing on the slack line. It was great to see the children taking risks and challenging themselves with working out how to balance, how to work out the best way of moving along the line carefully and how to turn take and share the space with each other.

Lots of the class worked to develop a den of sticks and they continued digging out an old root from the forest floor, showing excellent focus and perseverance along with problem solving.

Squirrels are thinking about the ‘Great Fire of London’ as their learning journey this term, so today they had a go at fire lighting. They watched as some sparks made a fire and observed it spread quickly as it did in London in 1666. They talked about fire safety and what a fire needs to burn; fuel, spark, air.

They discussed the materials and their properties that the houses were built with, how they were so close together and how this led to the spread of the fire. They watched as we used some water to extinguish the fire completely at the end.

After their great fire the Squirrels set off for the woods in the sunshine.

Once in the woods, the children each found two sticks to tap out a rhythm song with. Then they learned how to identify different animals from their footprints by counting their toes. Badgers – 5, foxes -4, deer- 2.

They used flour, sieves and stencils to create their own animal foot prints on the woodland floor. The class listened to the story of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ and talked about different animal houses, in trees, in holes underground and under logs and the tracks that the animals made in the story.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Some children took some small wooden items to create a lovely fairy village with.

Some children moved leaves and created the image of a hedgehog on the ground, with large sticks to represent the spikes on the hedgehogs back.

Some of the class discovered some plants sprouting under the leaves on the woodland floor and talked about what they might be and how they will grow. We will be back to look next time.

Lots of the class worked to develop the den of sticks they had started last session and they had a go at digging out an old root from the forest floor, showing great perseverance and problem solving. They built the den into a ‘stick mansion’ this week!

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.
The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The Squirrels class ended their session by talking about what they had enjoyed about their session.

“fire lighting, sparks, the game, The Fire of London, making a fairy house, nature, sun-shine, the animal prints, bluebells, all of it!”

At the end of the session the class played the ‘1,2,3, change tree’ game, running and dodging each other to find another tree. There was lots of agility, critical thinking and enjoyment seen – Well Done Squirrels.

A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play, especially the game of 1,2,3, change tree- it looked like the adults thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We can’t wait until next time!

Hedgehogs started their session by listening to the story of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’. We talked about how the different animals had made tracks in the snow as they moved about the woodland. The children also shared that they had made tracks in the snow when it fell in December.

The class set off to the woods in the rain, looking out for any animal or foot prints along the way. They found some boot prints in the mud and some deer prints, which they discov-ered by looking at animal identification sheets. The children commented on some of the features of the woodland which might be animal habitats.

“That looks like where the fox lives”

“There might be a mouse living in there, or ants”

Once in the woods, the children each found two sticks to tap out a rhythm song with. Then they learned how to identify different animals from their footprints by counting their toes. Badgers – 5, foxes -4, deer- 2. They used flour, sieves and stencils to create their own animal foot prints on the woodland floor.

There was time for the children to have a go on the slack line; carefully balancing along the line with the help of a guiding rope. It was great to see the children’s risk taking and how in such a short space of time, that their confidence in climbing and balancing grew.

The children explored freely in the woodland. There was lots of sensory exploration of the clay, sculpting it, rolling it and painting it all along the logs and making hand prints on trees. Then digging in the mud with sticks and their hands.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.

The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The Hedgehog class ended their session by each sharing what they had enjoyed about the session.

“I liked balancing on the slack line”.

“I liked making with the clay”.

“I liked playing with my friends”.

“I liked digging the roots with a stick”.

There was time to all climb up on the dinosaur tree on the way back to school. Well done Hedgehogs class, what a fantastic first day of the new term! And again a huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so fantastically. We can’t wait until next time!

Nursery set off for the woods together, with their waterproofs and wellies. On the way to the woods the children spotted some holly leaves, flowers and berries. They saw lots of large chestnut leaves on the floor and each picked some up. Some used them as wings, some as rabbit ears.

Once in the woods, the children each found two sticks. They then used the sticks to tap out some rhythmic patterns and learn a song together. Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. There was some excellent turn taking and balancing on the slack line.

