Blog by Lisa Pearman

We were lucky to have a warm and sunny term out in Forest School. 

Week one linked in with Year 3's Literacy learning about the book 'The tunnel'. The children learned a new challenging knot - the cowley hitch, which is an adjustable knot. We talked about not necessarily learning a knot…

What a sunny Autumn term we have had. 

Stick man came to visit us in the first session. What could sticks be used for? The children explored ordering them by size, making boats that float, making stick people, making fishing rods and rescuing stick man from the ice, using spoons and pipets.…

Year 6 got to enjoy the gorgeous October weather in the woodlands last week. 

The tree surgery work had finished in that area so we could access the site again. We started off with a team work game of singing and jumping in time over 2 sticks. It was more challenging than it looks but the…

Welcome to the woods Year 1. Your first trip. 

Luckily we missed the very stormy weather last week and went during a calmer time to Covert Woods to explore. Some tree surgeons were at work at our usual spot but we found a different area to explore. This session was all about using the…

Year 5 were the first Year group to try out the Kelly Kettle. They collected small wooden sticks, lit the fire and learned how to safely feed the fire when the Kelly Kettle is on. We boiled water, used fire strikers and enjoyed a hot chocolate. Some children were fascinated with where the…

This summer term Year 4 created habitats for animals that live in our area . Some sowed wildflowers (which are now flowering) for bees and insects, some made a trap door out of wood using hammer and nails for insects to live underneath, some made bird nests and others created wood piles and…

Summer term brings summer fun. 

The colour monster visited us - we read the book and talked about emotions and what keeps us calm, with a focus on the natural world outside. The children drew something that made them feel calm in the Forest School area. The children enjoyed the swing made…

Summer term brings summer fun. 

The colour monster visited us - we read the book and talked about emotions and what keeps us calm, with a focus on the natural world outside. The children drew something that made them feel calm in the Forest School area. They enjoyed the swing made by the…

The one where Year 6 came to Forest School...

We started off with our fire safety, remembering the fire triangle : heat, oxygen and fuel -and we prepared our veggie pizzas. The children had to wash and cut the vegetables and the techniques of emptying tomato puree were hilarious to watch. We…

The sun was shining for our trip to the woodlands at Covert Woods. 

We listened to the birds and noises around us - life can be so busy and it is very calming to stop and take in the surroundings. 

The children found interesting natural items on the forest floor and talked to their friends…

Year 5 got to choose and use lots of tools. They made fairy furniture like swings and houses with saws, knives, peelers, loppers, secateurs and hammers. Acrylic paint was used to add some features. Some children made a noughts and crosses game, sawing all of the counters, which now all children in…

The weather was perfect for a fire, which was our first one of the year. We toasted marshmallow and turned them into s'mores. 

It was fabulous to see how the children had settled into life at Forest School - they were asking for things from the shed, building zip wires, dens, shops, planted…