Year 4 children really enjoyed last weeks STEM related Forest School session and wanted more. Miss Rowe thought she would increase the challenge by giving them very different objects to assist with the carry. This weeks selection, some pallets, boards and long, straight logs. At first there was a tendency to try and carry one stone at a time, but they didn’t feel this was efficient enough, so tried a kind of log rolling carrier. This was definitely a harder challenge. During reflection they noticed that this week there was more conflict, they felt that the added pressure created more self doubt and confusion therefore adding to their stress levels. They regrouped however and realised that bickering doesn’t get the job done. That actually the harder the task the more patience and kindness is required. We also saw the stronger children getting frustrated with the smaller children because they couldn’t life at as well. However it was quickly apparent that alot of the less strong children were calmer, used their brains more, so could solve the problem more easily. The difficult part is then communicating their ideas to others who may not want to listen.
A fantastic exercise in positive communication and resilience, plus it really helped out the gardening team who were very grateful that the stones got moved to the pond area where they are building a rockery.
