Tuesday 28th July

This week, the children arrived full of excitement as they couldn't wait to see and explore our brand-new mud kitchen! Before heading to our site, we made a special stop to deliver a little gift to our wonderful volunteers as a big thank you for all their hard work in building it for us. We are so grateful for their time and support.

Once we reached our site, the children eagerly unpacked the utensils and got straight to work in their new outdoor kitchen. There was plenty of imaginative play as they created delicious "clam soup" and a variety of refreshing drinks, proudly celebrating their fantastic new addition.

The fun didn't stop there! The rest of the day was spent enjoying all our favourite activities. The children explored the treasure digging area, added new features to our den, watered the vegetables, played with the fairies in the small world area, helped spread bark around the site, and, most importantly, had lots of fun learning and playing together outdoors.

It was a wonderful day filled with creativity, teamwork, and adventure, and we can't wait to make many more happy memories in our new mud kitchen!

Thursday 23rd July

This week at Forest School, the children became adventurous treasure hunters!

Armed with spades and plenty of imagination, they searched high and low for hidden treasure. They dug deep into the earth, uncovering all sorts of magical and mysterious discoveries. Every hole sparked excitement as the children shared their ideas about what they might find, creating wonderful stories about buried treasure and pirate worlds. Their imaginative play encouraged teamwork, problem-solving and curiosity about the natural environment.

The children also worked together to build a cosy den using branches carefully leaned against a tree. They discussed the best way to balance the sticks and make their shelter strong and sturdy. Once it was complete, the den became the perfect place to rest, chat and continue their woodland adventures. Building the den helped develop their cooperation, creativity and resilience as they explored different ways to construct their woodland hideaway.

It has been another fantastic week filled with exploration, teamwork, and imaginative play. We are looking forward to seeing where our Forest School adventures take us next!

Thursday 16th July

This week at Forest School was full of exciting discoveries and hands-on learning in nature.

One of the highlights of our week was finding a blackbird's nest hidden behind our shed. We sat quietly and patiently, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mother blackbird returning to feed her chicks. We were amazed by how noisy the baby birds were and how much they wriggled as they waited for their next meal. It was a wonderful opportunity to observe wildlife up close while learning the importance of being calm and respectful around nesting birds.

We also spent time caring for our vegetable garden by watering our growing plants. The children enjoyed helping to look after the vegetables and talked about what plants need to grow strong and healthy.

Our adventures continued with some bug hunting! Armed with magnifying glasses and lots of curiosity, we searched under logs, in the grass, and among the leaves to discover a variety of fascinating minibeasts. We found insects, spiders, and other tiny creatures, discussing their habitats and why they are so important for our environment.

It has been another fantastic week of exploring, learning, and connecting with nature. We can't wait to see what adventures next week will bring!

Tuesday 14th July

The children had another fantastic day at Forest School, making the most of the outdoors and enjoying a variety of exciting activities.

One group set off on an imaginative pirate adventure, digging for buried treasure and even uncovering "dinosaur bones" along the way. Their creativity and teamwork made for lots of fun and excitement.

Meanwhile, another group worked hard in the allotment, helping to dig up potatoes, while others took responsibility for watering our growing vegetables. The children loved caring for the garden and seeing how much everything has grown. We were especially pleased to see our pumpkin plants thriving, they are looking particularly good and getting bigger every week!

The children also decided they wanted to create their own special space using bricks and long branches. Working together, they collected sticks from around the site, with a little help from our wonderful volunteers. Before long, they had gathered enough materials to build a beautiful den. The children were incredibly proud of what they had created and we hope to keep adding to it over the coming weeks as their ideas continue to grow.

Some of the children also enjoyed helping to build our new workbench, which will be used in an exciting new woodwork area we are creating. They were enthusiastic to get involved and loved being part of the process. We are looking forward to introducing this new area, where the children will have opportunities to safely develop practical skills, creativity and confidence through woodwork activities.

It has been wonderful to watch the children develop their confidence, curiosity, teamwork and appreciation for nature through their Forest School experiences. Every session brings new opportunities for exploration, problem-solving and imaginative play, making each visit a memorable adventure.

Thursday 9th July

Today at Forest School we had another wonderfully busy day filled with adventure creativity and some very special wildlife encounters!

We started the morning by popping over to the workshop to check on the progress of our new mud kitchen. The children were so excited to see how much it has come together since our last visit and we can't wait for it to be finished.