The children had a go at balancing and bouncing on it.

Each of the children and had a go at making their own stick men. They used gloves and peelers to peel a willow stick. They then had a go at drawing a face on it and used pipe cleaners to attach leaves and as arms. They then used them to play with in the woodland.

Some then made plates out of clay for their stick people to eat carrots, apples, ham and salami. Some of the children also made them a little house with a leaf carpet and stick roof. We read the story of ‘Stick man’ at the end of the session as the children had their snack in the woods.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience. The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games. Some children found a shield beetle on a leaf.

Well done Nursery, it was great to see the children following their own ideas and fascinations and engaging so well with the woodland environment. A huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play. We can’t wait until next time!

Squirrels set off for the woods in the sunshine and were thankful that the rain had finally stopped! They all managed to climb onto the dinosaur tree and the turtle mound on the journey. It was great to see the children taking risks and challenging themselves with the height of the tree, how to work out the best way of moving along the trunk carefully and how to turn take and share the space with each other.

On the way to the woods the children spotted some holly leaves and berries, found some acorns; some of which had turned pink and started sprouting shoots to grow into oak trees and they also saw a robin perched on the fence watching us all as we walked past.

“I think the robin is saying ‘have a lovely time in the woods’…”

Once in the woods, the children each found two sticks, measuring them carefully against the length of their arms as they chose them. They then used the sticks to tap out some rhythmic patterns and learn a song together.

The sticks were then used to make a nest for a game of ‘owl eyes’. They had to try to sneak up to the nest by hiding behind trees and being really still.

It was amazing to see a whole class of squirrels disappear into the woodland so quickly!

The class worked together to gather sticks and leaves to make a nest big enough for a person.

“These leaves will make it really soft for a nest….oh and this moss is really soft and spongy”.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. There was some excellent turn taking and balancing on the slack line.

Some children pretended that the fallen tree was an aeroplane, jetting them off to Goa and New York!

Lots of the class worked to develop the den of sticks they had started last term and they had a go at digging out an old root from the forest floor, showing great perseverance and problem solving.

Some of the class found a fallen tree branch to bounce on, which was great fun!

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience.

The impact can be seen through the skills, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Squirrels class ended their session by talking about what they had enjoyed about their session.

Well done Squirrels class, it was great to see the children following their own ideas and fascinations and engaging so well with the woodland environment. And a huge thank you to the parent volunteers who came and supported the children so brilliantly and got involved in all of their play. We can’t wait until next time!

At Forest school this week Squirrels Class made a fire. Once it was ready, we cooked delicious s’mores and chocolate bananas. We also made necklaces from foraged wood and string. At the pond, we found lots of interesting creatures including water boatman and a giant dragonfly.

In forest school this week, Squirrels Class made beautiful mobiles from foraged sticks, feathers and leaves. Also, we took part in a mini-beast hunt. We had to find the hidden bug pictures around the field and complete our checklist to win!

We were extremely lucky to have lots of adult helpers this week thank you all very much.

Hedgehogs had a fantastic visit to the community garden this term, where they harvested the vegetables, they planted in the autumn. They then got to take them home and share them with their families.

In forest school this week, Hedgehogs Class noticed lots of changes in the woodland from our last visit. We created our own music and even had a go at walking along the monkey bridge Miss Roberts put up for us. We ALL MADE IT ACROSS!! Even Mrs Whythe and Mrs Burns had a go.

Wren says “We liked it, I was really good at going on the monkey line”.

Squirrels had an amazing time in the forest this week. Thank you to Miss Roberts and Mrs Gray for setting up the slack line and the monkey bridge for us to try!

Everyone had a go and we were so proud of how the children supported each other.

Thank you so much to our parent helpers!

Week 6– This week we went to the community garden. We created our own charcoal, made wands, created willow structures and planted sunflower seeds. Thank you Jacs and James for having us!

 

This week in Forest School, Foxes Class enjoyed learning to make shelters. We all worked together using tarpaulins and rope to make some impressive
shelters!

Last week in Forest School, Hedgehogs had great fun exploring the forest and learning all about balance in the trees.

