Autumn 2024-

During our Autumn sessions children developed their forest time through social, physical, intellectual, creativity, emotional and spiritual developments. Our sessions care for children’s holistic well-being, providing them with the time and space to become confident and motivated learners, instilling a strong sense of self, combined with an empathy and compassion for other people and the natural world.🌳🍁🐛🍂🐞

In YEAR 6 children have been working on team building exercises they all worked well together to build a den using natural resources. There was lots of critical thinking on how to lay the branches on the tree to make it secure. 🌳 They also have been working hard to put up tarps, thinking on where they need to go. 

They have been practicing knotting and weaving skills to create a triangle web. They collected autumn treasure to weave in and out of their webs. 🕸️🎃🌳🍁🍂

We also have been doing lots of gardening, pulling up weeds to help create a nice forest space. We talked about how we could rest out forest and look after our natural space. 

In YEAR 3 we have been reading some spooky stories where the oak tree came a live and brought lots of magic into the forest. We made our own magic wands using willow to cast spells! The children followed the boundaries and talked about how we could look after our forest. 🌳

We have been using knot and threading skills from sessions  to create our own triangle webs. 🕸️

We have made leaf mobiles to help develop our fine motor. Children perservered to thread the leaves on the string and used the knotting skills from previous sessions to create the knot. We talked about the colours and why the leaves are turning brown and yellow. We then tied them to the tree and watched them blow in the autumn wind.

In YEAR 2 have had some magical experiences in the forest. The birds sent a very special message to the children to tell them that the witch from room and the brook has lost her magic wand. We used willow to create lots of magic wands. Children developed good critical thinking and fine motor when creating the star. We read the story the leaf man and talked about how important he is in our forest. We then decided to create a crown for him to show the little people how important he is. We used good fine motor to thread the leaves and our knot tying skills to tie the string together. In one of the sessions we talked about how leaf man felt lonely. So we worked together to create our own leaf people. We talked about the different parts of the body and compared them to our bodies. Some of the children in forest time worked together to build a den for sneezy the dragon. They carried and lifted sticks to make a secure shelter.

In YEAR 1 the children have been working together to create beautiful autumn treasure wand. They developed their emotional intelligence. They showed good self confidence, self awareness, resilience and empathy and was determined and motivated to succeed in creating a beautiful wand.
During the session they kept to the boundaries and showed great physical development by climbing trees and moving freely. In another session we created something spooky for the forest they collected Autumn treasures to create an Autumn pumpkin. The children talked about the different size leaves and colours they could see. 🎃 🍁  

Over Autumn we have worked as teams to build up the little peoples houses, which had been destroyed in the high winds. Children worked well with others to create some strong houses which were waterproof and wind proof. They all followed the forest rules and stayed within the boundaries. They respected our forest and showed great empathy towards the little people. 🌳🌿🌱

EYFS Forest 

Our Forest schools provides a specialised learning approach that offers children regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees allowing them to risk take. 

🌳🌳🌳During forest we reinforce our boundaries. We  problem-solve without adult support. In the forest we follow SPICES. 
Social - Find a space around the fire circle and step inside Game wood, wood, fire.
Physical – Forest Ranger- spatial awareness and walking through the boundaries
Intellectual- Oracy- new language modelled
Communication – opportunities to share learning
Emotional – Being brave and trying things for the first time. 
Spiritual - Opportunity to self-reflect in fire circle after the session 🌳🌳🌳

FOREST SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ARE LED BY THE CHILDREN ATTENDING

Because projects are child-led there is no set programme – one group may spend spend six weeks looking for insects and getting into insect identification, another group may not show an interest in this area but really want to build a shelter waterproof enough to sleep in, made only of natural materials.

EVERY ACTIVITY PROVIDES A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY, EVEN SIMPLE THINGS LIKE:

• splashing in puddles
• rolling in leaves
• catching rain on a tarpaulin
• building a snow slide
• drying mud out in the sun until it cracks
• sliding down a mud slide
• making mud pies
• looking for worms
• painting on a leaf…