Forest School

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

Once at the beach the children were really keen to start exploring and even more excited to go and paddle – “will it be warm?”

Some of the children looked amongst the stones. Then using an ID sheet they were able to work out what they had found. They found Mermaid’s Purses, whelk eggs, dry seaweed and some stones with holes that went all the way through.

Working in groups there was a sand castle construction. Some castles were mounds of sand surrounded by a watery moat. The children had to work hard to fill their moat with buckets of sea water before it soaked away into the sand. Other castles 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 so the water could flow down the beach. 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 limpets, barnacles, whelks and anemones. Some of the anemones were open as the water was still just covering them. This allowed the children to see their tentacles whereas others that were out of the water were closed.

The children enjoyed paddling in the sea and running back up the beach trying not to get wet as the waves broke. Others tried jumping the waves, sometimes not getting it quite right and getting splashed.

It was great to see the two classes play and work together, it was a really amazing day Chestnuts.

Chestnuts have had a wonderful, fun filled last few weeks. The beach trip was fabulous; super paddling fun. They have all really enjoyed learning about Titanic too!

While getting themselves ready for Forest School today we talked about why birds build nests. The class told me that they build them for their eggs and baby birds. Once they were ready, the class tried walking like different animals as we made our way to Forest School. They crept like a fox, hopped like a frog, flapped their wings like a bird and buzzed like a bee.

We sat around the fire circle and reminded ourselves of the rules we follow to keep us safe around the fire; well done Willows for remembering all of them! Some of the class then helped build a fire making sure to put larger sticks at the bottom and smaller ones on the top. With a little help, they used a flint and steel to light some cotton wool to place on the fire. Once the fire had got going, we placed some popcorn kernels in the middle of two sieves and held them over the fire. Some other members of the class came over to watch the popcorn being made, “I’m waiting for it to pop, pop”. Once it was ready, a little sugar was added and it was enjoyed by the whole class.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Some children chose to play with the bird teddies which had come to Forest School again today. Using hay they created nests for the birds to sit in, which were placed into trees, “look it’s in a tree like a real nest”. Then Willows decorated stones to make colourful eggs for their nests, some with spots others with many different colours.

There were some creations in the mud kitchen, using some old charcoal from the fire. They put the charcoal into a saucepan and crushed it up, adding water and other materials to make a black soup.
With a little less water and large puddles at Forest School today there was a lot more mud to explore. The class walked through the sticky mud trying not to get stuck, leaving some great footprints as they walked.

We started today by learning a game called ‘Bat & Moth’. The class stood in a circle making a 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 and doing its best not to get caught.

We sat around the fire circle and reminded ourselves of the rules we need to follow to keep us safe. Some of the class stayed to help get the fire ready. They stacked the wood with the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top. Then using a flint and steel they lit pieces of cotton wool to add to the fire. They found this a little tricky but with some help they managed to get the fire started. Once the fire was going the children held popcorn kernels over the fire waiting for it to start popping – “look it’s popping”. When it was ready it was shared out and enjoyed by the whole class.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

A selection of bird teddies joined us at Forest School today. Some children made nests for the birds using hay. These nests were placed around the site. Stones were decorated as eggs and placed into the nests. The eggs were very brightly coloured, some with spots and some with stripes.

There was some great independent play from Maples today. A variety of food creations were cooked up in the mud kitchen for Mr Lulham to try. Some children went ’mining for gold’ in the small stream that runs down one side of Forest School. They sieved through the mud and stones to find their treasure. Others chose to practice balancing on the slack line, which was rather tricky with muddy boots!

Some of the class chose to have a go at making their own pens. They did this by cutting a small length of willow, then using a peeler they stripped off the bark – “wow, it’s so white”. A point was made on one end completing the pencil. As a group they gathered up some charcoal and crushed it into a pot, adding a little water and mixing it together to make a black paste. They then tried writing with the pencils they had made, which worked really well.

Oaks started their Forest School session today by playing a game called Bat and Moth. The group all held hands to create a cave with two children in the middle, one as the bat and one as the moth. The bat wore a blindfold and carefully listened for the moths squeak. The bat then tried to catch the moth as they ran around the cave.

We had a fire today to keep ourselves warm as well as make some popcorn. The children laid the fire ready for lighting making sure to start with bigger sticks at the bottom and smaller sticks at the top. Using a flint and steel they very quickly lit a piece of cotton wool and added it to the fire they had laid. Once the fire was warm enough they added some popcorn kernels to a sieve. This was then held over the fire to heat up and pop. When it was ready, sugar was added and the popcorn was enjoyed by all of Oaks.

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.

Some bird teddies also joined Forest School today. Some children chose to make nests for the birds using hay, quite a few of the nests were made inside sauce-pans! Using pens they decorated some stones to make colourful eggs for their birds to sit on.

Some of the class chose to try whittling. They did this by cutting a length of willow and then using a peeler to stripped off the bark. They then tied wool onto either end pulling it tight to create a bow. They came back to whittle more willow to make arrows.

There was a lot of tree climbing at Forest School today, Oaks would make very good monkeys. The mud kitchen was very busy with lots of mud being transported to create food. The children also took it in turns to push and twist each other using the hammock as a swing.

We started Forest School today by meeting a real hedgehog called Harry who had come to Park Mead to meet the children. They learnt lots of different facts about hedgehogs and were amazed when he curled up into a ball – “you can still see his nose”.

There were six bird teddies hiding in the classroom for the children to find once they were ready for Forest School. They found a robin, blackbird, jay, blue tit, goldfinch and green woodpecker. We then set off in the rain on the hunt for puddles, taking the birds with us. It wasn’t long before we found a puddle, the children walked in it slowly testing how deep it was – “I’m stuck in the mud”.

Some children chose to make toilet roll binoculars, wrapping them in string to fix the rolls together and adding string so they could wear them while looking for birds. Others chose to refill the toilet roll bird feeders that they had made before half term and re-hanging them in a tree ready for the birds to enjoy. While these were being made we looked at the bird teddies taking it in turns to listen to the sounds that the different birds make.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

There was a lot of water at Forest School today – “I found a waterfall”. Some of the children gathered up branches and other materials to try and stop the waterfall but the water always found a way through. One child tried using their wellie – “we need more boots”. We all placed our boots in the way to try and block the water but if flowed over the top or our wellies. The children worked as a team to try and empty the puddle that was feeding the waterfall, they did this with saucepans. They also spent a bit of time splashing their way through the rather large puddle.

The hammock was put up as a swing today, however this proved very tricky to use as the wind blew it around. The children had to chase it and jump to catch it before they could climb inside to have a swing.

There was some great free play in the mud kitchen with all sorts of creations being made. They walked around Forest School foraging through all the new vegetation that has started to grow, running back and forth with saucepans full of water to add to their cooking.

We started today by having a look at pictures of different birds we may spot while at Forest School. We talked about what they look like and I asked the class to describe them to me – “they have feathers and they can fly”.

We sat around the fire circle and reminded ourselves how to keep ourselves safe around a fire. The class practiced swapping places by going round the outside of the circle. They also learnt that they shout ‘red dragon’ if someone walks into the fire circle without being asked in by the Forest School leader.

A few children stayed to help lay the fire. They learnt that you start with larger sticks at the bottom, stacking up to smaller sticks on the top and then adding a handful of wood shavings. Using a flint and steel they tried to light a piece of cotton wool to add to the fire. This can be a little tricky but with some help it was lit and added to the fire.

Once the fire was going the children took it in turns to toast a marshmallow, this was then placed between two biscuits ready to be eaten – “so yummy”.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Some children chose to make toilet roll bird feeders. First they made holes at one end of the roll and posted a stick through, this is so the bird has something to land on. Then they covered the roll in lard and sprinkled it with seeds. The last thing to do was to make holes at the top and add string so it could be hung in a tree ready for the birds to enjoy.

There was some great independent play at Forest School today, some children choose to swing in the hammock with others adding sticks to an existing den and then climbing on top of it. Others chose to create their own pretend fires, which they pretend to light.

We finished today’s session by asking the children what they had enjoyed about their afternoon at Forest School.

Oaks started their Forest School session today working together as a team to move the wonderful donations we have received for our bug hotel.

Some of the class then helped light a fire. They stacked the wood, largest at the bottom to smallest at the top. Using a striker they lit some cotton wool, which was placed on the fire. Some of the children found this quite tricky but they persevered until they achieved a flame. It was nice to see the children that had managed to light it quickly help those who were struggling. Once the fire was established, the class took it in turns to toast a marshmallow ready to go in between two chocolate biscuits for eating.

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.

Using toilet rolls some of the children made binoculars; then they walked around Forest School looking for birds. Others chose to look at animal tracks, trying to see if they could guess which animal had made each track. Then they pushed the stones with the tracks on into some clay. This left an imprint of the track in the clay.

There was a lot of digging and den building going on today. One child used a broken trowel and a stick to create their own mini spade. They did this by using the palm drill to make a hole in the stick, pushed the trowel into it before securing it with string. The group building used fence posts to create their den. They worked together to transport the posts across Forest School, going through the mud trying their best not to get stuck!

There was a lot of free play in the hammock swing; some children chose to sit where as others chose to stand, which made them look like a giant chrysalis. They took it in turns to push each other. Sometimes they were pushed between five people creating a circular swing.

Maples set off for a chilly afternoon at Forest School. We played a game of Spirit of the Forest to get the class warmed up. The class chose which woodland animal they wanted to be; we had foxes, badgers and deer. The Spirit of the Forest then called the animals one at a time, they ran across to the other side trying not to get caught. If they were caught they became a tree with long branches to catch other animals.

Soon we had created a woodland full of trees!

The class sat around the fire circle, we went through some of the rules and reminded ourselves how to be safe by the fire. Some of the class helped to lay the fire, starting with larger sticks at the bottom, stacking it up to smaller sticks at the top. Then using a striker they lit some cotton wool to add to our fire. The fire was very popular today with the children sitting around it to warm up.

There were all sorts of cooking creations happening in the mud kitchen. The children found ice and added it to what they made. They brought the pans of woodland materials and ice over to the fire, carefully placing them on top to melt the ice.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Using stones that had animal tracks on them, the class made their own tracks using clay. They pushed the stones into the clay leaving an indent.

We finished the session today by asking Maples what new things they would like to try at Forest School:

“cooking pizza”

“popcorn”

“cinnamon apples again”

As you can see all the idea are very food based!

The class started their session by looking at animal footprints made with flour. They were very good at identifying which animal each track belonged to. Once at Forest School we went on the hunt for footprints made by real animals and found some in the mud that belonged to a pheasant and a fox.

We had a look at some stones with animal footprints on and Chestnuts had to work out which animal the footprint belonged to. Using the stones some children then created their own animal footprints. They did this by pushing the stone into clay making an indent.

