Willows started their Forest School session today by getting into pairs and going on a Spring scavenger hunt. They worked well in their pairs and found lots of different things, including something yellow and something that crawls. They made piles of their findings so they could show them to Dormouse.

The class then made their way to the pond area by the allotment. Before they started the children were asked what they thought may be hiding in the water “a tree frog”. Then they dipped their nets into the water and checked to see if they had caught anything.

Everything they caught was carefully put into a tray of pond water. The children then used an ID sheet to identify what they had caught. They caught a ramshorn snail and a few water louse. Once down at Forest School the children took it in turns to have a go at pond dipping in the other pond. They found something a little bigger, again using the ID sheet they were able to work out that they had found a Dragonfly Nymph.

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 collect different shaped and textured leaves. Then using paint they covered the leaf and printed it onto paper. They found out that this works best if you paint the underside of the leaf. Some were painted using one colour whereas others used lots of colours to create a rainbow effect.

Willows helped to put the slack line up today. They explained to Dormouse how it needed to be wrapped around the tree first and, with some help, they pulled it tight. Once it was up the whole class tried to balance on it. With so many children it became a little wobbly and tricky but they did all manage to stay on in the end.

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”