On the way to the woods Willow Class got completely engrossed in the grass flower meadow and spent lots of time catching grasshoppers.
They then took a different route to the woods through fields of linseed flax, which is currently flowering. The children loved the look of the footpath as it cut through the field and the way the effect of the wind on the field of plants.
“It looks bluetiful!”
The footpath ended up at the site of an ancient Roman road. The class showed their gross motor skills and confidence by climbing over stiles and gates to return to the Forest Way and the bridleway to the woods.
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.
Once in the woods the children tapped out some rhythms with their sticks and had a go at sharing their knowledge of Roman numerals by creating them with sticks on the woodland floor. They learned a mnemonic to help remember them;
“I Value Xylophones Like Cows Do Milk”
Willow Class then set off to follow their own individual interests. Lots of them had a go at creating pens out of whittled hazel and making ink from charcoal: by crushing it with sticks and adding water. They then used the pens to draw roman numerals on the woodland table.
They were also inspired to use the peelers to remove the bark from the bridge which the after school club had built.
“We like it better without the bark”
“Look at all the shaving we have made!”
They then collected and saved the shavings to use when we next have a go at fire lighting. Some children pretended to be trolls underneath the bridge!
There was also time for some swinging and bouncing on the slackline and digging and constructing with the clay in the bottom of the stream.
As we left the woods some of the class spotted a tiny dormouse and managed to successfully whisper it along the whole line of children as a ‘woodland whisper’.
Thanks again to our brilliant volunteers who support the children to enable us to visit the woods!