Hedgehogs had a fantastic forest school session this week, we learnt how to use the secateurs and had a go with a laplander saw! We made our own bows and arrows just like knights would have had to protect their castles.

Last week in Forest School, Hedgehogs had great fun making fat balls for the birds and hanging them on trees. We also visited the pond, went on a bug hunt and enjoyed stomping in the mud!

“Forest school was good, I liked pretending I was stuck in the mud! I loved making the bird feeder I think the birds would love mine” – Leo

“Some of us made fat balls for the birds because they were hungry” – Sami

“Forest school was lovely I splashed around in the mud it went splish splosh!” – Harry

Hedgehogs had a fantastic session in the forest this week.

They explored weight and balance whilst making their own seesaw!

They also created hedgehog homes and found some early signs of spring!

This week all of East Hoathly Pupils were lucky enough to have a Forest school slot. We got very excited as we had a fire and melted smores on it! Also, we made necklaces and Christmas decorations and were super lucky to be able to use a palm drill to make a hole in our items. We all had so much fun, thank you to Miss Roberts for organising and Mrs Yates for supporting us too! We are so grateful to all the parents who have been able to help us with Forest School this term – thank you!

This week at Forest School, Squirrels have been climbing, exploring and investigating. We did some careful observing and drawing of what we found in the woods and we collected, drew and identified lots of leaves.

In forest school this week, Foxes Class carved butter knives from sticks, went pond dipping and flew kites. Later, we roasted marshmallows and baked bananas on the fire; finishing off with a mug of hot chocolate!

Thank you very much to Mrs Campbell Stephen, Mrs Gibbons, Ms Hall, Mr Hill, Mrs Magner and Miss Mellor who helped this week. The children wouldn’t have had such a wonderful

experience without you all giving up your time, sharing your skills and bringing in the lovely treats for them to enjoy around the fire.

Also, a big thank you to Mrs Simonetti for lending us the party pack for the hot chocolate.

In forest school this week, Foxes Class started by climbing the ‘Dinosaur Log’. Next, we played some forest school games, including ‘Capture the Flag’! Then we made shelters from rope and tarpaulin. Afterwards, we created creatures and wands from craft materials and items foraged from the forest. Thank you very much to Mrs Gibbons, Mrs Campbell-Stephen and Mrs Magner who helped this week.

In forest school this week, Foxes class made butter knives by carefully carving sticks.

Also, we flew kites on the field and made different creations from materials foraged from the forest.

We were extremely lucky to have lots of adult helpers this week thank you all so very much.

Foxes Class had great fun in Forest School this week!

We made a giant woolly mammoth out of items foraged from the forest floor. Next, we made bows using tension knots and shelters from tarpaulin. Scarlett also found a toad which was well camouflaged on a tree trunk.

Thank you very much to Mrs Gibbons and Mrs Campbell Stephen who were our adult helpers this week.

 

Foxes Class had great fun in Forest School this week learning about timber hitch and tension knots, pond dipping & a newt!

In Forest School this week, Hedgehogs went pond dipping! We found all sorts of water creatures like dragon flies, froglets and water boatmen bugs! We then had a go at natural printing with Miss Roberts, being extra careful not to hit any of our fingers with the big hammers!

Hedgehogs visited the woods for this week’s forest school session. They were buzzing with excitement and lots of the children were very knowledgeable about different parts of the woodland. We stopped at various points in the wood and voted as to which way we would go to explore.

Hedgehogs then spent the session testing their balance, building, jumping and landing skills.

They can’t wait to go back next week!

A big thank you to our parent helpers.

On Monday, Squirrels had a visit from Milly who works for The Lewes Railway Land Trust. We began our day with a visit to the school pond and had a go at pond dipping to see what creatures we could find. We then tried to identify them using a key.

After break, we then went to the woods where we used loppers to cut a piece of wood to make our own Mini-Me! We explored the woods and made dens as a place to sleep and costumes for our Mini-Mes. We came back to school for a picnic on the field then ended our day back in the woods making necklaces.

This week, the Squirrels took part in a very exciting session of Forest School with Mrs Smith!

