Blog by Lisa Pearman

In Forest School this term Year 4 have been exploring: 

- how to make a reef knot 

- creating spider webs (some in team work), making broomsticks and wands, 

- splashing in the mud 

- how to keep the ground less soggy by spreading bark chip

-cutting willow branches, making new holes…

This term Year 2 have been exploring: 

How to make a reef knot (micky mouse ear, flip it, mickey mouse ear and flip it, the second ear goes behind the first ear, put the loop around the stick and pull tight.)

- how to stay safe in a storm (we had one of our sessions inside)

- conker…

Forest School Fun in Term 2: 

- Pumpkin hammering with tees and mallets

- practising knots, tying wool to make wands and broomsticks for Halloween

- painting with conkers in a tray

- using a palm drill with conkers and turning them into necklaces etc.

- picking sunflower seeds and…

The outdoor shelter in the Forest School area has been completed! 

This structure has already made such a difference to our sessions outside - the heavy rain has not stopped us from coming out or making fires outside, we are so grateful. It is turned into a very cosy space.

Here are some…

We were lucky to have a very sunny last term out in Forest School. 

The children learned a new knot- the Clove hitch -challenge them to practise this at home with any string you can find. We got out knives and peelers to make bows and arrows, which were great fun. 

Some children got very…

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…