Afterwards, we headed over to our site where everyone was amazed by how much had changed since their previous visit. After exploring the area, many of the children decided to continue the treasure hunt after spotting the impressive holes dug by Tuesday's group. Meanwhile, others enjoyed imaginative play in our small world area, creating magical adventures with the fairies.

Before lunch, we made sure all of our plants had plenty of water. We also took the opportunity to have a closer look at our pumpkin plants, which are growing beautifully. It has been wonderful watching them thrive.

Lunchtime brought an unforgettable surprise! One of the children noticed something moving nearby and, to everyone's amazement, a little vole poked its head out from behind a branch before quickly scurrying around beside us. He was such a friendly little creature! We left out a small amount of food for him and soon spotted him running towards our bug hotel. It looks like he may have made it his home – how lucky we are to have such a special little visitor sharing our Forest School with us.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, our regular feathered friend, Steve the robin, paid us his usual visit. He perched nearby and treated us to his beautiful song. He really is the friendliest robin we've ever met and has become a much-loved part of our Forest School days.

During the afternoon, the children continued their treasure hunt while others painted shells and stones to decorate our Forest School space. Another group worked together to help build our new woodwork bench, showing fantastic teamwork and enthusiasm.

What a busy and exciting day! From discovering wildlife and caring for our growing plants to building, painting and imaginative play, there was something for everyone to enjoy. We can't wait to see what adventures our next Forest School session brings!

Tuesday 7th July

This week, our new Forest School group returned to the site, eager to see everyone. As they arrived, the children couldn't wait to explore and were excited to see the changes that had taken place around the site.

One of their first stops was the workshop, where they were eager to check in with Syd and see how the mud kitchen they had designed was coming along. Syd was delighted to show them the progress so far and proudly explained that all of the wood had now been cut and was ready for the next stage of the build. The children were thrilled to see their ideas beginning to come to life.

Once we reached the Forest School site, the children couldn't believe how much had changed since their last visit. They were so excited to explore every corner and quickly immersed themselves in a variety of activities.

Imaginative play was in full swing throughout the day. Some children became pirates, digging for hidden treasure, while others were magical fairies in our new small world area. They beautifully knitted fairies, kindly made and donated by one of our wonderful volunteers, inspired lots of creative and imaginative play.

A small group chose to spend some time at the allotment, where they worked alongside our older friends to dig up potatoes. There was great excitement as each potato was uncovered, and the children enjoyed being part of the harvest.

Back at the Forest School site, everyone worked together to improve our space. Some children helped to build a new shelving unit, while others worked together to organise the inside of the shed.

After such a busy morning, we decided to sit and have a more relaxed activity. The children carefully tied small bundles of sticks in preparation for our fire week. Learning to tie knots can be quite a challenge, but everyone persevered brilliantly and did an amazing job.

The afternoon was just as productive. We spent time watering our plants, including our beautiful apple tree, which is growing well. Our pumpkin plants have also had a fantastic growth spurt, and we can't wait to watch them continue to flourish over the coming weeks.

To make the day even more special, we were gifted a beautiful repurposed bench by our incredible volunteers. It has already found pride of place in our fire circle and will be enjoyed by the children and grown ups. We are so grateful for the time, care and creativity our volunteers continue to give to our outdoor space.

As we made our way back to the minibus, we stopped to say goodbye to everyone in the workshop. We were amazed by the progress that had already been made on our mud kitchen since the morning. It is really starting to take shape, and the children are eagerly looking forward to seeing what exciting developments await us next week!

Tuesday 30th June

We had another fantastic day at Forest School during what is always one of the children's favourite weeks!

The children took on the challenge of preparing a delicious three-course meal together. They started with garlic bread, followed by a hearty full English breakfast and finished with fresh fruit for pudding. It was wonderful to see everyone working as a team, building their cooking skills and taking pride in creating such an impressive meal from start to finish. We were also delighted to welcome our volunteers, who enjoyed sharing our meal.

After lunch, we spent time outdoors caring for our environment by watering the plants and garden areas. The children enjoyed taking responsibility for looking after nature and seeing the difference their efforts make.

It was a fun-filled day of cooking, teamwork, learning and outdoor activities. We are so proud of everything the children achieved and can't wait for the next Forest School adventure!

