Our hens came to Early Years today for a visit. Due to Avian Flu restrictions they can’t currently free range, as they usually do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get out and about. Nora, the Buff Orpington, Eyeliner, the Cream Legbar and Silkie, the Silkie Bantam enjoyed all the attention. First t
If you are a very small bear and you want to look a long way the best thing to do is get up high in the air. The children were challenged to create a structure so that the bear could see into the distance. They could use branches and sticks they’d found in the woods. The highest tower would be the w
Learning about fires is particularly important at this time of year. Year 2 children have been learning about the Great Fire of London, in class they created their own houses using cardboard boxes. They decorated the houses marking on the wooden frames that would have been part of the houses origina
Teaching our children about the wonder of fire is an important part of Forest School life and is particularly relevant at this time of the year. We start with good safe practice entering and exiting the fire pit area. The children started practicing last term so this week they had a test session to
Our Nursery children had fun in the Autumn sun during their Forest School session. Their first challenge was to collect yellow leaves, they found some really brightly coloured ones. Then they moved onto red and finally orange. Once they’d filled their bags they gathered armfuls of sticks and we head
Year 4 started their Forest School sessions this term with some knot work. Working in pairs creating timber hitches to haul heavy logs. This is a really useful skill that will enable them to create different types of shelter, to move heavy objects and to start to make tension lines. It requires clea
This afternoon, in the glorious Autumn light, children from Year 1 went out into the Forest School to collect leaves for mulching. They were very focused and found all sorts of incredible colours and patterns. Some children decided to sort them into an Autumn colour chart using plant pots. Others wo
Wands and broomsticks, potions and ghosts, Year 6 created all sorts of spooky things for Halloween. Using Formia leaves to make fastenings the children worked together to create some fantastic broomsticks, smelly ones, using thyme, sage, mint and lemon balm. Fluffy ones made from rose bay willow her
Year 2 begin to learn more about tools and construction within their Forest School sessions. First sorting the hammers into different types, then we looked at what each type might be used for. We also talked about what you could use if you didn’t have a hammer and how could you improvise. The childr
In our Forest School this week children from Reception and Nursery looked for materials that would be good for making paintbrushes. They found all sorts of hairy, fluffy, furry and leafy materials. Some of the more dexterous wound these items around and attached them to sticks, others picked plants