Others chose to make bird feeders. Some were pine cones filled with lard and rolled in bird seed, others used pipe cleaners threaded with Cheerios. The feeders were then hung in the trees ready for the birds to enjoy. While making them we looked at photos of birds that may eat from the feeders.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The children cooked up some great food in the mud kitchen. They worked together to gather all the things they needed to make something yummy for their teacher, even using ice they found as lumps of chocolate!

Another group of children created a new den. It was great to see them working together to transport the branches they needed from one side of Forest School to the other. The den had lots of different areas. There were areas for cooking, sitting and sleeping. It was great to see such teamwork and creativity.

We finished today’s session by telling each other what we had enjoyed about Forest School today.

“making tracks”

“building our base”

We started Forest School today by learning a new game called Spirit of the Forest. The class chose which 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. When they were called they had to run across to the other side trying not to get caught. 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 am a pear tree”.

We looked at stones with different animal footprints on and the children had to guess which animal had made the track. The children then used clay to create their own tracks by pushing the stone into the clay leaving an imprint of the animal track.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Some children chose to make pine cone bird feed-ers, filling the cone with lard and then rolling it in sunflower seeds – “I’m making mine for a robin”. They then chose where to hang their pine cone feeders in a tree ready for the birds – “hang mine high”, this was so that the birds would be safe while eating.

There was some great independent play on the hammock swing, taking it in turns to push each other and trying hard not to make each other too muddy. There were also lots of wonderful creations happening in the mud kitchen.

We have some great tree climbers in Willows. They worked their way along a fallen tree, carefully balancing until they reached the snake end where they jumped off and ran round to have another go.

We finished today’s session by talking about the things they had enjoyed during their afternoon at Forest School.

“I loved tree climbing”

“The swing”

Willows shuffled like Hedgehogs all the way down to Forest School today. When we got to the site we sat around the fire circle and reminded ourselves of the rules which help to keep us safe. We also talked about not picking or eating anything as it can make our tummies poorly.

Willows set off to explore the site and found a dead bird. We wondered what had happened to it. One child said “I think it was a cat” another said “I think it was a fox”. Together we removed the bird from Forest School.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Harold the hedgehog joined us today and a small group of children spent some time making him a house to live in.

The slack line was up so the children could practice their balancing. They took it in turns to climb up, carefully walk along the line using the rope above for balance, and jump off when they got to the other end.

The hammock was also put up and used as a swing. The children were great at taking it in turns to climb in and push each other. One child said “I’m a swinging sack of potatoes”.

Some children chose to make bird feeders. We talked about the reason we feed the birds and how it can be hard for them to find food in the winter months. They used lard to fill in the gaps on a pine cone and then rolled it in bird seed, making sure it was nicely covered. Once they had finished, they found somewhere to hang their pine cone ready for the birds to eat – “I would like to hang it where the birds can see it”.

Oaks started Forest School today with moving some fencing material down to our site. They worked in pairs to carry each rail as they were a little too long and heavy to carry alone.

A few children practised the fire lighting skills they had learnt in their previous sessions; they are defiantly getting faster at producing the spark that lights the cotton wool. Once the fire was established the kettle was filled and hung over the fire to boil. Oaks then took it in turns to sit by the fire and toast a marshmallow, this was then placed between two biscuits ready for eating – “so yummy”. The kettle soon boiled and everyone enjoyed a warm hot chocolate to go with the s’mores.

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.

Some of the class spent time removing the mud from the daily mile track. They did this by using shovels and brooms to scrape and then sweep as much of the mud away as they could. A channel was dug so that the water could run away. This became so muddy that a couple of the class lost their wellies in the channel, these had to be dug out to get them back!

Some of the children used palm drills to make a hole in a disc of wood, this was quite tricky as the wood was very seasoned but the children persevered until they had made it all the way through. They then used pens to decorate their disk, some as Christmas decorations; one was a picture of a Christmas tree – “a Christmas tree to hang on my Christmas tree”. Others were decorated with nature pictures with the children adding a piece of string so that they could be hung up.

Once Maples were ready we headed out onto the playground for a game of Keeper of the Keys. In this game, the children have to sneak in, take the keys and run back to their seat before the keeper catches them.

Once we were at the Forest School site, a group of children helped to lay the fire. To get the fire going, they used the fire lighting skills they had learnt from their previous session. The kettle was placed over the fire to boil ready for hot chocolate. Maples then took it in turns to toast a marshmallow, which was put between two biscuits ready for eating – “it’s so gooey”.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The hammock was put up as a swing and the class took it in turns to climb inside and push each other.

There was some great team work when rebuilding the den in the corner of Forest School. The children worked together to push wood through the fence to create a roof.

With all the rain we have had there was a rather large puddle that needed to be explored. The class waded through it, splashed in it and also got stuck in it!

We finished the session with a woodland whisper; it got a little muddled so I think we may need to try this again.

These are some of the things that Maples class said they enjoyed about Forest School today-

“I liked the fire”
“All the water”
“S’mores”

Chestnuts got themselves into their waterproofs ready to explore a soggy Forest School. We stopped on the field on the way down for a game of Keeper of the Bell. The children took it in turns to sneak in, steal the bell and run as fast as possible back to their seat without being caught. As the field was so soggy it made running a little tricky.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

Once down at Forest School we recapped on the rules of the fire circle so that we were safe to have a fire. I was impressed at how many of them they remembered. There was some great perseverance shown with striking to get the fire going. Once the fire was roaring the children toasted marshmallows and ate s’mores. We also boiled the kettle and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate – “so yummy”.

The children had lots of great free play in the mud kitchen this afternoon. All sorts of amazing creations were cooked up!

With all the water flowing through Forest School it was great to see the imagination of the class. They found a waterfall that disappeared under the fence, using leaves and small sticks they experimented with what floated, watching it disappear. Lots of large lumps of wood were gathered to try and block the flow of water; however the water always found a way through. There was some great teamwork and some amazing ideas for more dam building that will hopefully be carried out in our next session.

To start forest school Willows worked as a team to transport all the materials that we needed to site. Some of the boxes that we had for den building needed two to carry them, great team work Willows!

These boxes were then used to create dens; the children used crayons and charcoal to decorate the outsides of the box dens.

We talked about Hedgehogs, what the look like, how they would feel and if anyone has seen one in their garden. Willows then created their own Hedgehogs using a selection of autumn leaves to make the spikes found on their backs.

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.

Using green leaves some children created beautiful leaf rubbing pictures, with crayons and charcoal. They did this by placing the leaf under the paper then rubbing the crayon or charcoal over the top leaving the leaf shape on the paper.

They also took it in turns to make a conker caterpillar/worm. They did this by using a palm drill to make holes through conkers which they then treaded it onto a pipe cleaner. This can be tricky as they have to push and twist at the same time. I was impressed at the effort they put in to make sure the palm drill went all the way through.

We finished our session with a game of keeper of the keys. There was great encouragement from the class, cheering on the thief of the keys to make it back to their seat before the keeper could catch them.

We started our Forest School session with a game of Keeper of the Keys; we discovered it is a little tricky to run in wellies.

Some of the children worked together to prepare the fire ready for lighting with big sticks at the bottom, working up to smaller ones at the top. Some children used a striker to light cotton wool to add to the fire. I was impressed at how they did not give up until it was lit and how other members of the class helped those that were finding it a little tricky, great teamwork Oaks.

They cored apples and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. The apples were then wrapped in foil and placed on the fire to cook. The result was very popular with many of the children coming back for seconds and saying “I’m making these at home”.

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.

Oaks worked very well together to make a tarpaulin and wooden shelter, the den was then tested to see how waterproof it was. They all climbed inside the den while a bowl of water was thrown over it. The den was found to be pretty waterproof, until the entrance was tested leaving some slightly soggy children!

Some beautiful leaf rubbings were created using charcoal and crayons. They worked out that thicker leaves work best.

There was some great free play on the slack line and all sorts of yummy food creations were made in the mud kitchen, really making the most of the activities our Forest School site has to offer.

One child found a worm which was named Jeff. They worked with some classmates to create him a lovely home inside a wash-ing up bowl. They even found him a worm friend called Jeremy so that he didn’t get lonely.

We headed out to start our session with a game of beetle tag. Four of the children were birds, catching the other children and turning them into little beetles wiggling on their backs. The little birds tried very hard to catch all the beetles but there were too many.

Once we were down in Forest School we had a quick refresh on how to keep ourselves safe. Mr Lulham was told off by the children for walking through the fire circle, they then demonstrated how to move safely by the fire circle ‘round the outside’.

Some of the children worked to build the fire, starting with the bigger logs at the bottom and finishing with small twigs on the top. They then used a striker to light some cotton wool to add to the 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 placed on the fire to cook. The result was very popular with many coming back for seconds – ”wow, it tastes like apple pie”.

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.

Maples worked really well together to make a tarpaulin shelter ready for it to be tested on its waterproof ability. They then hid inside their den while a bucket of water was thrown over it; they are very good at den construction, none of them got wet!

There was some great free play in the mud kitchen with all sorts of meals being prepared.

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

“Balancing on the slack line”
“I liked the apples”
“Building the den”

Willows got themselves ready with waterproofs and boots to go and explore Forest School for their first ever session.

As they walked down to Forest School we played a nature identifying game called ‘you are only safe when you are touching …‘. They touched grass, fallen leaves, yellow leaves and their teacher’s yellow wellies.

We explored the Forest School area, looking at what areas are safe and which areas you can only go in if you have an adult with you. They helped to identify some spiky brambles and some nettles that we discussed were best to not touch. They learned they shouldn’t ever eat anything they pick, unless an adult has said it is ok to do so.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons, and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

They had a chance to explore on their own. They had a go at climbing trees and creating food in the mud kitchen. The slack line was very popular, it was great to see them persevere as they found it a little tricky to start with. They also made Ladybirds that were popped onto the end of a stick to fly round Forest School.

A few children wanted to explore the bug hotel; they found a spider web and some woodlice. They then used hay and gathered leaves and sticks to fill in any gaps within the bug hotel. They said “it will keep them warm” as they worked together to make their improvements.

Willows ended their session by going round the circle and listening to what they had enjoyed about their afternoon at Forest School.

“Making Ladybirds”

“Playing on the slack line”

“I liked filling the bug hotel”

First session back and all of Chestnuts were very keen to get going and explore forest school. We set off onto the field and started with a game of beetle tag followed by a woodland whisper that ended up a little muddled but the time it got to the end.

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.

Using cups they collected blackberries ready to make paint. We talked about what colour they have to be that means they are ready to be picked. Chestnuts then squashed their collected berries into a paste add-ing a little water and painted some cotton, some children decided to crush charcoal into their paint to change the colour. Some blackberries were placed inside a large piece of cotton which we folded and they took it in turns so stomp on creating a beautiful picture.

