Our first year of Forest School 2022 – 23

We enjoyed our final session of Forest School for this year. We started with a game of stuck in the mud on the field. The rest of the session was spent with the usual tree climbing, bug hunting and playing in the mud kitchen. The children also had the opportunity to toast their own bread over the fire and top it with butter, jam or nutella. Some children collected natural items that matched the colours of the rainbow and other children enjoyed the blindfold rope walk. Some children also enjoyed threading cheerios onto twine to make bird feeders!

Wow! The entire school had an opportunity to take part in a Forest School session during our recent Enrichment Days! The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves, despite the pouring rain on the first day! They were able to climb trees, play in the mud kitchen and hunt for bugs. Some extra activities included painting pictures on cotton with natural paints using turmeric, mud, raspberries and strawberries as well as creating natural bunting by hammering flowers onto cotton. The sessions ended with the children roasting a marshmallow over the fire!

Year One Group B children had their final session of Year One today. We started with a game of stuck in the mud on the field to burn some energy off! The rest of the session was spent with the usual tree climbing (of the trees that the children have named Eddie and Pumpernickel!), bug hunting and playing in the mud kitchen. The children also had the opportunity to toast their own bread over the fire and topping it with butter, jam or nutella – guess which topping was most popular!? They hung up their wooden decorations that they had painted last week and some children collected natural items that matched the colours of the rainbow. Some children also enjoyed the blindfold rope walk, and others made bird feeders out of apples and bird seed – it was a very intricate task and perseverance was shown by all!

The Year One children were back at Forest School today! We started with a game of ‘Eagle’s nest’ where the children had to steal sticks from the eagle’s nest to build their own nest! For the rest of the session, children had the chance to make hedgehogs out of clay and natural materials as well as hunt for bugs, climb trees and play in the mud kitchen. They were shown how to use a carpenter’s brace to drill a hole in a wood cookie, which they then painted with insects, ready to hang in the trees. They also stuffed bananas with marshmallows and chocolate before roasting them on a fire! Delicious!

For their second session, the Year 5s used bush craft knives to whittle wooden people and used a carpenters’ brace to drill a hole in a wood cookie. They also had another go using mallets to create natural prints using leaves and cotton. They enjoyed climbing trees and playing in the mud kitchen before finishing with a delicious hot chocolate with water heated in the kelly kettle!

The Year 2 children had their final Forest School session today. They were challenged by a thinking game to start the session. They had to use alliteration to give themselves an animal name e.g. “Lucy Lion” and then they had to go in a circle saying all the names before them…”Lucy Lion, Chris Crocodile, Gemma Giraffe” For the rest of the session, children made bug hotels, relaxed in the hammock, made concoctions in the mud kitchen, climbed trees and built dens using a tarp and sticks. We finished the session with roasted marshmallows over the fire which we then sandwiched between 2 chocolate biscuits to make smores!

The final group of Year 5s had their first Forest School after-school club. They learnt the rules and tested them out during a game of ‘the floor is lava’. They learnt how to use a peeler to create a skewer as well as a mallet to create a hapazome print using natural materials. They enjoyed climbing trees…and getting very high! As well as creating unusual combinations in the mud kitchen. They finished of by roasting a marshmallow over the fire for smores.

The Year 2s were busy today – we had so much going on! After a starter game of ‘Giants, wizards and elves’, children were shown how to use a mallet to create a hapazome print using natural materials. They then had the choice of painting our new sign, completing the blindfold challenge, planting herbs and fruit, making a flower crown or the usual bug hunting, den building, mud kitchen, tree-climbing and using the hammock!

For their second session, the Year 5s used bush craft knives to whittle wooden people and used a carpenters’ brace to drill a hole in a wood cookie. They also enjoyed climbing trees, crawling under the camo net and playing in the kitchen. The session was finished with a delicious hot chocolate with water heated in the kelly kettle!

What a wet day! We used the tarp for the first time in a while which kept us a little dry – but we got pretty soaked today! We played the stick game and then read ‘Room on the Broom’. We were inspired to make magic wands and potions using fairy dust as well as create magic spells. There was the usual tree climbing and mud making today, as well as a chance to explore the extra space thanks to the new Forest School fence. We warmed up with hot chocolates before getting rained on all over again!

For their first session, the second group of Year 5s had a lot of questions about Forest School! Once question time was over, they explored the area whilst playing ‘the floor is lava’. They then climbed trees, made mud faces and used peelers to create a skewer. They then roasted marshmallows for smores!

We had lovely weather during Forest School today. We started by playing ‘secret spies’ where the children had to hide whilst spotting a secret action. For the rest of the session, children climbed trees, hunted for bugs, made dens, played in the mud kitchen and climbed under the camo net. Some children made mud faces on trees and others learnt the ‘sheer lashing’ knot to create natural crafts out of willow. We also enjoyed using the hammock for the first time!