As a part of their ‘Glorious Growing’ topic, the children had a go at planting flowers seed and using secateurs to carefully trim the Willow bush!

The Squirrels also made magical potions with mud and even some mud face paint! We’ll never need a spa day again! How resourceful, Squirrel class!

This week, Fox Class journeyed down to the woods to have a go at working together to solve problems, build dens and take part in some archaeological digging! The children also had a go at whittling—the children’s skills are coming on very nicely with how much they have been practising!

A huge thank you goes to Mrs Gibbons, Mrs Thatcher, Mr Allen, Ms Mellor, Mrs Sibanda, Mrs Campbell-Stephen, Mrs Roberts, Mrs Magner and Mrs Mackmin for volunteering their time to be part of our adventures. We are still able to accept volunteers for forest school, which takes place on Wednesdays from 1:15pm. Please speak to Mrs Smith, Mr Lulham or the school office if you’d like to join us.

Fox class were extremely excited to begin their forest school adventure in the woods this week. Dens were built, games were played and puddles were jumped in.

Due to a very generous donation from Mrs Frizzell of 20 pairs of gloves we were able to set up a whittling station which proved very popular – with Ashton proving to have a particular flair for the craft!

It was so lovely to see the children enjoying the freedom of the woods and engaging their creative and thinking brains to solve problems and create some fabulous memories.

A huge thank you goes to Mrs Gibbons, Mr Allen, Mrs Becvar and Mrs Mackmin for volunteering their time to be part of our adventures. We are still able to accept volunteers for forest school, which takes place on Wednesdays from 1:15pm. Please speak to Mrs Smith, Mr Lulham or the school office if you’d like to join us.

At forest school this week Owls class went into the woods.

The class took the toolbox with them and with that, they were able to drill into conkers to create conker necklaces.

The Owls also enjoyed a game of capture the flag which is great for team building.

At forest school this week Owls class had lots of fun in the woods.

We found slow worms and beetles, noticed bat boxes on the trees and wondered whether bats make nests. We worked as teams during an epic game of capture the flag.

Lottie and Daisy put their creative minds to work and created some beautiful natural art representing our new school values of Love, Trust, Strength and Wisdom.

Thank you to Mrs Gibbons and Mrs Mackmin for joining us, as always if you want to join us for an afternoon connecting with the natural world, please contact the school office.

It was a rather soggy forest school session this week but that didn’t stop Owls class having fun.

Work continued on the bug hotels with Freya and Daisy creating the Woodland Ritz. Florence constructed a fabulous hedgehog house and Spencer worked tirelessly to make spider web starters. We also took a closer look at our pond and were delighted to spot some pondskaters!

Thank you to Mrs Gibbons for joining us and supervising the apple picking – the children will be enjoying school grown apples at snack time this week.

We are welcoming parent/carer volunteers at our forest school sessions, so if you are interested and available on Wednesday afternoons from 1:15pm please contact the school office.

Owl Class took on a challenge this week in forest school. After such a long time away, our field forest school area was in need of attention. The fire circle began its revamp and lots of old wood was repurposed into the most creative bug hotels, it was lovely to watch the sharing of ideas, creativity and team work. We are also planning another repurposing project involving wellies. Before we get started on it, we need to be sure that we only use old wellies. So, if you know that your child has wellies in school, please speak to their class teacher so we can ensure they don’t end up as Welly planters!

Year 1 and 2 have been doing forest school this term with Mrs Smith. They have had the most amazing time, and have got extremely muddy at times! During their time in the woods they have been making dens, playing in what they called a dinosaur toilet and exploring all things nature. There learning during their time in the woods has been great linking to their topic plants, with Dennis in Year 1 saying ‘I have found a root’ and Delilah Rose in Year 1 clearing leaves to discover new stems coming through, we think they might be bluebells!

Though they have also linked their learning in the forest to their English work Max M in Year 2 wrote:

“Once there was a mole who went on a food hunt. He first went to holey berries. Next he went on a twig, a rasbre-leef and he also ate blackberries and pomegranate seeds. The he went pop and anuver mole then the same thing happended!”

