This week Lilac Class started their session by trying the rose hip syrup they had made in the Autumn. The spring sun shone down on us as we walked an alternative (less muddy way) to the woods.
The class investigated fallen trees, frogspawn and frogs and badgers dens along the route and enjoyed running down hills!
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.
This week the class had some challenges to link to their topic of ‘SURVIVAL’.
One group made a stretcher to carry an injured person from the woods. They sawed wood to the right length, using charcoal as a measure mark. They then learned to tie a clove hitch and square lash to sticks together securely. They wove a rope over and under, to create the base of the stretcher and tested it by carrying each other around the woodland. Brilliant achievement, teamwork, problem solving and persistence.
Another challenge was to create a glowing ember, from which to start a fire. This time the children used char cloth and King Alfred’s cakes, which is a fungi which grows on dried ash. They were great at creating sparks with flint and steels and have showed how their fire lighting skills have developed.
Some of Lilac Class tried a sip of birch sap, which we gathered by ‘tapping’ the tree and gathering the rising sap.
The stream was a draw for the children, exploring how to dam it and change the flow of the water. They put up the hammock and took turns independently.
Many thanks to our brilliant volunteers who make our Forest School experiences possible for all of the children at St Mary’s.
