Year 6 spent their Forest School session trying to work out how to make a flying fox or zip line. They are now confident in creating anchor knots in the form of a timber hitch and then adding tension using hitches to lock the ropes off. However they soon realised it’s not that easy, you need the right location, you need an area where there is some kind of pitch or slope to give downward trajectory. The trees are young, so any weight bearing points needed to be spread over more than one tree. What to use to actually slide down the rope? A green stick, too short and you can risk rope burn, too long and it will bend.
This was an afternoon of problem solving, the resilience and determination that the children are developing is becoming very apparent. All the children were on task, their ability to risk assess is now becoming more embedded. From planning to execution, co-operation to conflict resolution, a great afternoon demonstrating how independent they can be.
Principle 4: Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
Article 6 – We all have the right to be alive and develop in the best possible way.
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- Testing out different hand grips.
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- The rope went around a concreted post but then weight was transferred onto some trees to help spread the load.
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- After some risk assessment they discussed any safety features that needed to be added.
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- To prevent hitting the tree at the end they decided to add a bright rope…
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- This was loosely tied across the zip line to show where you needed to dismount.
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- They had lots of ideas for improving and adapting this idea in different areas of the site.
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- Reinforcing the swing so others can enjoy it safely.