Thank you so much to the adult helpers who have with us to forest school in all weathers, without you this amazing learning would not have been possible!

During the last week of Term 2, the whole school took part in a festive forest school session on the school field over 2 days.

All of the children, staff and parent volunteers had a great time making Christmas decorations and wreaths from natural materials, exploring our creativity, developing new skills and using our growth mindsets to overcome the challenges that learning something new presents us with.

It was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect as a group and fully embrace the outdoors as a learning environment. Having the whole school on the field in December meant the we had to develop our resilience in terms of the weather; it was cold, wet and very very muddy, which meant lots and lots of fun, jumping, splashing, slipping, sliding and painting ourselves in mud!

This week, the entire school took part in some very muddy Forest school!  Everyone had a lot of fun in the mud and enjoyed making Christmas arts and crafts. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped and a big thank you to Mrs Smith for organising the best Forest School yet!

This week, Year 3 and 4 used the natural resources, such as leaves, twigs and pine cones to create skeletons. One group even made a chipmunk skeleton!

This week, Reception and Year 1 and 2 enjoyed another session of Forest School. They made dens out of sticks, ferns, string and tarpaulin. They also got creative making pictures by using fabric, leaves and a mallet.

As well as going foraging, they found mushrooms and also made art work by only using the resources they could find in the forest; sticks and the ground!

Thank you to all the parents that helped as the children and the staff had a great morning!

This week, Reception and Year 1 and 2 had their first joint forest school session. They spent time together as part of transition and getting to know each other.

They had a fantastic time making magical potions and perfumes using natural objects from across the field. Then, they made their own paint brushes with leaves, grass and sticks and used chalk, leaves, sticks and water to make their own paint by crushing, pulping and then adding water. Other children chose to use beads and wood slices to make headbands and jewellery.

Reception enjoyed a fire and toasting marshmallows in the final Forest School session of the term.

Mrs Smith lead the children in their first fire safety session, teaching them about the rules of the Red and Green dragon!

Harry said “Toasting marshmallows was cool and yummy, I had 2! We had to sit in a special way and use long sticks to not get burned.”

Reception had their first Forest School  adventure last week. We looked for signs of Spring and admired the beautiful bluebells. Lily noticed that the pine trees are “leaking” which prompted lots of talk about sap and how trees grow and the difference between live and dead trees. Scarlett said “dead trees are rotten, they break easy and don’t have roots.”

We experimented with bark rubbings and practised balancing on logs – Alex worked hard “making the wobbly log balance” by putting sticks on one end to weigh it down. We looked carefully for minibeasts which inspired Oscar to build a giant centipede with “more than 16 legs!”

Finally we spent a few peaceful minutes  listening to the sounds of the forest with the help of magic pine cones. We cannot wait to go back to the forest next week!

 

This week in Forest School, Year 3 and 4 tested their survival skills by making shelters. They used natural materials to try and create a dry shelter which we tested by pouring water on it. The children thought about the key things needed for their shelter including, warmth, sturdiness and dryness.

The children had great fun testing out their shelters and watching to see if each others shelters were waterproof.

Please remember that Forest School is on Thursday afternoons and the children will need their Forest School kits. Thank you for your support.

This week, Year 3 and 4 went onto the field and played the centipede game. Maxym in Year 4 explained, “The centipede game is a non-speaking trust game. Three people standing in a row with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front and the person at the back directs the two in the front by steering the line of people while the front two have their eyes closed. It’s really tricky, but fun!”

After, they had the opportunity to use secateurs to cut up branches and twigs, which they brought back to their classroom. The children used colourful string, feathers and other natural materials to create wind catchers.

Please remember that Forest School is on Thursday afternoons and the children will need their Forest School kits. Thank you for your support.

 

This week, Year 3 and 4 took part in Forest School and for their first session, they ventured down to the Forest. The children spoke about the Amazon rainforest and how it is different in comparison to our forest. The children also built dens and bug hotels.

Please remember that Forest School is on Thursday afternoons and the children will need their Forest School kits.

If you are available to help in Forest School, please speak to Miss Riddall or Miss Dutton.

Thank you for your support!