The first Year 5 after-school club had their final session today. We used the carpenter’s brace for the first time to drill holes into wood for hanging, as well as using hammers to make hapazome prints using leaves, petals and berries. The children enjoyed bug hunting, tree climbing, playing in the mud kitchen and crawling under the camo net. We played the stick game and finished the session with a hot chocolate made by heating hot water in the kelly kettle!

We had to get very creative in today’s session with the Year 2s as the duck was still laying on her eggs, so half of Forest School was cordoned off. Luckily the teachers had found a cargo net after spending an evening clearing out the PE shed so the field became part of our session. We started with a game of ‘the floor is lava’ before learning how to use our first tool – a peeler to make skewers. Some children then helped to water the recently planted apple and pear trees, whilst others planted wild flower seeds. All children and adults had a go under the cargo net! We read Stanley’s stick and thought of all the things that a stick could be. Some children then made stick men! More tree climbing, bug hunting and playing in the mud kitchen was done before lighting our first fire to roast marshmallows!

The first group of Year 5 children experienced their first Forest School after-school club. They climbed trees, used peelers to make skewers and then roasted marshmallows over the fire!

The next group of Year 2 children enjoyed their first Forest School session. They started by exploring the grounds with a game of “123 where are you?” and then went on a Bear Hunt. Luckily no bears were found but it was discovered that a duck had laid her eggs in one of the dens made by a previous group. The rest of the session was spent climbing trees, playing in the mud kitchen, painting mud maps and building dens.

During their last after-school session, the Year 6s had a go using knives to whittle wood. They made wooden figures using bushcraft knives. They also persevered with fire lighting and we had 2 more successful fires. They then used the fire to roast marshmallows for smores!

For their last session, the Year 2s made bug hotels. They used plant pots, bamboo sticks, stones and other natural materials to make some cosy homes for bugs. They then hid them around the Forest School site. Thank you Mrs Hargreaves for organising this activity! They also learnt how to use mallets to create natural prints using leaves and berries. Their final activity was making smores, by roasting marshmallows over the fire before squashing them between two chocolate biscuits. Yum!

The Year 6s had a go at the Hapazome activity in their after-school club today. They collected leaves, petals and berries and used hammers to make natural prints on cotton. They then had a go at lighting fires, which wasn’t as successful this week but we will persevere next week!

It felt like Spring was on its way today! We played the stick game to start and read ‘Room on the Broom’. We then made magic wands and potions! Some children worked with Mr and Mrs Eadie to plant some snowdrops ready for next year. We did some leaf and bark rubbings and then the children spotted some buttercups and tried to see who liked butter!

It was very cold and wet for the Year 6 after-school club today but we all persevered! We played the stick game and then did some tree climbing, bug hunting and playing in the mud kitchen. Each child then had a go making a bird feeder out of willow, before warming up with a hot chocolate with water heated in the kelly kettle.

We started today’s session playing ‘secret spies’ and finding some good hiding places. The children enjoyed their usual bug hunting, climbing trees and playing in the mud kitchen. They were shown how to erect a tarp using some special knots – timber hitch, tight taut tarp and an adjustable slipknot. Some children then joined in with making a mud face on a tree, using natural objects to decorate it. Towards the end of the session, we warmed up with a hot chocolate using water heated in the kelly kettle.

Year 2 enjoyed Forest School in the snow today. They played ‘the floor is lava’ and read ‘Stick Man’. They then used twine and sticks to make their own stick men. Some children climbed trees, others played in the mud kitchen and others hunted for bugs. All children used their first tool – a peeler – to whittle a stick into a skewer. They then had their first fire and enjoyed toasting marshmallows!

The Year 6 children had their first After-School Forest School session today. They played ‘The floor is lava’ and learnt the rules of Forest School. They used peelers to create their own skewers which they later used to roast marshmallows. Some of them had a go using the fire steel to light a fire – it took much perseverance and a lot of encouragement from their friends – but they managed it. Next time, the rest of the children will have a go.

Children in Year 2 had their first Forest School session today. They started with a game of ‘123 Where are you?’ and came up with some very creative hiding places! They explored the area and enjoyed staying dry under the new tarpaulin! We read ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ and some children went on a Bear Hunt of their own. They then used mud to paint maps of their journey. Other children chose to play in the mud kitchen – making teas and coffees for the adults! Some climbed trees and others hunted for bugs!

The children were challenge by a thinking game today! They had to use alliteration to give themselves an animal name e.g. “Lucy Lion” and then they had to go in a circle saying all the names before them…”Lucy Lion, Chris Crocodile, Gemma Giraffe”…We were glad when we got to the end! Children enjoyed the hapazome activity – using mallets to print berries, petals and leaves onto cotton. Others had a run around the field to burn off some energy. We finished the session with roasted marshmallows over the fire which we then sandwiched between 2 chocolate biscuits to make smores!

