We began Forest School today with a game of Touch Eagle Eye. The group had to count to 10 and hide before the eagle’s eyes were open. When the eagle’s eyes were closed, they had to run in and touch Dormouse’s hands and get back to their hiding spot before the eagle’s eyes opened again. Sometimes they were not fast enough and were spotted. If they were spotted they had to join the eagle in her nest and help spot their
class mates.
Many of the group chose to explore the small stream that runs down the side of our Forest School site. They used forks to remove some of the vegetation that had been washed down, which allowed the water to flow more easily. Then they used a colander to sieve the water and see if they could catch anything. As the water drained away the children noticed something – “there’s something wiggling”. Taking a closer look, they
found lots of small fresh water shrimps.
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.
With all the rain that we have had lately there is an area at Forest School where the mud has been washed away leaving a bit of a hole. Some of the group chose to help dig up a rather large plant to fill this hole. Working together they dug their way around the base of the plant – “let’s do it on opposite sides”. This was an effective method as the plant was finally freed from the ground and carried it to its new home. They filled the
hole first with some wood and then wedged the plant in around the wood before placing one more long log to hold it all in place.
Using clay and some conkers the children made hedgehogs. They did this by using the husk of the conker to make a spiky hedgehog back, then used clay to make the soft body. Others chose to use the conker, wrapping it in clay to create a larger ball shape.
They then added a point to the top creating a mini pumpkin.