How does Miss Rowe get the chickens in the coop at bedtime? Reception children found out first hand by playing a game of farmer and the hens. Each team had a farmer and a flock of hens. Each hen was blind folded to help represent the language barrier. In the first games the farmer tries to get their flock into a pen, they were allowed to give directions and handle the hens. As the game progresses the challenge gets harder. In the next round they aren’t allowed to touch their hens, then finally they can only use sound. no language and no touch. The field rang out with the sound of chirping. By the end of the game everyone had had a chance to be a farmer and experience how tricky hens can be, wandering off just when they are nearly home!
This is a great activity to learn about communication, at the end of the session the children put our actual hens away.
Principle 4: Forest School offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.