Some of chestnuts worked hard in clearing some of the nettles and brambles that were growing over the paths. They put on gloves and used secateurs to clip them back.

Chestnuts used some of the natural materials they had collected to make potions and food creations in the mud kitchen.

There was a lot of great teamwork going on within Chestnuts today, helping each other to find and pick blackberries, balance along the slack line and when gathering materials for their potions.

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

“Making potions”

“Playing beetle tag”

“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 the IMPACT it has had 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 energetic and happy…I like the fresh air”
“It makes me feel free…and happy that I can connect with nature”
“It takes me out of my life and makes me feel free”

NATURE – Has Forest School affected how you feel about nature? If so how?

“It makes me like trees more”
“I saw bunnies and it fascinated me”
“I am happy to be able to connect myself to nature”
“I already loved nature, so it is great”
“It has made us understand Mother Nature and the earth more”
“I have learned some things you can and can’t eat”
“I feel really good after Forest School, even if I am having a bad day”

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

“I learned how to toast marshmallows to make smores”
“Balancing on the slack line….and how to put it up and take it down”
“I used a knife to make a mushroom out of wood”
“Fire making and crafting with wood”
“I learned how to cook and how to use a knife safely”
“I have learned how to make a pencil out of wood”
“How far I can climb up a tree”
“den building”
“How to make dandelion pancakes on a fire”
“What activities did you enjoy most or would like to do more of?
“I like playing with my friends…teamwork, creativity and aiming high”
“Making things like mud soup in the mud kitchen”
“I likes making the bricks out of clay”
“I liked making bacon sandwiches…and all of it”
“I loved digging the massive hole”
“Free play in the woods is my favourite”
“I loved making things with elder pens and pancakes”
“I like that there is a big range of activities that you can do”
“I would like to go on the swing more”

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

“I like the trees…It is fun to climb on trees and play”
“I like my friends in the woods”
“I don’t like the nettles and thistles…you can use a dock leaf if you get stung”
“I don’t think the woodland needs to be improved, it is amazing enough as it is”

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 paint and added sugar to some to make jam.

For the ink, we crushed ½ cup of berries through a sieve into a bowl. Added 1tsp of salt and 1tsp of vinegar. The vinegar binds the pigment and the salt preserves the ink. This is a traditional ink used in the 1600s. The children then used the ink to decorate fabric.

We took a jar of cream to try to create butter. The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the afternoon and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted with crackers. Delicious!Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Oaks showed particular interests in physical risks and
challenges. They learned how to set up and take down the new slack line and hammock, thinking about the knots used to fix them safely to the trees and how to balance and manage their risks safely.

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. In small groups they chatted and we recorded some of their ideas. 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.

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

“Healthy…I feel grateful…I feel happy…Confident…relaxed…calm…positive….relaxed

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

“Nature makes me feel calm…Joyful….satisfied…calm, because sometimes it is quiet, but even if it is loud when we are playing games, that can be fun”

“I liked that we planted trees and did weeding…the bees really need the flowers and plants”

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

“How to walk on a slack line….tree climbing…survival skills, we know what we can use and eat and what we can’t…I know how to ask for help with things…It has been cold and wet and we know we can be outside in different weather”

“I have learned not to go in the fire circle….creativity…I learned how to make a fire and how to stay safe around a fire”

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

“I would like to learn more about nature…I love playing hide and seek….I like the creativity at Forest School….I like animal watching…I like the freedom we have…I like using clay….bird feeders…the hammock…making patterns on fabric”

“I like that you can go and explore parts where you haven’t been before…Making pancakes and the slackline were great”

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

“ I like the swing, the hammock….digging in puddles….the mud was fun…I like the pond and the mud kitchen with water”

What could be improved about the woodland?

“The swing”

 This midsummer’s day the children collected samples of wildflowers and plants on sticky tape to practise their plant identification knowledge, they tried to create the colours of the rainbow. They talked about, buttercups, daisies, clover and pine needles. The class noticed there were lots of yellows and greens, but not many oranges and blues.

We took a jar of cream to try to create butter, inspired by the buttercup flowers covering the field. The children took it in turns to shake the jar furiously throughout the afternoon and in the end it changed to make butter, which they tasted by spreading it onto crackers! The children discussed the changing state of matter from liquid to solid with liquid and were amazed at how simple it was to make butter.

This week the children developed their use of tools by creating printed flower butterflies on fabric. They tapped the juices of each plant out onto fabric to create symmetrical butterflies. There was some great creative thoughts and designs, with the children making intricate insect and butterfly prints. Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland area. The Maples class showed particular interests in physical risks and challenges. They loved the mud kitchen area and spent a long time using the hand wash to create bubble mixtures and then wash all of the pots and pans in the kitchen!

Now that summer has created taller growing plants, the class remembered the games they played last session and spent some time hiding. This lead to a game of ‘Owl eyes’, where the children had 10 seconds to hide and then see if they could remain camouflaged and quiet enough that they couldn’t be seen.

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

“I feel brilliant at Forest School”
“I feel really excited…it makes me feel like fizzy pop”
“I feel adventurous”
“The nature makes me feel calm and good”
“I like the nature because of all of the colours, they make me feel calm”
“I am very happy at Forest School, the nature makes me feel safe”
”I have learned how to look after nature”
“I know how to snap wood to make a fire”
“I learned jumping, climbing trees, identifying birds and sounds and making nests and feeding birds”
“I learned not to pick all the flowers, because bees need flowers and they pollinate
plants to make food and we need that to eat, so don’t pick all the flowers”
“I like being kind to all the animals”
“I love the slack line, and ropes and swinging in the hammock and on the rope swing”
“I like playing with my friends and planting the trees”
“We made tree signs, that was good and the bug hotel”
“The shady trees are good and the flowers and the swing”
“It is a happy place”

Then year 1 and 2 set off for their session together on a sunny, hot afternoon to the cool shady Forest School space under the trees. The children collected samples of wildflowers and plants on sticky tape, they tried to collect as many different colours as they could. They talked about, buttercups, daisies. clover, oak leaves, oak leaves and grasses.

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

This week the children created butterflies with paper and pastels, taking care to try to make symmetrical butterflies. Some children then went on to create leaf and flower printed butterflies on fabric, by hammering the plants and seeing the result as a symmetrical print on the fabric. The children took such care and showed some brilliant individual ideas.

The class spent time playing in the dens they have made, swinging on the rope swing, balancing on the slack line, swinging and pushing each other on the hammock and climbing trees. The mud kitchen was really busy with children creating fantastic muddy mixtures and a lot of flower rich soups and stews. Well done Chestnuts, what a busy afternoon!

To start the session, Willows class talked about how milk comes from cows and how it is a liquid like water. We poured cream into a jar to try to create butter, inspired by the buttercups growing all over the school and Forest School site. The children took it in turns to hold buttercups under each other’s chins and to shake the jar furiously throughout the afternoon and in the end, they created butter, which they tasted with crackers in the shelter! They were so good at spreading their own crackers independently with a knife. It turns out the buttercups were correct- they do like butter!
On the way down the school field, the children climbed along the trim trail, showing great perseverance and physical challenge. The children worked together to hold a white sheet out under some different trees. Once the trees were shaken, the class could easily see what flowers, seeds, leaves and bugs fell out.

“There is a green beetle…and we found a spider… and some flowers”

We identified, collected and smelled the scent of some elderflowers and cooked them on the fire to make elderflower pancakes. The children carefully checked it for bugs, then dipped the elder flowers in egg free batter. After lighting the fire, which the children did with great perseverance and enjoyment the elder pancakes were cooked in a pan. They tasted sweet and delicious!

This week the children continued ‘leaf wapping’; printing with leaves and flowers. They developed their ideas from last time, by finding sticks and threading them onto the fabric to create flags. They also proudly showed off the bunting in their outside area, which had been made from the fabric leaf prints they created last term- it looks fantastic! This term the Willows topic is all about water, so the children enjoyed playing in the mud kitchen this afternoon, mixing mud, flowers, leaves and other plants with water. They noticed what floated and sank in the water.

“Mud goes to the bottom….it sinks”

“The buttercups are floating on top of the water….like marshmallows in a hot chocolate!”

We looked at how our wildflower seeds that the children had sprinkled around the site had developed and watered them, along with the trees which the children planted during the last sessions. Some of the class spent time exploring, climbing trees and playing games with their friends. There was lots of time spent with much enjoyment on the slack line and the hammock swing. What a busy afternoon, well done Willows!

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.

This term Willows topic is all about growing. Today the children learnt how to identify buttercups and daisies at school. We talked about the importance of not picking wild flowers and plants unless an adult had said it was safe to do so. The children talked about how some plants might sting and prickle them, how they might be poisonous and how important they are to insects.

On the way down the school field, the children played a game of ‘beetle tag’, taking it in turns to be beetles and birds to chase and tag each other.

The children collected buttercups and daisies, along with different leaves, green alkanet, forget me not, herb robert and periwinkle flowers, all from the grounds of Park Mead School. They then printing them onto fabric. They thought about where to place the leaves, folded their fabric in half and tapped carefully with hammers to print the pattern and colour from the leaves to make some lovely designs. The children then went on to cut holes in the fabric to make flags by attaching them to sticks.

We looked at how the wildflower seeds that the children had sprinkled around the site previously had developed. We then watered them, along with the trees the children planted during our last session. Some of the class spent time exploring, climbing trees and playing games with their friends. They spent lots of time in the mud kitchen cooking and had much enjoyment on the slack line and the hammock swing. What a busy afternoon, well done Willows!

At the end of the session, the children took it in turns to hold ‘Stick Man’ and share what they had enjoyed about the afternoon.

“I liked balancing on the rope….yes and swinging on the hammock”

“I liked making cheese sandwiches and coffee in the mud kitchen”

“I liked making hot chocolate in the mud kitchen, I mixed in buttercups, mud and grass with the water”

“I liked printing with leaves and making a flag…I made 2!”

“I liked watching the game of ‘beetle tag’, all the children played really well”

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.

This week the class helped to transport some woodchip down to the shelter area to help combat the wet, muddy ground. They worked with spades, wheelbarrows and buckets together to carry and spread out the woodchip under the shelter area, to create a better surface for everyone using the site. It looks fantastic and has made a great difference to everyone at Park Mead who will use the space- well done Oaks!

Part of the Forest School experience is about risk and challenge and taking responsibility for their individual choices and actions. We talked about how to assess risk and how to use tools, techniques and the Forest School area as safely as we could.

