The children immersed themselves in the Forest School this week. Enjoying spending time with the hens, which of course the hens love. They are a very friendly flock and the children are getting confident in handling them. Such an exciting moment to hold a hen for the first time. Meanwhile the children were busy setting up the poly tunnel for planting. They readied the seed trays and pots, sorted out the seeds and decided what to plant first. The raised beds have been turned and raked, now all we need is some sunshine to get things moving.
As our Forest School is now well established, with all children accessing these sessions every term, we are now extending this provision by creating a free play area on the yard. This will run alongside our other break and lunch time provision of sport and games. It will follow the guiding principles of Forest School in that it is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It will use many natural items but in addition we will re-purpose everyday objects and materials for alternative usage to inspire the children. It will be the responsibility of staff and children to monitor this equipment for damage. With this in mind the Year 6 children worked hard this week to repair or replace items they felt needed it.
Over the next few months we will share more about our plans as this is an initiative driven by our Rights to Respect officers who have been working hard behind the scenes to come up with some inspiring ideas.
The Long-Term Principle: Forest School is a long-term process of frequent and regular sessions in a woodland or natural environment, rather than a one-off visit. Planning, adaptation, observations and reviewing are integral elements of Forest School.
Article 28: We all have the right to a good quality education.
