Forest School
Session 13 - Sustainability
We began the session by reading the book, 'I Can Save The Earth', which tells the story of a little Green monster who learns to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle after a power cut. We discussed what Sustainability means and the small changes we can make to help look after our planet. Overnight, our Forest School area turned into a rubbish dump, so the children went on a litter pick and had to sort the rubbish into recyclable cans, paper, bottles, and general waste. After sorting, we talked about products that can be made from the recyclable materials we collected. The children then used recycled paper and corks to make windmills to help them understand how Wind Turbines create energy to power our TV’s and other electrical items. We played the ‘Saving Water’ game and had to work as a team to transport water along a line while trying not to spill any. Lastly, the children were told the South American Indigenous story of the Little Humming Bird and learned that we should always do what little we can, to protect and save our Earth.
Session 12 - Minibeasts
As today’s Forest School was all about Minibeasts, we read Julia Donaldson’s Super Worm, a rhyming, singing story about a superhero-like worm, who needs rescuing from the evil lizard, by all his bug friends. We used the book to identify and name lots of different minibeasts such as earwigs, millipedes, ants, crickets and bees, and discussed the ways in which minibeasts are good for our planet: acting as nature’s recyclers and cleaners by breaking down waste material, pollinating plants, providing honey, aerating the soil, and controlling pests. The children learned how to collect and handle insects with care and consideration, before going on a bug hunt with magnifying glasses to see what we could find and identify using picture ID cards. After returning the insects safely back to their natural habitats, the children learned how to use a hand drill to bore holes into a section of log to make a bug hotel and then they created their own stone bugs using acrylic pens.
Session 11 - Trees and Planting
Today we read the story: ‘We Planted a Tree’ and discussed the ways we need/use trees (oxygen, wood, rubber, paper, cork, fruit, nuts etc) and why they are so important to life on Earth. The children had a go at sorting pictures of objects into things that come from a tree and things that do not, which they found very tricky and often surprising! We then talked about what seeds need to germinate and reminded ourselves of what plants need, to grow healthy and strong. After our drink and snack, we planted and watered a variety of flowering seeds such as Delphinium, Cornflowers, Marigolds, Petunias and Pansies and covered them in clingfilm to keep the seeds warm and moist until they are ready to sprout. Once big enough, we will transfer them into the nursery garden so the children can continue to look after them and enjoy watching them grow.
Session 10 - Sharing
Today’s session was all about SHARING. The children began with their usual song and game of Duck, Duck, Goose, to remind them to go around and not across the fire circle. They then went on a Bunny Hunt around the Forest School area and had to resist the urge to find more than one bunny, so that everyone shared and had the chance to join in and collect a bunny themselves. The children listened to the story, ‘The Hare Who Wouldn’t Share,’ where Hare discovers that by sharing, he gains friendship, help and so much more, and we discussed the importance of being kind and sharing with each other. After drink and snack, the children had the opportunity to learn how to use a peeler correctly, with a glove on their ‘Helper Hand’, and with regard to their own safety and those around them. We were able to eat the carrots we’d peeled and talked about healthy foods that are good for us such as vegetables, fruit and salad items.
Session 9 - Worry
After our usual Forest School song, the children began with a game of Duck, Duck, Goose and showed their kindness by ensuring everyone had a turn and was able to join in. We read Ruby’s Worry, a book about a carefree girl, who one day discovers she has a Worry, which grows and grows and stops her doing the things she loves. Eventually she realises the best thing you can do if you have a Worry is TALK about it. We discussed who you can trust and talk to about worries (mummy, daddy, sisters, brothers, grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends, teachers etc). The children played the ‘Rush Hour’ trust game, where one child must trust another to lead them safely around the Forest School area, while keeping their eyes closed. After warm juice and snack, the children went on a scavenger hunt, to explore and find things like Ruby did at the bottom of her garden. We then carefully threaded cow parsley, elder and pasta on to string to make worry beads like the Greeks used 200 years ago.
Session 8 - Magic at Forest School
This session, was all about Magic. We began with a game of ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ to remind us of the fire circle rules before listening to Julia Donaldson’s, ‘Room on the Broom,’ and discussing the importance of being kind and helping others. Like the characters in the story, the children then collected natural materials such as acorns, twigs, leaves and stones to put into their ‘cauldrons,’ and having mixed them together with water and uttered the magical words, ‘Iggerty, Ziggerty, Zaggerty, Zoom!’ they tried to create spells to conjure up all sorts of fabulous things. Theo chose to conjure up some Hot Wheels!
Over warm juice and snack, the children learned how to use, stand and pass loppers correctly and safely and had the opportunity to use them to cut sticks to the desired length to make magic wands, which we decorated using natural materials and acrylic pens. The children will be bringing their magic wands home today but I’ve made them promise not to turn any family members into frogs!
