Maples set off in the winter sunshine to enjoy an afternoon at Forest School. Once at Forest School the class sat down to take a look at a selection of bones belonging to animals found in the British countryside. Looking at each one individually the class tried to work out which animal each one belonged to. They did rather well with only a few clues. The bones were passed around giving the children the opportunity to hold them, take a closer look, see what they felt like, what the teeth looked like and how heavy they were.
As the rest of the class set off to explore Forest School a couple members of the class stayed to help get the fire started. They laid the fire remembering to place the larger sticks at the bottom and work their way to smaller sticks at the top. Then they used a flint and steel to light some cotton wool. Some found this really tricky, however the children who had managed to light theirs offered some great advice and encouragement to those finding it tricky, making sure to cheer and clap when the cotton wool finally caught fire. A kettle was then placed over the fire to boil water so we could make a nice warm hot chocolate for the whole class to enjoy.
The base camp that the children had created last time they were at Forest School had been moved, but this did not bother the children. Working together they transported all the materials back to their preferred spot in the corner. They recreated their base camp, making a few adjustments and improvements.
Some of the children chose to make bird feeders for the bird we share our Forest School site with. They did this by cutting an apple into quarters and pushing as many sunflower seeds in as they could. They also used an empty toilet roll which they covered with lard and rolled in bird seed. Both the feeders were then hung in nearby trees ready for the birds to enjoy.
Using salt dough, the children created their own animal tracks to keep. They did this by pushing a stone with an animal footprint on into the salt dough and leaving an impression. Many of the children chose to do two, the animal and the track.
The Impact of Forest School for the children is the knowledge the children have gained from the Forest School experience, this can be seen through the skills gained, tools used, art and craft activities, observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons.