Some of the children had to work inside the shed for today’s Forest School as it was so windy! They used mallets to create hapazome prints using leaves, petals and berries which they printed onto cotton. Other children hunted for bugs, made birthday mud pies, led friends around a rope whilst being blindfolded and climbed trees. As a special treat, all children (and adults!) enjoyed a smore – they melted a marshmallow by the fire and then sandwiched it between 2 chocolate biscuits. YUM!

This week’s session began with a game of ‘Giants, Wizards and Elves’ which was enjoyed by all! The children then made magic wands and potions which fizzed and bubbled, played under the shelter, created food in the mud kitchen and hunted for bugs. Some children played with the blindfold rope challenge whereas others used their magic wands to turn each other into frogs and goats! After a quick break for hot chocolate and a biscuit, the children continued to their earlier activities. We then realised we could use the charcoal from the fire to make treasure maps on cotton which we then tried to follow to find the treasure!

It snowed again! This time Group B got to enjoy playing in the snow. We started by playing ‘secret sticks’ where the children had to secretly place a stick near the leader’s feet without being noticed. We spotted some green shoots appearing amongst the mud and snow. We thought they might either be daffodils, bluebells or snowdrops. We can’t wait to see what appears! To protect them from being trampled, we created frames around them using sticks – it was fun to try and spot the shoots hidden around the woods! The children then enjoyed a variety of activities. Some children played in the snow, whilst others made some frozen art. Some children climbed trees, others played under the shelter and some made mud maps. Every child enjoyed making a magic wand and a magic potion which fizzed and bubbled! We lit a fire, heated up some water in the kelly kettle and enjoyed a hot chocolate to warm ourselves up!

It was Group A’s turn to use their first tool today. It was our first session in the rain so we put up a shelter and worked one at a time to use a peeler to whittle a skewer. Other children enjoyed using the new table and benches and created a mud kitchen restaurant. Many children hunted for bugs and played in the rain! After a while, we lit and fire and took it in turns to kneel by the fire to roast a marshmallow. 7 out of 15 children didn’t like roasted marshmallows, despite never trying them. Once we discussed ‘having a go’ and trying something before deciding we didn’t like it, every single child tasted a roasted marshmallow. 15 out of 15 children decided they loved roasted marshmallows!!

Group B had their “best day ever” at Forest School today! They started by playing ‘secret spies’ and were brilliant at hiding. Some children then made muddy bird’s nests, others made natural mobiles and learnt how to tie knots. Some children looked for bugs, whilst others climbed trees and played in the mud kitchen. Every child then had the opportunity to use their first tool. They listened to the tool talk and how to keep safe when using tools. They then used a peeler to whittle a stick into a skewer. Afterwards we lit a fire and they used their skewers to roast marshmallows! Delicious!

Group A braved the minus temperatures today and had a wonderful time playing in the snow! They discovered dinosaur bones and animal footprints on the snowy field. They loved playing ‘secret spies’ and found some brilliant hiding places. Some children made frozen decorations to hang from the trees using leaves and berries. We then enjoyed a hot chocolate using hot water from the fire!

Group B enjoyed their 2nd session in the freezing cold today! We all wrapped up in lots of layers to ensure we were still toasty warm. The children loved ‘the floor is lava’ and thought it was hilarious when Mrs Eadie and Mr MacLeod tried to get their feet off the ground. They enjoyed the blindfold rope activity – especially trying to direct Mrs Millington round the trees without banging into them – she only bumped her head 3 times! To warm us up, we lit a fire for the first time. We talked about the fire triangle and what was needed to light and extinguish a fire. We then heated some water in the kelly kettle and enjoyed a delicious hot chocolate. Even those who thought they wouldn’t like it were brave enough to try something new and loved it! The rest of the afternoon was spent climbing trees, playing in the mud kitchen, hunting for bugs and spotting Autumn leaves.

During their 2nd session, Group A played a game of ‘the floor is lava’. The children (and adults – Mrs Eadie!!) were very creative in getting their feet off the ground! The children noticed lots of litter on the ground so we started with a litter pick. Then they had a choice of activities, from identifying Autumn leaves, to hunting for bugs and playing in the mud kitchen. A new activity was a rope challenge where one child was blindfolded and their friend had to guide them along a rope through the trees by giving them directions. They all wanted to play this next time too! After a biscuit and a drink, they decided they wanted to climb trees and build dens. The sun started to shine through the trees and it was such a joy to watch the children so happy in their learning and exploring.

Children in Year 1 have had their very first Forest School sessions! After getting into our waterproof coats and trousers, we walked over to the wooded area to explore! We listened to the rules of Forest School and played a game of hide and seek. The children then led their own learning by choosing the activities they wanted to take part in. Some children chose to use the bug hunting equipment to look for worms, spiders, ants and woodlice. Others cooked up unusual recipes in the mud kitchen. A few children completed a rainbow scavenger hunt by looking for natural items from each colour of the rainbow. A group of children decided they wanted to climb trees, whereas another group used sticks and leaves to create a den. After a chocolate biscuit and a reflection on the session so far, children continued their activities before heading back to the classroom to get changed and tell their friends all about their adventures.