Thursday 25th June

It was a hot day today at Forest School, but we were well prepared with plenty of extra water and our lovely shaded site helped to keep us cool.

We started our session by exploring the site to see if anything had changed since last week. We were shocked to discover that something had eaten our spinach and lettuce! The children had lots of ideas about who our mystery visitor might have been. We also found some exciting new growth in our planting beds, our pumpkins have started to sprout! We were all so excited to see the tiny shoots appearing.

After our site walk, we planned our day and got started on the jobs we had chosen. One group worked together to build new shelves for our shed, another group planted more seeds because the children decided they would like to grow flowers to make our site look even prettier, and the final group watered all of our plants, which were looking very dry in the warm weather.

As everyone was busy working, Tara spotted a familiar truck arriving. It was the "Bark Man," as the children call him! He arrived with a tipper full of bark chippings that we were going to use to cover our pathways. The children were fascinated as they watched him pour out the enormous pile of bark. All the excitement left everyone feeling tired and thirsty, so we stopped for a well earned lunch.

After lunch, we were refreshed and ready to get back to work. Our first job was to prepare our new fire circle using logs. Once this was complete, the children were eager to spread the bark, even though it wasn't part of our original plan. They quickly grabbed wheelbarrows and trowels and worked brilliantly together as a team. It wasn't long before we had covered the entire area, and it looks amazing!

We have had such a productive day and we cannot wait for Forest School next week and are so excited to use our wonderful new area for fire week!

Tuesday 16th June

We have had another busy and exciting day at our outdoor learning site, with lots of opportunities for teamwork, creativity and discovery.

This week, we continued developing our pathways around the site. The children worked hard collecting bark to cover the paths and helped line them with large stones and wooden logs. It has been wonderful to see the pathways taking shape and becoming a more defined part of our outdoor space.

We also began building a dead hedge to help separate different areas of the site more effectively. The children enthusiastically helped to hammer stakes into the ground before using branches from recently cut trees to fill the spaces between them. To add a decorative touch, they carefully wove leaves through the branches, creating a beautiful natural boundary that blends perfectly into the environment.

Some of the children spent time helping our volunteers weed the allotment. However, their attention was soon captured by the beautiful wildflowers growing nearby! This led to some wonderful conversations with the volunteers about the different flowers they could see. The children were especially excited when they spotted a bee visiting the flowers, providing a fantastic opportunity to talk about pollinators and the important role they play in nature.

It has been another day full of hands-on learning, teamwork and exploration, and we are looking forward to seeing what discoveries next week will bring.

Tuesday 9th June

The children have once again been incredibly busy helping to develop their new outdoor learning site. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and sense of ownership as they continue to contribute ideas and support the ongoing improvements to the area.

This week, we purchased new shelving units for our shed to help organise and store our growing collection of outdoor learning resources. Assembling the shelving proved to be quite a challenge at first, but with determination, problem-solving, and our favourite motto, "Teamwork makes the dream work," we soon figured it out. Working together, we successfully built and installed two shelving units, creating a much more organised and accessible space for our equipment.

The children were also keen to continue developing our growing area and helped to plant additional vegetables in the garden beds. Through this hands-on experience, they learned more about planting, caring for crops and the importance of patience as they wait for their vegetables to grow.

We are hopeful that our latest plants will thrive over the coming weeks, provided our local deer and rabbits decide to leave them alone! The children are excited to monitor their progress and take responsibility for caring for them as part of their ongoing outdoor learning journey.

Thursday 4th June

The children have enjoyed another productive day of outdoor learning, spending time preparing our growing beds for the season ahead. They worked collaboratively to fill and prepare the beds, developing their understanding of the care and effort required to create a successful growing environment.

As part of our day, we have planted lettuce, spinach, beetroot, and beans. The children have shown great interest in the planting process and have enjoyed discussing what plants need to grow and thrive. We are looking forward to observing their progress over the coming weeks and caring for them as they develop.

During our time outdoors, the children also encountered a special visitor, a bee that appeared to be tired and lacking energy. This provided a valuable opportunity for discussion about the importance of pollinators and how we can support wildlife. After considering what the bee might need, the children offered a small piece of fruit and carefully observed as it fed before continuing on its journey.

To conclude the week, we met with one of our dedicated volunteers who is working with us to create a mud kitchen for the children. We reviewed the plans together and shared ideas for the project. The children are extremely excited to be involved in the development of this new learning space and are looking forward to seeing it take shape in the weeks ahead.

