Forest School 2023 – 24

It was our final session today! We played the ninja stick game, then the children created some imaginative clay models! Others made friendship bracelets before stuffing bananas with chocolate and marshmallows!

Today’s session started with a competitive team challenge of who can make the longest line – in the end it was a draw! Some children made leaf prints, others had a go at lighting a fire and everyone enjoyed a snack of popcorn cooked over the fire!

Group B enjoyed the sunshine today. We started with a game of ‘rabbit and hunter’ where the hunters had to creep towards the rabbit without being caught. We then read ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and the children were challenged to make a bridge over the troll’s river. Other children used twine to make a weaving frame to collect treasures, some made dens and others hunted for bugs.

It was Group A’s final session today. We made stuffed bananas and cooked them over the fire. Some children made friendship bracelets, others made clay trolls and the rest relaxed in the hammock!

Our session today started with the team challenge of who can make the longest line – there were some very creative ideas. We had huge success making popcorn over the fire – the children were very excited to hear the POP! Some activities today included making a trail like in ‘Hansel and Gretel’, painting and printing leaves and making daisy chains.

This week we started with a game of ‘rabbit and hunter’ where the hunters had to creep towards the rabbit without being caught. We then read ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and the children were challenged to make a bridge over the troll’s river. Other children used wool and twine to make a weaving frame to collect treasures.

It was a very, very wet session today! The children made bread over the fire and sang action songs to warm themselves up! They still enjoyed tree climbing, bug hunting and playing in the mud kitchen, despite the rain. Some children made fairy gardens and others made shelters to escape the rain!

Group B had their first session in a while today. They toasted some bread over the fire and spread their own toppings. Some children made an everlasting dandelion in a jar and others relaxed in the hammock!

This week we played ‘secret spies’ where the children had to find a good hiding place – they did so well! Some children had a go at whittling stick men using a peeler and others used petals to create a bookmark. Some children worked together to make a ‘hogitat’ for a hedgehog whilst the rest took turns to relax in the hammock!

The sun was shining this week and it was lovely to be outside without wearing a coat! Children had a go at making campfire bread which they ate after cooking it over the fire. Others built a bridge using wood planks, some made fairy gardens whilst the rest hunted for bugs, climbed trees and made dens.

Children enjoyed playing secret spies and finding great hiding spots to start today’s session. Some children helped with planting, whilst others had a go using a peeler to make a stick man. The mud kitchen was busy again today, as was the bug hunting area. The children were also challenged to sniff out which trees had been rubbed with garlic!

It was the turn of the Year Ones again today. There was lots of mud in the wooded area this week, which the children used to their full advantage! The mud kitchen was in full swing and some children made mud faces on the trees. Others built dens and hunted for bugs, whilst some completed the colour challenge – finding natural items of each colour. Children had a go at making toast over the fire and spread their favourite topping before eating (mostly chocolate spread!)

It was the final session for the Year 2s today. We started with the blindfold hug-a-tree game before moving on to den-building and bridge-making. The children all enjoyed pancakes and licked their plates clean!

We played giants, wizards, elves to start this week. Some children made fairy gardens whilst others continued with their dens. Everyone had a go making bread which we then cooked over a fire before eating.

We started this week with a game of Secret Spies. The children then made hogitats and dens before roasting marshmallows for smores. They also had to use their sense of smell to sniff out which trees had been rubbed with garlic! They also used a carpenters brace to drill a hole through their wood cookie which they then decorated.

It was sunny but cold this week! The children had a go at using a saw to cut a wood cookie that they will decorate next week. Many more dens were constructed – some for humans and some for animals. Some children had a go at making a bird feeder using pears and bird seed. Others had a go at the rope challenge – trying to get their feet off the ground for 20 seconds only using rope!

The second half of Year 2 were back at Forest School this week. It was VERY rainy and muddy but that didn’t stop the children! They had a go lighting a fire, making dens, painting with mud and drinking hot chocolate!