They collected some sticky weed and made crowns adorned with dandelions. Some of the children tried a sticky weed juice which we had made. They collected the plant, washed it, carved off some bark from a hazel stick and pounded it in clean drinking water until the water turned green. Then more sticky weed was made into a nest shape, used as a sieve and it was ready to taste.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Oaks showed particular interests in physical risks and challenges. They learned how to set up and take down the new slack line and hammock, thinking about the knots used to fix them safely to the trees and how to balance and manage their risks safely.

This week some of the children continued to develop their tool skills, by using knives to carve with. They were great at listening to learn how to use the tools in a safe way. First they used pruning saws to cut the wood to a useable length. Then they had a go at peeling bark and sharpening the ends of sticks. Some children started to create patterns on their ticks and even tried to carve small mushrooms.

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.

This week the class helped to transport some woodchip down to the shelter area to help combat the wet, muddy ground. They worked together with spades, wheelbarrows and buckets to carry and spread out the woodchip which created a better surface for everyone using the site. It looks fantastic and has made a great difference to everyone at Park Mead who will use the space – well done Maples!

Part of the Forest School experience is about risk and challenge and taking responsibility for their individual choices and actions. We talked about how to assess risk and how to use tools, techniques and the Forest School area as safely as we could.

Maples continued to practise their fire lighting skills this week; recalling the skills practised in their last 2 sessions. They showed great perseverance when trying to create sparks to ignite their fire and showed good peer to peer support; demonstrating how to use fire strikers and encouraging each other with the challenge. Once the fire was alight, the children cooked some egg free dandelion pancake lollipops by dipping them in batter and frying them on the fire. It was good to see the children trying new and unfamiliar foraged food.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Maples showed particular interests in physical risks and challenges.

Maples enjoyed getting messy in the mud kitchen and digging channels for any excess rainwater to flow away.

They planted two more sapling trees along the roped border of the Forest school space.

The children continued playing with the toy birds in the Forest School area and spent a long time creating animals and creatures out of clay.

Now that spring has finally sprung, the class noticed how the plants have really grown and spent some time hiding. This lead to a game of ‘Owl Eyes’, where the children had 10 seconds to hide and then see if they could remain camouflaged and quiet enough so that they couldn’t be seen.

We finished with a game of ‘Fox and Rabbit’, where the children had to work together to be a ‘warren’, defending the rabbit from its fox predator.

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.

This term Chestnuts topic is all about growing, so this week the children planted some tree saplings along the boundary with the field, looking carefully at the complexity of the roots of the saplings and how the shoots were developing this year’s new leaves. They found lots of worms and woodlice when they were digging and used a mini beasts identification sheet to check what they had found. We spent some time banging in stakes around the sapling trees to support and protect them to help them grow.

The saplings are hawthorn, silver birch and rowan. Referring to information in books and tree identification cards, Chestnuts created some lovely ID tags to hang on the trees in the Forest School area. Some of the children also tried making bark rubbings of the oak tree bark with paper and wax crayons.

The children put up two planters on the mud kitchen and filled them with compost and some butterfly friendly wild flower seeds and gave them a good water to help them start to germinate and then grow. They also planted some of the wild flower seeds carefully around the base of their newly planted saplings.

The class spent time playing in the dens they have made, swinging on the rope swing and climbing trees. We noticed that there were tadpoles in the pond, so the class had an enjoyable time watching them dart around the pond. The mud kitchen was really busy, with children creating fantastic muddy mixtures and a ‘scrumptious stew!’

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.

Willows have been spotting birds throughout the winter and have created their own bird feeders with pine cones. They topped up the seeds on the bird feeders to continue to feed the birds throughout the nesting season.

This term the Willows topic is all about growing, so the children had a go at learning to identify some trees around the school site. They created their own tree identification labels, which we then hung up on the corresponding trees.

Some children had a go at making bark rubbings with paper and wax crayons. They moved a sapling hazel tree, planting it in a better place away from the pond.

We found some wildflower seeds which the children sprinkled around the site to grow. Some of the class spent time replenishing the bug hotel with broken clay pots, sticks, leaves and wood. They found lots of bugs living there and made up some lovely stories about the creatures they had found. There was lots of time spent in the mud kitchen cooking and much enjoyment on the slack line and the rope swing. What a busy afternoon, well done Willows!

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 looked around the school grounds for signs of spring, using identification sheets to help them. They found daffodils and snowdrops flowering near the gardening area. Then they took a moment to find a quiet ‘sit spot’ in the Forest School area to observe and listen to the woodland.

This week Chestnuts started to learn a bit about recognising birds. The children played with toy birds and learned to identify them by their colours and bird calls. They talked about the 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.

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

The class spent time building dens from branches, playing in the mud kitchen and climbing trees.

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.

At the end of the session the class played a game of ‘Spirit of the Forest’, where they each became a bird and had to get from one side of the forest to the other without being caught and turning into a tree.

Willows have been spotting birds throughout the winter and had created their own bird feeders with pine cones. They topped up the seeds on the bird feeders to continue to feed the birds through the coming months.

Willows talked about the story they have been reading in class this week-‘The Three Little Pigs’. We talked about the different materials 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 build different houses. Some of the children thought they could make houses, or nests for birds and most of the children spent time engaging with the properties of the materials, rather than house construction! They spent a long time digging the clay and mud and experimenting with adding water and straw to mix it. Then they pushed their mixture into the frog of a brick to create their own clay bricks with.

The children played independently, climbing the trees, using the slack line and the hammock, playing with the birds, digging clay, mixing clay with hay, making clay bricks and creating in the mud kitchen.

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.

At the end of the session each child shared what they had enjoyed about their session. It was great to hear such good thoughts and witness such great listening skills.

“I like making the bird feeders….the birds keep eating all of the seeds!”

“I liked playing with the birds”

“I liked making food in the mud kitchen…I made pancakes for Doormouse”

“I liked climbing the trees and going on the slack line”

“I like digging in the clay and the mud, if it is too dry, you have to add water”

“I think that the pond could be a home to the ducks, they are not there now, and maybe they flew away, because ducks have wings”.

Willows had been spotting birds last session and had created their own bird feeders with pine cones. They topped up the seeds on the bird feeders so the birds could continue to feed throughout the cold months.

The children played a game called ‘Spirit of the Forest’. They each chose to be a bird; a robin, a wood pecker or an owl and had to run and dodge, turning into a tree if they were tagged.

This week the children were introduced to more bird identification. They talked about the colours and patterns on the bird feathers and listened to bird calls to try and identifying them.

Then they found a quiet ‘sit spot’ and spent 5 minutes quietly watching and listening to birds. They then looked at bird identification sheets, some used their phonics knowledge to sound out and read the captions; robin, green finch, song thrush.

We made a fire and talked about fire safety. We used the fire to make a hot drink to have with a biscuit.

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.

Then the children played independently, climbing the trees, playing with the birds, making nests and creating in the mud kitchen.

At the end of the session each child shared what they had enjoyed about their session. It was great to hear such good thoughts and witness such great listening skills.

“I liked the hot chocolate”

“I liked playing with the birds”

“I liked making the big nest…it was a circle”

“I liked making food in the mud kitchen…and eating a biscuit with hot chocolate”

“I liked making the fire”

“I liked listening to the birds and sitting quietly”

Oaks set off for their Forest School session 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 in the Chinese Lunar New Year are determined. This year is the year of the rabbit. They played a game of ‘fox and rabbit’.

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.

On the way to the Forest School area, the Oaks looked at compasses. They all found North and learned how to set their compasses correctly. We played a game, learning about the different directions and the degrees in which North, East, South and West point in a 360 degree circle. Some children continued using their compasses in the Forest School area as part of their play.

The water in the Forest School area is finally starting to dry up, so the whole class spent some time clearing the area which has become very overgrown. They collected wood and sticks, removed rubbish and footballs from the area and worked together as a team to move large pieces of wood and palettes. It was great to see them working together so well and to have more space to explore and play in.

Some of the large sticks and branches were used to build dens. Some children used rope to tie some branches together to make a ladder and they even designed and made a coat rack for their den!

The children dug out some clay and had a go at continuing to create bricks which they started last session.

We put up a slack line between some of the trees in the wooded area and the children took turns taking physical risks and challenges by walking along it.

This week some of the children developed their tool skills, by using knives to start to carve with. They were great at listening to how to use the tools in a safe way. First they used pruning saws to cut the wood to a useable length. Then they had a go at peeling bark, sharpening the ends of sticks and some started to create patterns on their sticks and even tried to carve small mushrooms.

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.

Before the session, the class listened to a bit of the story of ‘Billy and the Minpins’, by Roald Dahl, linking with their learning journey topic this year. They heard the chapter where Billy climbs a very tall tree and then had a go on the trees in the forest school area themselves.

Some of the group used small logs and wooden pieces to create their own miniature Forest School area on the table under the shelter.

The Maples class continued to practise their fire lighting skills this week, recalling the skills practised from their last session. They helped sort the sticks into different sizes to start the fire with. Once the fire was going, the children heated water to make a hot chocolate, to warm them on the chilly afternoon. Some individuals were great at preparing the cups and drinks for everyone.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. The Maples class showed particular interests in physical risks and challenges. They showed this through tree climbing, digging, stick creativity, swinging and by using the slack line.

There was some turn taking and balancing on the slack line. It was good 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.

Part of the Forest School experience is about risk and challenge and taking responsibility for their individual choices and actions. And also about how the weather affects them and the environment.

There was lots of ice around and the children explored the ice with great interest. They tried melting it, breaking it up into pieces and discussed the thickness of it. They really loved the bubbles inside the ice and were creative with using it as an ingredient along with mud and acorns in their mud kitchen. When the hot chocolate had been made, some took the pans to the fire to see how quickly the ice melted in pans on the fire. It is great to see their enthusiasm with scientific enquiry and changing states of matter.

Some of the class created some bird feeders using threaded cereal onto pipe cleaners and hung them around the Forest School area.

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.

This week the Chestnuts class 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 outside, like the animals in the story. The children also shared that they had made tracks in the snow when it fell in December.

The class set off outside into the wind, creating animal foot prints all around their outside area. After watching how to create footprints with stencils, sieves and flour; it was brilliant to see how engaged they were with having a go independently. They learned how to identify animals by their tracks. Deer have a print with 2 marks, fox have 4 paw prints and badgers have 5.

The class had a go at clearing out weeds from their gardening area. The children used rakes, trowels, buckets, wheelbarrows and gloves to help them. There was lots of interest in looking at the roots of the weeds and using magnifying glasses to look at some of the worms and insects they found. They talked about compost and put all of their weeds into the compost bins to use later on in the year to fertilise their plot.

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 Chestnuts are thinking about the ‘Great Fire of London’ as their learning journey this term, so today they shared their knowledge of what they had learned about the event so far. In the pouring rain, 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. The children were very observant, watching how the fire changed as it spread, seeing smoke and sparks jumping from one building to another. Finally we used some water to extinguish the fire completely at the end of the session.

