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.