Session 7 - Birds
Today’s Forest School theme was Birds. We began with a game of ‘Caterpillar Birdy’ and became hungry birds searching for caterpillars, while being alert to the dangers of the Red Kite! We discussed which caterpillars were easiest to find and learned the word ‘camouflage’ and its meaning. The children listened to and acted out the story, ‘A Busy Day for Birds’ which introduced them to many bird varieties. We stood on one leg like a flamingo, waddled like a penguin, ran like an ostrich, swooped like a starling and showed off our tail feathers like a peacock. The children did a spot of bird watching with binoculars and tried to identify some of them by colour and features. We saw some magpies, house sparrows, pigeons, crows and a red kite! Due to the cold, we then came back inside. After drink and snack, we made bird feeders by threading apples onto wooden skewers (using rigger gloves to protect our ‘helper’ hand) and pressing sunflower seeds into them. We discussed where to hang them to ensure birds are safe from cats and other predators while eating them
Session 6 - Going on a Bear Hunt
When we got into the Forest School area this afternoon, we realised ‘silly Kate’ had ‘forgotten’ to erect the fire circle tarp, so we took the opportunity to work as a team and put the large tarp up together. The children were able to see how carabiner clips work and learned how to pull up and tie off a tarp rope. They were also able to feel the benefits of having a waterproof shelter above them, when it is pouring with rain!
After a round of Musical Logs, the children went on a Bear Hunt. We retold and acted out the story they know so well, wading through the long wavy grass: ‘swishy swashy,’ thick oozy mud: ‘squelch squerch,’ and the other obstacles that lay in their way. We found a very big bear in a ‘narrow gloomy cave’ and we thought it had chased us all the way back home but in fact he was a friendly bear. During juice and snack, the children were shown how to erect a shelter using tarps, cordage, spring clamps, a mallet and tent pegs and were challenged to build a new home for the bear. The children built some amazing structures……what a lucky bear!
Session 5 - Christmas
This was the last Forest School of the term, so our theme had a festive feel. After our usual song and fire circle games, we played Hunt the Christmas Cones which were hidden all around our Forest School area. The children listened to the story of the Stick Man and his adventures, as he tries to get back to his family after being mistaken for a sword, a boomerang, a bat, a flag mast and many other items. Eventually Santa helps reunite Stick Man with his family in time for Christmas. Being a core book in nursery, the children knew the story well and were able to join in with the repetition and predict the rhyming words. After story time, we enjoyed a lovely treat of hot chocolate and gingerbread men for our drink and snack. The children then created their own stick man using sticks, pipe cleaners as arms and legs and acrylic pens to draw faces.
Session 4 - Autumn
Today's theme at Forest School was Autumn. Due to the extreme cold, we read our story inside before getting changed into our Forest School clothing. The children listened to ‘Little Acorn,’ a story about the life cycle of an oak tree, where a little acorn falls off a tree, is warm and snug underground, starts growing roots and shoots, pushes up into the light and grows into a big tall oak tree. We discussed what trees need to grow strong and healthy. Once out into the Forest School area, we sang our song and played a game of Musical Logs around the fire circle to warm up. We then went searching for acorns and found the big oak tree they came from. We looked at other things that fall off trees in autumn such as leaves, conkers, cones, beech nuts and ‘helicopter’ winged seeds and we threw the wing seeds in to the air to see how they ‘fly.’
Over warm juice and snack, we discussed other changes that occur all around us in Autumn such as colder temperatures and less daylight. The children were shown the beautiful ‘Leaf Man’ book by Lois Ehlert and went on a Leaf Man hunt before we came back inside to create our own leaf rubbing pictures using the book as inspiration.
Session 3 - Listening
We started with a quick recap of all the ways we stay safe in our Forest School area and the children showed they had remembered many of our rules. Today’s theme was listening, in particular listening to our friends. The children enjoyed the story, The Rabbit Listened - in which an upset child just needs someone to stay and listen to her - and we talked about the 5 ways to show you are listening. The children had to listen carefully to be able to copy stick rhythms and follow sets of increasingly difficult instructions which involved lots of running and jumping!! After enjoying our warm juice and snack, we went on a ‘Sound Hunt’ around our Forest School area to try to identify the source of different sounds and determine if they were natural or man-made. We then made ‘shakers’ out of recycled materials, grains and pulses. We ended with a game of ‘1,2,3 where are you?’ a Forest School version of Hide and Seek, which was initially devised as an orientation and safety game but has become a firm favourite of all who play it and is a good chance to practice listening skills.
Session 2 - Spiders
Spiders were the theme of today’s Forest School. After our song and game of Duck, Duck, Goose, we sang and performed Incy Wincy Spider, to see if the children could guess what today’s session was about. We read The Very Busy Spider and looked at an information book to learn some fun spider facts. We tried to recall these facts during a ‘wool web’ building exercise, which allowed us to see how spiders make and catch things in their web. After drink and snack, we used magnifying glasses to take a closer look at live spiders and discussed how to handle insects with care and consideration. We then created spiders out of clay and other natural materials we found in the Forest School area.
Session 1 - Exploring at Forest School
For the first session of Forest School this year, the children were shown how to put on and helped into their waterproof clothing. Once in our Forest School area, the children learned our new Forest School song and used sticks to drum rhythms on the tree stumps to accompany it. We played Duck, Duck, Goose around the fire circle to help the children remember the rule, ‘We must not go across the fire circle’, and they demonstrated their kindness by ensuring everyone had a turn. We read ‘Let’s Go Outside,’ to help the children understand the sort of activities we do at Forest School, such as den building and minibeast hunting. The children went exploring around our Forest School area identifying red wool ‘hazards’ such as berries, prickly brambles and tarp ropes and learned that Red Wool means, ‘Be Careful! Don’t Touch!’ After washing and drying our hands outside, we all enjoyed warm juice and a healthy bread stick snack. We then created ‘dog logs’ using sticks, acrylic pens and twine. The children took their dogs for a walk showing them the identified hazards and ensuring the dogs followed instructions to stay safe in the Forest School area.