Tuesday 2nd June

Today, we continued developing our outdoor learning site and made great progress together.

The excitement began on the minibus journey, where the children discussed with their friends’ which jobs they would like to take on once we arrived. Their enthusiasm and sense of responsibility were clear before we had even reached the site.

As soon as we arrived, we quickly got busy, working together in smaller groups to complete a variety of exciting activities. Some children planted radishes and green beans, helping to expand our growing area and learning about the care and patience needed to grow food. Others worked hard building new vegetable beds, creating additional space for future planting projects.

We also began clearing and preparing an area for our exciting new mud kitchen. This project is being planned and developed by the wonderful volunteers at Pathhead in consultation with the children who have enjoyed choosing the design and visiting the workshop for updates.

It was fantastic to see everyone working together, showing teamwork, determination, and enthusiasm throughout the day. The outdoor learning site continues to grow and evolve, and we are looking forward to seeing our plants flourish and our new mud kitchen take shape in the coming weeks.

Thursday 28th May

Today was our first visit to our outdoor learning site at Pathhead Watermill for the new group, and the children were full of excitement as we arrived. For many, the new environment felt huge and full of possibilities, and some were understandably overwhelmed by all there was to see and explore.

We began our visit with a tour of the site, taking time to look around and discuss what we might find there. We also talked about potential risks and how we can keep ourselves and others safe when learning outdoors. As part of our outdoor learning programme, we have clear procedures that are introduced during the first visit, and over the next six weeks the children will quickly become familiar with these routines and learn how to manage risks safely and confidently during our outings.

Once we reached our area of the site, the children were eager to explore. There was great excitement as they discovered the bug hotel, which quickly became a point of interest. Throughout the day, the children enjoyed watching "Steve" the robin swoop in and out of the hotel as he visited. This sparked lots of conversations about wildlife and the creatures that might make the site their home.

We spent time discussing what our site might need and how we could help develop the space. The children enthusiastically got to work, collecting materials and transporting them in wheelbarrows. This proved to be a popular activity, with many children enjoying the responsibility of moving items around the site. Others chose to use trowels to transfer soil between the vegetable beds, demonstrating teamwork, determination, and a willingness to help improve our outdoor space.

It was wonderful to see the children's curiosity, enthusiasm, and confidence grow throughout the visit. We are looking forward to returning next week and continuing our journey as we develop the site together and learn more about the natural environment around us.

We look forward to seeing how the group develops their ideas over the coming weeks and watching their confidence and independence grow within the outdoor environment. It will be exciting to see how the site evolves as the children share their creativity, work together on projects, and take ownership of the space. We can't wait to discover what other exciting areas and opportunities for learning may be created as our outdoor learning journey continues.

Tuesday 19th & 21st May - Fire Week!

 This week was an exciting one on our new outdoor learning site as both groups enjoyed their very first fire week at Pathhead. The children had been looking forward to this experience, and there was a real sense of excitement as they arrived each day, eager to begin their outdoor learning adventures.

As part of our fire week, we introduced the children to the fire pit and discussed the important safety rules that help keep everyone safe. We revisited these rules with each group, and the children demonstrated how well they had remembered them. They took their responsibilities seriously, confidently explaining how to build a fire safely and identifying the materials needed. It was wonderful to see their knowledge and confidence in doing so.

One of the highlights of the week was preparing and cooking our very own forest school pizzas. The children enjoyed being involved in every stage of the process and were excited to see how their pizzas would turn out. As the delicious smells drifted across the site, the volunteers were intrigued and popped in to see how the fire was going.

We were delighted when some of them decided to sample our pizzas and even more thrilled when they said they were the best pizzas they had ever tasted. The children had huge smiles on their faces as they were able to share their creations with their friends, and everyone enjoyed them together. They could even share their knowledge of how to build a fire with the volunteers.

Our first fire week at Pathhead was a fantastic success and created many special memories for both groups. We are already looking forward to our next fire session and wondering what delicious food we might cook next!

Tuesday 26th May

 

This week a new group of children began their outdoor learning adventure and were ready to explore their new site. For some children in the group, this was their very first visit, which made the experience even more special.