This week Willows 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 outside, just like the animals in the story. The children also shared that they had made tracks in the snow when it fell in December.

The class set off outside into the wind, creating animal foot prints all around their outside area. After watching how to create footprints with stencils, sieves and flour; it was brilliant to see how engaged they were with having a go independently.

Some children then went on to create clay footprint impressions and learned to identify badger, fox and deer footprints, by counting the marks of the footprints.

Willows had been spotting birds and feeding them when it snowed at the end of last year, so this week they created their own bird feeders with pine cones. Developing their gross and fine motor skills as they worked, the children covered the cones with lard and dipped them in seeds, before choosing which tree branches they wanted to hang them from.

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.

Then the children played independently, making up games, running around in the wind and continuing to play with the flour, stencils and animal identification sheets.

The children then all played a game of ‘Spirit of the Forest’. They each chose to be an animal and then a bird and had to run and dodge, turning into a tree if they got tagged.

After the children were inside and dry, they held Stick Man in turn, and shared what they had enjoyed about their session. It was great to hear such good thoughts and witness such great listening skills.

“I liked making prints with the clay”

“I liked using the flour…the deer print is my favourite

“I liked playing the game, I was a woodpecker and I was really fast”

“I liked going in the puddle on the running mile….and making foot prints with flour”.

“I liked playing with my friends…I was a blackbird”

“I liked making the bird feeder and the flour and the clay and everything!”

This week the Willows class used willow which we had cut from the pond area, to create stick men. They used peelers to carefully peel the bark off the sticks and then drew faces onto them with pens. They used pipe cleaners to create arms. They used their stick men to go and play with around the Forest School area.

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.

Then the children had the chance to play with the mud kitchen and go on the hammock. They made some excellent dishes in the mud kitchen and served them to Dormouse.

They used their stick men to go and play with around the Forest School area. At the end of the session the children each held stick man to take it in turns to share what they had enjoyed about their session. They shared with each other what they had enjoyed about their Forest School session.

“I loved being on the hammock with my friends”

“I liked making a stick man, it has wings!”

“I liked going on the (slack) line, it was wobbly and I was a bit scared but I did it again and again.”

Due to the recent torrential rain and its effect on the Forest School area, Oaks Class walked up to the Upper Dicker Park this afternoon for their Forest School session.

On the way each of the children had a stick, which they used to collect fallen leaves. They had to try to find as many different leaves as they could to make a leaf kebab.

The whole class explored the playground together. They showed great confidence and personal challenge trying to climb from one end of the climbing structure to the other without touching the ground. There were some great acrobatics, along with problem solving, when working out how to manoeuvre themselves through and over areas they found tricky.

Some of the class went on the see saw together, shifting their collective weight from one side to the other and even trying to balance in the middle of it.

We put up a balancing rope between some of the trees in the wooded area and the children had a go at taking physical risks and challenges by walking along it. Some of them used each other to steady themselves and some used sticks to help them balance along the length of the rope.

Some children made up their own games and enjoyed playing hide and seek in the wooded area.

There were lots of accessible climbing trees, and it was great to see the individual capabilities of the children with their climbing. Also to hear how they felt by being up high and the change in perspective it gave them.

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.

Oaks ended their session on the playground, with an energetic game of ‘fox and rabbit’. Then they thought about the activities and wrote a fact and an opinion about the things they had enjoyed and achieved during the afternoon.

“I liked playing hide and seek with my friends”
“I liked hanging upside down on the climbing frame”
“We went to the park for Forest School this afternoon and I liked balancing on the ropes”
“I didn’t like the rain…the wooded area was like a huge umbrella sheltering us from the rain”
“We went to the woods at the park…I liked it when my friends swung me really high in the hammock”
“It is my birthday today…going to the park for Forest School was great”

Before the session, it was great to see Maples topic books with their reflections about their last session. They had annotated photographs of themselves at Forest School and written about what they had enjoyed and why.

Maples continued to practise their fire lighting skills this week, recalling the skills practised from their last session. They helped sort the sticks into different sizes to start the fire with. Once the fire was going, the children watched popcorn ‘pop’ by heating it on their fire with great engagement! And of course eating it! Some children helped to fix the popcorn maker, talking through their problem solving ideas to make it better for the second round of cooking.

Then there was time to explore and play in the woodland. Maples showed particular interests in physical risks and challenges. They showed this through tree climbing, digging, stick creativity, swinging and by using the slack line.

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 take turns and share the space with each other.

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.

Using tools to dig in the large ‘dinosaur footprint’ hole they had created was very popular. They were very engaged in making clay balls with the clay which they had dug out.

Due to all of the rain, a stream and a pool of water had been created. Some of the class were very interested in working out how to dam and then divert the flow of the water into the ditch behind the Forest School area. It was brilliant to see such great teamwork, such as using cups to pass water along a line and pour it into the ditch.

Part of the Forest School experience is about risk and challenge and taking responsibility for their individual choices. Some children chose to stay under the shelter and create with wood, pens and wool. Some other children got very wet and muddy and started to learn about their choices, how they explored and how their choices affected how they felt as a result of the weather and elements they engaged in. Some got water in their boots, as they chose to go in the water. Some got very muddy as they chose to engage with digging and exploring in the mud. Afterwards we talked about taking individual responsibility for ourselves and considering the cause and effect of the weather, seasons and elements.

There were some creative uses of found objects- making bows and developing the creations they had made last session. Some children used coloured string and wool to decorate, wrap and weave around sticks following their own ideas. There were also some designs beautifully drawn on wood.

The Chestnuts class developed their fire lighting skills this week, recalling the fire skills from their last session. They helped sort the sticks into different sizes to start the fire with. Once the fire was going, the children watched popcorn ‘pop’ by heating it on their fire with great excitement! And of course eating it!

The whole class also explored the Forest School area and chose to follow their own interests.

There was lots of rain left from the recent we days, which went into ‘cooking’ muddy dishes in the mud kitchen.

Some children found that they could sculpt the mud into snowmen, or mudmen! The children carefully created different sized spheres and connected them together with their fingers, sculpting the mud. They put them carefully in the shelter of the bug hotel to dry out and look at next session.

The class took digging tools to the large hole and explored digging out the rain soaked mud, watched the rainwater flow through the site and into the ditch and experimented with trowels, pots and pans, to try to work out how to transport the rain water and mud around the site for their sculpting and mud kitchen play.

The fallen tree and branches proved popular again with the children, who spent time climbing and challenging themselves to balance and move along the branches in different ways.

We put up a slack line, which was popular with the class. They showed balance, resilience, risk taking and perseverance when trying to move themselves along the length of the slack line. It was great to see their pride in developing their skills.

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.

Well done Chestnuts for a very busy afternoon.

The children helped to collect a wheelbarrow full of sticks, which had been blown off the trees by the wind. They used these to make a fire. The children talked about fire safety and why it was important to keep themselves and others safe around fires.

“You have a glove to keep your hands safe”

“You need water to put out the fire”

“Firemen are good at putting out fires”

“Fire is hot and can burn you”

They had a go at walking around the fire circle space, rather than across it. Then the children all worked together to build a fire with their sticks, talking about the different sizes of sticks from thick to thin. When the fire was laid, they took it in turns to use fire strikers to have a go at creating sparks to ignite the cotton wool. It took some courage and perseverance but the children worked really well and lit a fantastic fire!

Once the fire had burned down, the children watched as we cooked popcorn in a sieve on it. They were very excited to see the kernels popping and very enthusiastic about eating it! They then talked about what sound the popcorn made and had a go at sounding out the initial sound of the word.

“It is ‘p’ for popcorn”

The class listened to a story about a Hedgehog who lived in a pile of leaves as they ate their popcorn around the fire.

There was time for the children to make their own firework ribbons by tying wool onto sticks. They then made movements, danced and tried to draw graphemes they had leaned with their fireworks. The wind was blustering, so it was a lot of fun and it was great to see the children proudly showing off their fireworks to the rest of the children at Park Mead and they ran their golden mile past the Forest School space.

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.

Then the children had the chance to play with the mud kitchen and go on the rope swing.

At the end of the session they helped put out the fire by pouring cups of water onto the fire pit. They shared with each other what they had enjoyed about their Forest School session.

“I loved eating the popcorn”

“I liked making my firework”

“I like playing with my firework”

To start the afternoon, Willows shared their knowledge about autumn and how the leaves fall from the trees. Each child had a stick and went and collected lots of different types of leaves and put them onto the stick to make a leaf kebab. We talked about looking closely at the shapes of the leaves as a way of identifying them. We found many different colours— curvy oak leaves, yellow birch leaves, red cherry leaves and some heart shaped leaves.

The children played a game of ‘beetle tag’ on the field. They took turns in being beetles and birds and had to try not being tagged, by showing agility and being able to run, turn, stop and dodge. When they got tagged the children had to lie on their backs like beetles with their arms and legs in the air! It was great to see teamwork and turn taking during the game. Well done Willows.

The children listened to the story of ‘Leaf Man’ who goes where the wind blows.

They then had a go at using palm drills to try to drill holes in conkers and acorns. The children showed good perseverance with drilling and then threading them onto pipe cleaners. Willows were good at counting how many they had drilled and threaded. They then hung them up in the Forest School shelter. The children were then inspired to put their drilled conkers on sticks which they put into a pumpkin. They found feathers and their leaf kebabs which they decorated the pumpkin with also.

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.

Then the children had the chance to choose their own exploration and play. They spent a long time playing in the mud kitchen with acorns. Lots of them enjoyed exploring the bug hotel and in the fallen tree area.

Willows ended their session by passing ‘Stick Man’ round the circle and sharing what they had enjoyed about the afternoon.

“I liked swinging on the hammock”
“I liked playing the beetle game”
“I liked playing in the mud kitchen”
“I liked drilling the conkers and making them to hang on the tree”
“I liked collecting leaves”

Oaks Class started their afternoon with a game of ‘fox and rabbit’. They worked really well as a class, and were good at noticing which members of the class had had a go and were very agile with their running!

Some of the class showed great perseverance when using the fire strikers to light the fire. They practised being patient in taking turns to use the tools and with the strong wind, which threatened to put out the fire as they were lighting it! They then used sticks to toast marshmallows and sandwiched them between biscuits to make smores, which were delicious on a cold, windy day!

The whole class then explored the Forest School area and chose to follow their own interests.

There was lots of drilling into conkers and acorns with palm drills. The children showed a developing independence in using tools to carefully drill holes on them, then threading them onto string and adding details of colour and design with pens.

Some children created with clay. Creating small sculptures and adding details of textures and features using clay tools and autumn finds such as blackberries and hawthorn berries.

