The classes have all started their session by learning a new game called Spirit of the Forest. The children choose a woodland animal to be, then when their animal is called they have to make it through the woods without the Spirit catching them, if caught they become a Tree of the Woods.
This term the children have been have been experimenting with tie-dying some pieces of fabric, they have done this using turmeric. First the children found themselves a small stick to wrap inside their piece of fabric. Next it was time to add the string, the classes have discovered that it worked best to tie the string in wider tight bands to give them the best tie-dye effect. The finished effect was a vibrant yellow, a perfect autumn colour.
The children have been using conkers to make their own toadstools. They carefully drilled a hole into the conker using a palm drill, making sure to only go half way through the conker. Some classes used egg boxes and some used clay to make the stem of their toadstool. With both parts made a stick was pushed half into the conker and half into the stem, using paint pens they then decorated their conker top with autumnal yellows, oranges and reds.
The children of Peacocks class had their first ever Forest School session with their year 6 buddies to help show them how everything works. We started by exploring the woods, learning the boundaries and how to create a den. They then worked with their buddies to find as many different shaped and coloured autumn leaves as they could. These leaves were used to create an autumnal hedgehog picture.
We have finished each session with a woodland whisper, passing a message all the way around the fire circle to see if we can keep it the same all the way round. Needs a little more practice as this is harder than it sounds!
The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience. This can be seen through the skills gained, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons.
