Maple class started their session today with a few members of the class sharing some feathers that they had collected and brought in. As a group they talked about who the feathers belong to. One of the feathers that had been brought in belonged to a Great Spotted Woodpecker whereas others belonged to Wood Pigeons.
As Maple set off on their journey to Forest School they came across a bunch of feathers on the Croft, the feathers were the same as those they had just looked at in class. They belonged to a Wood Pigeon.
As the class made their along the Forest Way they soon came across a bridge and the children decided to go and have a look under the bridge saying:
“maybe there’s a troll”
Luckily there was not!
As the children hid under the bridge an stomped their feet across it in pretence. Still no troll, definitely a few Woodlice dropping down into those underneath.
Once in the wood some of the children helped Dormouse to put up the slackline. They wrapped the line round the tree making sure that it was not twisted, then carefully posted the end through the ratchet. Next they tested their strength by pushing the ratchet forwards and backwards to tightening it observing as it tightened:
“it’s getting hard”.
Once the slack line was up some of the children took it in turns to walk along it, however they had no top line to hold onto. Instead they were given two sticks to use as walking sticks for balance. It was great to see them give it a go even if they did find it a little wobbly; many of them went back to try and do it again.
Other members of the class went go off to make improvements of their own to some existing dens that had been created but another class. They worked well together to move the sticks they wanted for their den, and to place the materials they had gathered to create some amazing shelters.
Some children chose to play in the hammock swing, taking it in turns to push each other, others practiced the sawing that they had learnt last time they visited the woods.
At the end of the session the class were today if there was anything new that they had done at Forest School that they had never tried before:
“making a den”
As this was the last trip for Maple Class, they spent time in their favoured activities, increasing their skills and continuing to learn new ones.
Well done, Maple Class, it has been a wonderful Forest School year!