There was lots of industrious moving of branches and logs to create a den with a trampoline in the overgrown fallen tree area.

A group of children were really involved in digging in the clay rich soil. They then discovered they could ram the soil into the ‘frog’ of a brick to create their own bricks. “We just need to make 100,000 more, then we can use it to build walls of our den”

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.

Oaks ended their session by working in pairs to discuss what they had done, enjoyed and achieved during the afternoon. They each wrote a series of words on reflection stickers after discussing together.

It was great to see the perseverance of the children getting themselves ready; with their wellies and waterproofs to venture out into the rain and Forest School.

The children played some nature identification games called ‘You are only safe when you are touching…’ They looked at clover leaves, yellow flowers, fallen leaves, sycamore helicopters, oak trees and acorns. One of the children brilliantly shared their knowledge of acorns, carefully explaining how they are the babies of the oaks and they grow into big trees.

They learned they shouldn’t ever eat anything they pick, unless their supporting adults have discussed it with them, because it might make them ill.

The children had a go at copying rhythms with sticks and learned a song to sing with tapping sticks.

They explored the Forest School area, identifying which places were safe and which parts they had could only explore with adults. They learned how to wash their hands whilst in the Forest School area. There were some tall nettles, prickly brambles and large wet, muddy puddles which the children saw and then stayed away from. The children spotted the bird boxes and all jumped when a bird flew out of the large owl box on the oak tree!

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.

Then the children had the chance to play with the mud kitchen and go on the rope swing. They spent a long time making ‘soup’ and other concoctions with all of the acorns they had collected from the floor.

“This is some vegetable soup for you and the grass is grated cheese on top”
“I changed this acorn to be money, you can buy some food from the mud kitchen now”

Some children were very interested in exploring the bug hotel and looking under the logs to look for minibeasts. They found some spider webs, a moth, some woodlice and some slugs.

Willows ended their session by passing ‘Stick Man’ round the circle and sharing what they had enjoyed about the afternoon.

“I loved swinging on the rope”
“I liked playing in the mud kitchen”
“I like the slugs I found”
“I liked collecting acorns, I got more than 8!”

Finally Willows had a go at passing a ‘Woodland Whisper’ along the line from child to child. It started out as ‘acorns’ and finished as ‘hotdogs’! We will practise again next time! Well done Willows for engaging and playing so well at your first Forest School session.

The sun has finally started shining, so the Chestnuts set off along the shade of the hedge to the Forest School area with hats and water bottles. Along the way the children found lots of sticky weed growing in the hedge and some made crowns out of the plants they found!

“It is really scratchy”
“I would like to be a King in a castle with my crown”
“Look! The sticky weed is sticking to your clothes!”

The class started with a circle around the fire pit in the cool shade of the shelter. We talked about the summer and how midsummer’s day is next week, with the longest day of the year.

The class all smelled the midsummer flowers of the elder tree and set about making some elderflower cordial. The first step was collecting wood to make a fire, which they did completely independently, remembering they needed really dry wood and that they had to sort it into a variety of sizes from thick to really thin.

The class used their skills builder knowledge to support each other with their fire lighting by talking through how to use the fire strikers, listening well, supporting each other with encouragement and showing great teamwork with sharing the resources.

Once the fire was lit, they helped prepare the ingredients for the cordial. This involved talking through the recipe, picking flowers, adding sugar and lemon and taking turns to stir their cooking and tending the fire.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience. The developing independence in fire making skills was evident today.

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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Chestnuts following their own ideas.

Some of the Chestnuts talked about symmetrical butterfly patterns as they created their own imaginative representations and flew them around the Forest School area.

Some went to the pond to investigate, following on from their last session. They found and looked closely at the skins left from damselflies which had developed from larvae in the pond.

Throughout the session the children reflected on the impact of Forest School, by discussing and evaluating their year. There were lots of brilliant comments:

“I like Forest School, the green and plants and nature make me feel calm”
“I have learned listening skills and creativity and teamwork”
“I like playing games together”
“I loved making fires!”

There was also lots of climbing of the trees and swinging on the tyre swing and the hammock and playing in the mud kitchen. Lots of the children chose to make bows out of wood that they had found and some spent time adding to the bug hotel.

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children. And that they can reflect upon and acknowledge the impact of the experience of Forest School. Well done Chestnuts!

Today Oaks Class started their session by identifying and collecting sticky weed. We made it into a ball to practise throwing and catching as a name game.

We went to the field and played a brilliant game of ‘Beetle Tag’. The children all were beetles and scurried around trying to run away from the birds who were trying to ‘tag’ them. When they were tagged they had to lie on their backs like an upturned beetle until one of their friends rescued them.

The class all took turns to be the birds and were very fast and agile with their game play in the sunshine.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

This week Oaks learned to light a fire and how to be safe around it. They used cotton wool and fire strikers to ignite it, then placed it onto the top of the fire to burn down.

They talked about how they could tell which way the wind was blowing, by noticing the wood smoke flowing in a particular direction.
The class learned to identify Elderflower by the flowers and their scent. They then used their wood fire to make pancake fritters. We tried elderflower and dandelion fritters and all the children who tried them agreed they were delicious!

Then the children went on to learn more about different flowers on the Forest School site by collecting and printing them onto fabric with a hammers.

Lots of the children spent time playing in the wild areas of the site, following their own ideas and interests. They loved the tyre swing, the hammock and climbing trees independently.

There was lots of digging in the big hole at the back of the site and playing in the mud kitchen with saucepans and water.

Some of the children continued playing the 3 in a row, ladybird noughts and crosses game which they started playing at their last session.

At the end of the session the children tried passing a ‘woodland whisper’ along the full length of the line of 29 children. It started as elderflower and ended up… good attempt, but we will need to practise again! The children were lovely and quiet enough for everyone to hear the birdsong throughout.

Today Willows Class started their session by going to their garden patch to look at the daffodils they had planted. They counted 3 that were flowering and noticed that there were more which were dying because they had already flowered. Then they each threw in the ‘seed bombs’ they had made out of clay, mud and lots of calendula seeds.

“They are a sphere shape”

“Yeah, when you flatten it, it will be a circle!”

“I think the flowers will look beautiful”

“Then we can get more seeds from the flowers next year to grow some more”

We went to the field and played a brilliant game of ‘Beetle Tag’. The children all pretended to be beetles and scurried around, trying to run away from the birds who were trying to ‘tag’ them. When the beetles were tagged, they had to lie on their backs like an upturned beetle until one of their friends rescued them. The class all took turns to be the birds and were really great at noticing which ‘beetles’ needed to be rescued. Well done Willows!

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 and trees in relation to the seasons as well as the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

This week the Willows learned to make a fire and how to be safe around the fire. They practised being ‘Green Dragons’ by switching log seats and walking around the edge of the circle to be safe. They worked as a team, using their understanding of size and measure, to sort sticks into different thicknesses. In turns they put them into the bowl to build a fire with the large sticks at the bottom, building up to the smallest.

They talked about how they could tell which way the wind was blowing by noticing the wood smoke flowing in a particular direction.

Then the children went on to learn about different flowers on the Forest School site by collecting them and printing onto fabric using hammers.

Lots of the children spent time playing in the den which is evolving in the wild area of our site. They loved the tyre swing and the hammock, working on their vestibular and gross motor control development.

There was lots of digging in the big hole at the back of the site and playing in the mud kitchen with saucepans and water.

Some of the children continued playing the 3 in a row ladybird noughts and crosses game which they started playing at their last session.

Each child took it in turns to share and listen to what they had enjoyed about the afternoon.

“I liked banging the leaves with the hammers”

“I liked the woods and the fire”

“I liked the game, It was fun being a beetle”

The class started their afternoon by playing game of ‘keeper of the keys’. They took turns to have a blindfold and had to creep up silently to retrieve some keys from a metal bowl. It took care and stealth to do it successfully!

The children then had a go at printing with the plants and flowers to deepen their learning of different spring plants. They all smelled ground ivy and garlic mustard which are growing on the site. They made some leaf prints by folding plants in fabric and hitting them with a hammer onto wood to create prints from the juices inside the plants.

The children extended their ideas by decorating the wood further and making signs for the bug hotel. They want to continue this next time, so will hopefully use tools to construct small boxes with their decorated wood to add to the bug hotel.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learn-ing how to play Forest School games.

The rest of the afternoon saw Maples following their own ideas and interests.

Some of the children went off to explore what evidence of animals they could find. There were different footprints in the mud by the pond. They thought they might be a squirrel, badger, duck and other bird prints. Hopefully next time we can use plaster of paris to take casts of the prints to keep.

There was of lots of tree climbing as well as swinging on the tyre swing and hammock.

Some of the children continued to dig in their giant hole using sticks and trowels! They worked out how to add water to their mud and mix it to make clay.

Dormouse brought in a tree to plant, so with spades and extra compost they planted it together by the shelter area.

Some children made bows with string and freshly cut willow from the pond area. They tried to learn how to tie knots.

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.

The class were asked what their favourite Forest School experience was:

“I like making dens and different bases with my friends”

“I liked making paint from berries the best”

“I like being in nature”

“I like the mud kitchen “

“I like making things with clay, models and animals”

“I really liked making the bug hotel and making it bigger and drawing signs for it”

“ I like all of it!”

The class started their afternoon by imagining they were balancing along the branch of a tree, trying really hard not to wobble and fall off.

Then they all played a game of ‘you are only safe…’ where they learned to identify some of the plants in the Forest School area such as stinging nettles, dock leaves, buttercups, ground ivy, cow parsley and garlic mustard.

The children then tried printing with plants and flowers to deepen their learning of different spring plants on the site. They made some leaf prints by folding plants in fabric and hitting them with a hammer to create prints from the juices inside the plants. The class used some adjectives to describe their prints:

“Beautiful, colourful, patterned, and interesting”

“I really liked making my flower prints, they look really good”

Some of the class then made some ‘green man and women’ tree faces with clay and the plants, leaves and sticks that they had found. They developed their fine motor control by pressing the clay onto trees and sculpting face details using their fingers and sticks as modelling tools. Glance upwards as you approach or enter many of Britain’s great cathedrals and churches and it is more than likely you will catch sight of the Green Man looking down at you.

It was brilliant to see so many different faces and the class foraging to collect items to help develop their creativity from the woodland.

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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Chestnuts following their own ideas.

This afternoon the ladybird board game was popular and the children played each other to get three matching ladybirds in a row and block their opponents.

There was also lots of tree climbing, playing on the tyre swing and hammock and playing in the mud kitchen.

“I am making some lovely muddy raspberry pie”

“I need some buttercups to add to my silly soup”

Some of the children continued to dig their giant dinosaur footprint in the mud. They got very excited and thought that they might uncover dinosaur bones, or a skull! They worked out how to add water to their mud and mix it to make clay.

