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!