The mud didn’t stop the children for their final Forest School session. We started by ‘meeting a tree’. One child was blindfolded and was led to a tree by their partner. They had to feel the tree so they could recognise it later. Their partner moved them elsewhere and then took their blindfold off. The child had to then find their tree! We made pancakes on the fire and enjoyed them with chocolate spread, golden syrup and lemon and sugar. Children made fairy gardens, dens and bridges. Others played hide and seek, whilst some were so tired they had a nap!

This week we made campfire bread!! The children thought it was delicious and ate every last bite. They also had to tackle a challenge of building a bridge over a river!

Today we played Giants, Wizards, Elves. Children decorated their wood cookies with special paint pens. They learnt how to use peelers to whittle a character. They also enjoyed making pizza in the mud kitchen, playing hide and seek and building dens!

We played the secret spies game to start the session. The children found some brilliant hiding places! They were then shown how to use a carpenter’s brace to drill a hole in their wood cookie. Another challenge for the children was the garlic tree trail! They had to sniff the trees to figure out which ones had been rubbed with garlic! We had smores to warm up and then the children were shown how to make hogitats (habitats for hedgehogs). They then chose to make rabbitats, foxitats and owlitats!

We started this session with the stick game. There were some very creative ways of trying to move without making a sound! Children were shown how to use a bow saw to cut a ‘wood cookie’ as well as how to make a bird feeder using an apple and bird seed. Some children made a fantastic den, others completed a Winter bird checklist and some used the new balancing scales.

Year 2 were back at Forest School this week! Group A enjoyed exploring the new equipment since their last session and warmed up with a hot chocolate. They made dens and hunted for bugs, with some children having a go at using a fire steel to light a fire!

For their final session, children used a carpenter’s brace to drill a hole through wood to finish their Christmas decoration. They also made some brilliant dens!

This week we used a bow saw to cut a wood cookie! Next week we will drill holes and then paint them for Christmas decorations! We also threaded wooden decorations!

Another cold week at Forest School. We created art with petals, berries and water and hope that it freezes overnight so we can hang it up! The children also had a go at using hammers to create hapazome prints and then warmed up by roasting marshmallows for smores!

It was a chilly one today for Group B! We had hot chocolate to keep warm and made magic potions that bubbled and fizzed.

Wow what a day! The children used a bow saw today to cut a piece of wood into a wood cookie. They then used a carpenter’s brace to drill a hole! We will decorate them and they can be hung up as Christmas decorations! Some children had a go at threading wood cookies and others had a go using the fire steel to produce a spark!

We played the stick game today and continued to explore the new equipment. Some children learnt how to do a sheer lashing knot to create stars out of sticks. Many, many bugs were found today!

It was a muddy one today! We made mud faces on trees, used hammers to make hapazome prints and toasted marshmallows for smores. We also enjoyed using the new equipment like the bug hotel and the rope ladder!

Group A made magic wands and potions that fizzed! They spotted Autumn leaves, used wax crayons to make rubbings and created leaf wreaths. They had hot chocolate to warm up before getting muddy in the mud kitchen!

It was a bit warmer this week although very windy! Group B played ‘Secret Spies’ to start the session and then hunted for bugs, played in the mud kitchen and climbed trees. Many children also learnt how to tie knots by making natural mobiles out of sticks, leaves, twine and feathers. Others enjoyed the blindfold challenge where they had to direct a friend along a rope. The session ended with an enormous bear hunt – we didn’t see any but we definitely heard some!

Group B had their second session in the rain! The afternoon was spent making things out of sticks – stick men, dens, wands and fishing rods! All children had a chance to use a peeler to create a skewer and then roasted marshmallows over the fire.

Group B had their very first Forest School session in Year One. We went on a Bear Hunt, painted mud maps, hunted for bugs, played in the mud kitchen and climbed trees!

Group A in Year 1 were not put off by Storm Agnes in their third session! We started with a game of secret spies, then the rest of the session was spent climbing trees, making dens, hunting for bugs and playing in the mud kitchen. Many children also learnt how to tie a knot by making a natural craft mobile!

Year 1 Group A’s second session involved lighting fires, roasting marshmallows, blindfold rope walks, bug hunting, tree climbing and cooking in the mud kitchen! All children had a go at using a peeler to whittle a skewer for roasting marshmallows!