“I mixed the mud and rolled it and then sprinkled some dust on top of it and I have made some dinosaur eggs!”

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.

This term Willows have a new learning journey- ‘Splash- What do you know about water?’ So we started our session by going to explore the two ponds at school.

The children each had a magnifying pot to look closely and had a go with a net to catch some of the pond life they found. With an identification chart the children managed to catch and identify damsel fly larvae, dragonfly larvae and some pond skaters.

They were very curious and engaged with observing the pond life and discussing what they had found, enriching and developing their vocabulary. The children found that there was a lot more wildlife in the pond at the forest school area and quietly approached it as there were three ducks who look very at home there.

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.

Lots of the children spent time playing in the den which is evolving in the wild area of our site. They moved lots of wood and enjoyed the physical challenge of climbing on the fallen tree. They then went on to create a ‘circus’ under a tarpaulin, moved logs for the audience to sit on and gave out dock leaf tickets. They performed a story they had made up about a sheep being rescued by a doctor! Very entertaining!

There was lots of digging in the big hole at the back of the site and playing in the mud kitchen with saucepans and water.

Some of the children had a go at the 3 in a row, ladybird noughts and crosses game. They ended up making their own rules and patterns and then went off to hide some other painted stones for Chestnuts class to find next time.

Well done Willows class for such a busy and engaged afternoon.

Willows class listened to the birds singing outside their classroom at the beginning of the session held in the spring sunshine this week.

They played a game ‘Spirit of the Forest’ where they pretended to be woodland birds: robins, woodpeckers and owls and had to fly through the forest without being caught by the trees.

Willows joined in with the rhythms and words of a song and then used tapping sticks to make up new rhythm patterns and took turns in leading the class. They played a listening and guessing game, by trying to identify some birds by their bird calls.

Then each of the children made their own colourful card bird, which they took off to fly around the Forest School area. Some children made nests for them, they counted their birds, took them into their den and made up a bird dance with them, talked about the patterns and colours of their birds, made bird feeders for them with pine cones and seeds and then proudly showed them off to Maples Class whilst they were out running their mile.
The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge they have gained from their Forest School experience.

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

Some children took their birds to explore the bug hotel and found some woodlice and worms, which they thought their birds could eat. They also created a see saw and a bridge for the bugs in the bug hotel!

Some children enjoyed jumping in the muddy hole and playing in the mud kitchen.

They then passed ‘Stick Man’ around the circle to share what they enjoyed about the session.

“I liked going on the tyre swing and making my bird”
“I liked playing in the den with my friends”
“I liked making bird feeders, look, I hung them up on the trees”
“I liked making a nest for all of the birds, there was 11,12,13 birds”
“ I liked making my yellow hammer bird”

Well done Willows class for such a busy and engaged afternoon.

Doormouse lead Oaks last Forest School session for this term.

They started with a game of Tail Tag. Then they dug a large hole and using buckets, they filled it up with water. They said they were making an outside hot tub!

They also spent some time decorating stones with bugs and then hid them in Forest School ready for Willows to find in their session the following week.

They enjoyed making lots of things out of clay, as well as den building and tree climbing.

The session finished with a game of Fox and Rabbit.

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

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

The children talked about the signs of spring which they could spot. Daffodils are growing and the new growth of plants is starting. They independently planted some daffodil bulbs for next year’s spring along the edge of the forest school area.

The class learned a song and joined in with actions;

‘Spring is here’ said the bumblebee,
how do you know?’ said the old oak tree,
Because I saw a daffodil,
Dancing with the fairies on the windy hill’.

The children had a go at making some bird feeders of their own.

The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children gain 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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Maples following their own ideas.

There was lots of independent creating with sticks, to make signs, decorations and boats, which they tested on the pond.

Maples really enjoyed their den building and used secateurs independently to continue to cut back brambles from their den area.

They thoroughly enjoyed digging today, creating a huge hole and filling buckets with clay, which we can use during future sessions.

There was also lots of climbing and swinging and running around!

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.

The class started their afternoon by learning a song about Spring with actions.

‘Spring is here’ said the bumblebee

‘How do you know?’ said the old oak tree

‘Because I saw a daffodil,
Dancing with the fairies on the windy hill’

The children then split into two groups and one set off to weed their school garden beds and plant daffodils ready for next year. They worked brilliantly together and were very excited to find worms and small beetle larvae in the soil. They had also saved some apple pips from their snack and planted these in small pots.

“If we grow these into apple trees, we can plant them at Forest School and always have something to eat here!”

The class then made some tiny bees with alder cones and yellow string. They developed their fine motor control, by carefully winding the string around the cones, attaching a small pair of wings to them. Chestnuts took their bees to the vegetable garden to let them feed on the nectar of daffodils and even found a real bumble bee resting inside a daffodil trumpet!

Once the daffodils were planted the class set off to the Forest School area with a wheelbarrow full of weeds to compost and lots of tiny bumble bees.

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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Chestnuts following their own ideas. They really wanted to continue with the den area and spent lots of time moving large pieces of wood to place them as walls for the den. They climbed a part of the den next to the fence to look over at the surrounding fields and saw lots of crows.

This afternoon the lady bird board game was back and the children spent a long time trying to win the game, like noughts and crosses, to get three matching ladybirds in a row and block their opponents.

There was also lots of tree climbing, swinging and playing in the mud kitchen.

Some of the children found what they thought was a giant dinosaur footprint in the mud! They got very excited and went off to find some trowels to dig around it to uncover it more.

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.

Willows class new topic this term is ‘How does it grow?’, so we set off to the school garden.

After explaining about how “plants need soil, and water and sun to grow, and rain, that is water and plants grow from seeds you know? and they grow in mud”. The children set about digging over the school garden patch. They found the roots of the plants and were very excited to explain their knowledge about how the roots give the plants their food.

Whilst digging they found lots of worms, and some ants eggs and tiny centipedes. It was so good to see such engagement and enthusiasm for their learning along with great working as a team.

Once the plot was cleared, they planted some bulbs leftover from the autumn and took great care to think about how deep the holes needed to be, how they had to cover them and pat down the soil.

With a wheelbarrow full of weeds, they set off down the Forest School area to tip them on the ground.

“The worms will like them down here”

“Other animals might come and eat the weeds here”

Willows joined in with the rhythms and words of a song and then used tapping sticks to make up new rhythm patterns to take turns in leading the class with.

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 fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

The children kept themselves very busy with clearing any fallen twigs and small branches from the recent storm.

“This will be really good to make a fire!”

“Look at how big this branch is, it is taller than me!”

Some of them then used some of the wood to rebuild the den in the corner of the site. They worked together to build and balance and help each other carry larger bits of woods.

Other children returned to climbing in the large ivy bush today, where they had spent lots of time last session making a den.

They then passed ‘Stick Man’ around the circle to share what they enjoyed about the session.

“I likes planting and digging”

“I like building the den with my friends”

“I like finding worms, mine was massive!”

“I like going on the swing and pushing my friends on it”

The children talked about which animals were native in the wild in England. They then spotted some animal tracks and looked closely at the shapes and number of marks there were, before identifying each print. Some children then used stencils to create their own tracks with flour and a sieve. Some used the stencils to create clay prints of the woodland animals.

There were some animal skulls, bones and feathers to investigate and the children responded by asking lots of questions.

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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Maples following their own ideas. They really wanted to continue with their work on the bug hotel, so searched for sticks and moss and other items in the Forest School site.
They also made a sign independently, including some lovely illustrations of the resident worms and insects!

There was lots of independent creating with clay, from clay animals prints, to sculpture, pots and beautiful creations with pine cones.

Maples really enjoyed their den building and used secateurs independently to cut back brambles from their den area. The other tools they used were peelers to peel some. Old Christmas tree branches to make deer antlers and a handsaw to cut pieces of wood to support their independent play.

There was also lots of climbing and swinging and running around!

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.

The class started their afternoon by practising ‘fox walking’. They all had to try to silently walk in a ‘sneaky, stalky’ kind of way, as foxes do when they are approaching their prey. The children tried hard to walk toe first, then heel, to make as little noise as possible.

The children then spotted some animal tracks and looked closely at the shapes and number of marks there were, before identifying each print. Some children then used stencils to create their own tracks with flour and a sieve. Some used the stencils to create clay prints of the wood-land animals.

There were some animal skulls, bones and feathers to investigate and the children responded by asking lots of questions.

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.

The rest of the afternoon saw Chestnuts following their own ideas. They really wanted to continue with their work on the bug hotel, so searched for old pots and sticks to add to it and even found some clay in the ground whilst doing this.

They worked well together to create a barrier to remind everyone to keep away from the really wet areas and paths in the Forest School site.

This then led to some lovely den building. The groups of children moved logs into their dens to create sitting circles and then thought they would like a fire in the middle “to keep us warm…it is cold!” So they collected some woods and then had a go at practising their fire striking skills.

There was also lots of climbing and swinging and playing in the mud kitchen.

It is great to see the confidence in self-chosen activities at Forest School developing in all of the children.
There was time at the end of the session to share and listen to what they had all enjoyed about the session whist drinking a cup of warm apple juice.

“I liked making the animal tracks and sprinkling the flour”

“I like making the fire, I did it from a spark!”

“I liked the clay, but it was really cold and washing my hands was cold too!”

“I liked making the den with my friends, we carried the wood together and I liked our log seats”

“I love the mud kitchen”

Willows class were on the lookout for animal tracks and footprints today. They found some prints on the path and thought that they might belong to Jimmy the school dog.

“His prints look like circles and small triangles”

They then found a clue and sounded out the word ‘FOX’ and learned that fox prints are similar to dogs, but you can draw a X through a fox print.

Then they found some deer prints and thought that they might have been left by Father Christmas’ reindeer Rudolf!

The class then spent time exploring and following their own ideas in the Forest School area. There was lots of busy play in the mud kitchen and the children were very resourceful finding water to mix into their creations. The children’s negotiating skills were evident in the way they played and shared resources with each other.

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 fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

The WIllows children were very involved in climbing in the large ivy bush today and were proud of their skills of taking turns and working together to problem solve, when one of the branches snapped, by working together to move and reposition branches and other logs around their playing area.

Some of the Willows used stencils to push into wet clay, to create animal footprints. They talked about how the clay felt really cold and then rolled it into balls before squashing it into shape to create impressions of animal footprints. They then had a go at writing labels to accompany their clay prints.

At the end of the session the class listened to the story of The Gruffalo’s child, joining in with some of the repeated refrains and looking at the animal tracks which were in the snow in the illustrations.

They then passed ‘Stick Man’ around the circle to share what they enjoyed about the session, whilst enjoying a cup of hot apple juice.

