Cherry Class had their first trip to Forest School on 19th September and on the way decided to stop at the Wellie tree, to see if their class was a tall as the tree.
To work this out, they used a stick to estimate the rough height of the tree, leaving Dormouse (Forest School lead) standing where they thought the top of the tree would reach if it was laying on the floor. Each member of Cherry class then laid down head to toe, starting at the trunk of the tree and making a long line to see how far they would reach and established that as a class, they were almost as tall as the Wellie tree!
Once in the woods a group of children helped to lay the fire and light it ready for making jam. A pan of apples, blackberries and blackcurrants was placed on the fire to cook with the children keeping it stirred. Once the fruit was soft they added some sugar and in preparation for the taste testing, others held bread over the fire to toast, spreading it with the finished jam sharing it with their classmates.
Many of the class chose to practice their fire striking skills using a flint and steel to light a piece of cotton wool. It was fabulous that despite finding it a little tricky, they did not give up. It was great to see the perseverance from the children to light their cotton wool and the joy they got when it burst into flames.
The Impact of Forest School can be seen through the skills gained, tools used, art and craft activities, developed together with observations and knowledge of the fruit, plants and trees in relation to the seasons. The skills involved in learning to play Forest School games are an added bonus to the school curriculum!
