Autumn 2022
See the photos below from Reception’s first day back in forest school
Summer 2022
The children have shared some lovely experiences in forest school this term. Some of them independently and some with adults and friends.
Showing their tool skills peeling willow, making dens and finding new fungi.
We have been learning about different mini beasts and their lifecycles: ladybirds, caterpillars and loved discovering them in the environment. Talking about the cuckoo spit in the long grass with a frog hopper inside it. We have looked closely at bees and how they help our environment and the importance of our flowers to them. We looked at dandelions and their life cycle and even tasted some dandelion tea, which then another day we tried some mint tea. We had a mixture of opinions whether we liked it or not.
The children have loved helping with the up keep of forest school: tidying the maze and the allotment. Planting potatoes ready for the Autumn term. They have also enjoyed tasting the home grown produce such as pea pods, mixed salad leaves, herbs, strawberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries.
The children loved creating their own Hapa Zome Art using a mallet to imprint leaves and flowers onto the fabric. Hapa Zome is a Japenese term meaning ‘Leaf dye’.
It has been amazing to watch them enjoy and develop in confidence in forest school.
Spring 2022
In the spring term in forest school the children have been looking at new growth, preparing the allotment for planting, chitting potatoes, planting wild flower seeds, learning about compost bins, looking at different fungi and what it is, learning about different birds and looking at how they build their nests, and whittling willow using peelers. Also we have just been enjoying exploring forest school in all weathers, discovering new things and facing new challenges.
Autumn – Winter 2021
Nursery and reception children have enjoyed exploring all of Forest School this term.
They have shown what strengths, skills, physical abilities, musical talents, interests and knowledge they have about the natural environment.
We have enjoyed eating and tasting the pears off our pear trees in the orchard. The children said they were so tasty and juicy.
So far, we have learnt a lot already in forest school.
We have been learning about the berries on the Rowan, White beam and Blackthorn trees. The dangers of the thorns on the Blackthorn and Hawthorn trees and where they are in forest school. Showing the children where the nettles are and not to touch them as the can itch your hands.
We have found a lot of fungi growing in different places and talked about not touching them and to just look, unless an adult knows what they are.
We have discovered lots of mini beasts and used the magnifying glasses to look more closely at them.
As it is autumn the children have been learning different things that happen in autumn. Looking at and learning about Oak trees and the acorns that grow on them, squirrels who collect them, leaf rubbings off the oak tree leaves. Looking at Horse chestnut trees, the sticky buds they have and the conkers that grow on them. The children have been using a tool called a gimlet to create holes in the conkers to attach string to them.
We also helped tidy up the allotment to get ready to plant our winter vegetables and watched the grass cutters help too.
We have also been discovering and learning about different mini beasts under the logs, making seesaws, experiencing playing in the rain and enjoyed making dens.
We can’t wait to explore next half term learning more about autumn, then winter and discovering more new things.
Nursery
Reception