The class started their afternoon with a game of ‘fox and rabbits’ to warm themselves up on the chilly afternoon outside. They took it in turns really well to chase the rabbit and try to make themselves ‘safe’ by creating pairs of children to be ‘burrows’.

Some of the children had a go at lighting the fire and then chopped oranges and apples up to create some hot, spiced apple juice. They added water, apple concentrate and cinnamon bark to the water and stirred it carefully as they brought it to the boil on their fire. This created a delicious hot drink, which was most welcome on the cold afternoon. It was great to see some children trying new tastes and flavours with increased confidence.

Next some of the children had a go at sawing a wooden hazel slice to decorate. They learned to hold the wood securely for each other and how to work in pairs to pull the bow saw to cut a thin slice of wood. They then used palm drills to drill a hole to thread string through. This required lots of persistence and concentration, which the Oaks showed as developing skills. Having threaded the slices onto string, they set about decorating them to create Christmas decorations. They also drilled holes to put sticks and cones into which gave the effect of miniature trees.

The class spent time taking turns on the tyre swing and using secateurs to cut back brambles to create a den together in the overgrown part of the space.

Their tree climbing skill are also developing, with some of them climbing high enough into the tree to see over the hedges and trees into the setting sun on the sheep fields beyond.

Finally some of the Oaks had a go at pulling some dead ivy from the oak tree. We discussed how it was a great habitat for many insects and found lots of woodlice and spiders. They then used string to tie the amazing sculptural ivy to the Forest School shelter as a decorative feature.

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.

Some of the children’s reflections about their session today were:

“ I love Forest School, it is my best lesson, because I learn to do new things like sawing woods and drilling it to make things…and I like playing in the mud kitchen with my friends too”

“ I wasn’t going to try the apple drink, but it smelled lovely, so I tried it and ended up eating the orange too”

“ I would like to use tools again, maybe to whittle some things next time”

The class started their afternoon with a game of ‘fox and rabbits’ to warm themselves up on the chilly afternoon outside. They took it in turns to chase the rabbit and try to make themselves ‘safe’ by creating pairs of children to be ‘burrows’.

The children had two challenges this after-noon. Firstly to light a fire to warm them-selves and to boil a kettle to make hot ap-ple juice for the end of the session.

The children sorted the sticks into widths and learned how to lay a fire. They then used fire strikers to create sparks to ignite cotton wool, which lit the fire. It is a tricky challenge, requir-ing motivation, persistence and quite sophisti-cated fine motor co-ordination. It was fantastic to see the perseverance and to enjoy a warm drink together as a reward for the hard work.

The second challenge for the children was to have a go at sawing a wooden willow slice to decorate. They learned to hold the wood securely for each other and how to work as a team to pull the bow saw and cut a thin slice of wood. They then used palm drills to make a hole to thread string through. This required lots of persistence and concentration and Maples showed their determination and focus with this. Having threaded the slices onto string, they set about decorating them to create necklaces and Christmas decorations.

Along with their challenges, Maples moved some more resources in the Forest School area to add to the bug hotel which was started last week.
They also spent time taking turns on the tyre swing and hammock and using seca-teurs to cut back brambles to create a den together in the overgrown part of the space.

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 and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

At the end of the day the children shared what they had enjoyed and want to do next time.

“I liked lighting the fire”

“I liked swinging on the hammock”

“I liked sawing best of all”

“I liked using the cutters to cut back the brambles to make our den”

“I like the decorating”

Well done for such a productive and engaged afternoon at Forest School and for working so well together and completing your two challenges!

The class started their afternoon with a game of ‘fox and rabbits’ to warm themselves up on the chilly afternoon outside. They took it in turns to chase the rabbit and try to make themselves ‘safe’ by creating pairs of children to be ‘burrows’.

The children had two challenges this afternoon. Firstly to light a fire to warm themselves, and boil a kettle to make hot apple juice for the end of the session.

The children sorted the sticks into widths and learned how to lay a fire. They then used fire strikers to create sparks and to ignite cotton wool, which then lit the fire. It is a tricky challenge, requiring motivation, persistence and quite sophisticated fine motor coordination. It was fantastic to see the perseverance and to enjoy a warm drink together as a reward for the hard 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 gained, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School games.

The second challenge for the children was linked to their science curriculum, all about mini beasts and their habitats. Chestnuts worked hard to lift and carry pallets and wood to create the framework for a new bug hotel. They then started to fill it with pots, old crockery, wood, pine cones and leaves to create a habitat for the bugs in their Forest School space. They saw lots of woodlice whilst constructing and came up with some really engaged, creative ideas.

“We found clay…we can use it to fix the pots to the bug hotel”

“I have been out foraging and found these pine cones, we can use these”

“I have put clay on the pot, it has a face on it now”

“This wood can be a chimney on the top of the bug hotel”

Along with their challenges Chestnuts created in the mud kitchen and took it in turns to swing on the tyre swing and hammock.

At the end of the session they shared and listened to what they had all enjoyed about the session.

“I liked playing in the mud kitchen with my friends”

“I like making the fire”

“I liked all of it….everything!”

Well done Chestnuts for working so well together and completing your two challenges!

Willows class were thinking about autumn during their Forest School session this week. They looked at the trees and noticed the changing colours and leaves.

They started by playing a game of ‘Eagle Eyes’, where they tried their hardest to try to hide from the watching eagle. They had 10 seconds to move closer to the eagle’s nest, when the eagle closed their eyes, then had to hide again. Some of the children were fantastic at being quiet and stealthy and there was some excellent team-work, counting together.

During our last session the children had threaded food for birds, so this week they developed their fine motor skills by threading some leaves using a needle and some wool to decorate their Forest School shelter.

Some children went on to creating their own leaf kebab, by threading fallen leaves onto sticks. They then took these to the mud kitchen and spent a long time making ‘food’ with water, bubbles and leaves from around the Forest School site.

“If I mix yellow leaves and green leaves, what will happen?”

“Can you help me with the water?…We are doing good teamwork here”

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 fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons and the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

Willows talked about their learning as they were playing:

“I have go 4 leaves on my stick, now 5….now 6!””

“I liked playing the eagle eyes game”

“I like threading the leaves”

This afternoon we had Forest School in the pouring rain! Because it was so wet and rainy we enjoyed splashing in the puddles and some of the children found leaves to float down the pouring water stream created by the rain. It was so much fun! We then went into the hall to do lots of fun activities!

They started by playing a game of ‘guess the animal’ asking simple questions to try to discover what animal Dormouse had thought of.

During our last session the children had collected leaves and flowers and pressed them in the flower press. They talked about how the leaves would be too wet to use today and how the flower press had flattened them and dried them out.

The children used the flowers to create lovely collages of hedgehogs and then listened carefully to a story about a hedgehog. They talked about how they could do nice things for their friends, like the hedgehog did in the story.

Willows played a game of ‘rabbit, rabbit, fox’, taking it in turns to chase each other around a circle and try to get back to their space before they got caught by the fox.

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 fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons ans the skills involved in learning how to play Forest School Games.

Then the Willows talked about birds and how they needed food throughout the winter and then created some bird feeders. They carefully threaded cereal hoops onto pipecleaners and twisted the tops to make circular feeders to hang at home.

Willows ended their session by taking it in turns to share what they had enjoyed about their afternoon.

“I liked splashing in the muddy puddles”

“I liked making the bird feeder”

“I like the hedgehog picture”

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.

It was great to see the perseverance of the children getting themselves ready, with their wellies and waterproofs for the first time.

The children picked some blackberries after identifying them correctly with the adults. They learned they shouldn’t ever eat anything they pick, unless their supporting adults have discussed it with them, because it might make them ill.

Some of the children had a go at painting and mask making with blackberry paint, made from the mushed up blackberries they had collected.

We explored the Forest School area, as if we were ‘going on a bear hunt’, identifying which places were safe and which parts we had to stay away from this week. There were some tall nettles, prickly brambles and large wet and muddy puddles, which the children saw and then stayed away from.

Then the children had the chance to play with the mud kitchen and go on the swing.

Some children used a flower press to press some willow leaves “…these are us!”, some petals and some ground ivy leaves they had found.

Willows ended their session by passing ‘Stick Man’ round the circle and sharing what they had enjoyed about the afternoon.

“I loved the swing”

“I liked ‘going on a bear hunt”

“I liked the flower pressing”

Our first time at Forest School was great!

We all had so much fun, we cannot wait to go again!

It was great to see the perseverance of the children getting themselves ready, with their wellies and waterproofs as a class, they raced against a 7 minute timer.

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.

Chestnuts played a game of fox and rabbit. They had a lot of fun, working together as a class, to protect the rabbit inside their circle, from the fox outside!

The children picked some blackberries, hawthorn berries and sloes after identifying them correctly with the adults. They learned they shouldn’t ever eat anything they pick, unless their supporting adults have discussed it with them, because it might make them ill. They managed to collect a huge range of berries, creating a plentiful supply to make their paint with.

Some of the children had a go at painting and mark making with blackberry paint, made from the mushed up blackberries they had collected. They created a beautiful painting on a large sheet of fabric. In the sunshine it was great to see the variety of colours and hues of purples and reds and to see the children’s creative ideas and name writing.

Using some clay and some mud dug from the ground, the children created some ‘seed bombs’ by squishing the clay and incorporating the calendula and poppy seeds inside their rolled spheres. They carefully set them to dry, so they can throw them into their garden beds in the spring as a ‘seed bomb’ to create a lovely flower patch, to then collect seeds from next year. “I wish I could make more and more and more and throw them on the grass to change the school field into a meadow”.

All of the children reflected on what they had done and enjoyed during the session by writing down their favourite activity at the end of the day, supporting each other with discussion and help with sounding out and writing.

Well done Chestnuts class, what a productive, fun filled afternoon!

If anyone has any old, flat white fabric sheets, we could always use them for creative projects with the children at Forest School.

The Autumn sunshine was beautiful for the Oaks today as they talked about signs of the season. They found sticks to collect their leaves onto and created some leaf kebabs!

Using the Autumn leaves they learned how to preserve them by dipping them into molten beeswax. The children used their senses to work out what kind of wax they were using…”it smells like honey!” Some worked together to then create a beautiful hanging leaf mobile, which they hung in their Forest School shelter.

Some of the children took rubbings of their wax dipped leaves and talked about the different colours and textures of the leaves they had found. Some found Oak galls which created a bumpy texture on the underside of the leaves, which looked great in the leaf rubbings.

The class played a game of fox and rabbit, taking it in turns to chase and find a ‘safe’ place in a rabbit burrow as they played.

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.

The mud kitchen was popular, with the children creating messy dishes, but also learning some of the names of plants and berries which they added to their creations. There was lots of grassy mud ‘noodles’ and some found some minty ground ivy and blood red hawthorn berries to add into their mixes.