The excitement continued as we arrived on site and were greeted by two of our wonderful volunteers. They had brought along some plant cuttings for us to add to our growing area, and the children were eager to learn more about them. After discussing where the plants might grow best, the children carefully planted the cuttings in the growing beds, taking great pride in contributing to the development of our outdoor space.

As we worked together to fill the vegetable beds in preparation for planting, the children uncovered some amazing treasures hidden beneath the soil. Our first exciting discovery was an old one penny coin. The children were fascinated by how large it was compared to the coins they are familiar with today and enjoyed examining it closely.

Shortly afterwards, another treasure was found, a small glass bottle that had survived intact. This sparked lots of discussion as the children wondered what it might have been used for, who it may have belonged to, and why it was so small.

The treasure hunting continued throughout the day, with the children eagerly searching to see what other hidden objects they might uncover while working on the site. By the end of the session, we had decided that we may need to create a special treasure box to store our discoveries, as our site was clearly proving to be a treasure trove of fascinating finds.

As well as treasure hunting, the children enjoyed exploring their surroundings, discovering different areas of the site, and sharing ideas about what they would like to create and grow in the future. There were lots of conversations about plants, wildlife, and how we can care for our environment. It was wonderful to see the children taking ownership of the space and becoming involved in shaping how it will develop over the coming weeks.

Thursday 14th May

This week our outdoor site was full of excitement, teamwork and wonderful surprises. Some of the children continued carefully adding to the bug hotel, transforming it into a cosy and welcoming home for all the mini beasts that may visit. Nearby, another group took on the challenge of building our brand new vegetable beds. The task was not an easy one but the children showed determination and cooperation throughout. One child proudly held the ‘constructions’ (instructions), carefully explaining where each piece should go, whilst another threaded screws through the holes and their friends secured the nuts on the other side. It was amazing to see the children communicating so well and supporting one another, a perfect example of ‘teamwork makes the dream work’.

Whilst we were busy building, the rain suddenly came pouring down. Rather than letting it spoil our fun, we quickly built a shelter so we could stay dry and enjoy our lunch together outdoors. As we sat chatting and eating, one of the children excitedly pointed towards the edge of the site, convinced she had spotted some donkeys. To our amazement, they were actually beautiful deer quietly walking along the site boundary. The children were absolutely thrilled and watched in awe as the deer wandered past, making it a very special and memorable moment for everyone.

Tuesday 12th May

It is official — today we took delivery of our beautiful new shed!

The children stood back in awe, watching every stage of the build with wide eyes and huge smiles as the base was carefully laid, the walls slowly took shape and finally the roof was lifted into place. Excitement grew with every step and before long we were all gathered together for a very special countdown to the grand opening. As soon as the door opened, the children burst inside with pure joy and excitement!

What an incredible addition to our site this will be. At last, we have the perfect space to move all of our outdoor learning equipment across to our new site, helping us create even more opportunities for adventure, exploration and discovery.

The excitement didn’t stop there! Alongside the shed build, the children worked wonderfully together to create a brand new seating area, which we have already begun filling with bark ready for completion during our next visit. We also started preparing our fantastic new bug hotel, carefully collecting bark, stones and natural materials to make a cosy new home for all sorts of mini beasts.

Of course, we couldn’t have done it without some very special helpers, Steve, our resident robin and his lovely wife Stevie, who kept a close eye on the action while busily collecting worms (clearly to help stock the bug hotel, of course!). What amazing little teammates they are!

We were also incredibly proud to finally complete all of the dead hedges around the site before adding locks to help keep everything safe and secure.

There is still lots of work ahead of us but already the transformation has been nothing short of amazing. Seeing the children’s excitement, teamwork and pride in their environment has made every moment worthwhile, and we cannot wait to continue the journey and share even more of our progress with you all very soon!

Thursday 7th May

What a wonderfully busy and rewarding day we’ve had at our forest school site! There was a real sense of excitement in the air today as our beautiful bug hotel was finally completed and proudly put in place on the site. We are incredibly grateful to the fantastic volunteers who gave their time, energy and creativity to help build it. The children are already so excited to begin filling it with natural materials, ready to welcome lots of minibeasts looking for a cosy new home. We can’t wait to see who moves in first!

We were also very lucky to receive a generous donation of flowers from one of our lovely volunteers. Together, we carefully planted and watered them, taking great care to help them settle into their new home on the site. We now have forget-me-nots, violas, nasturtiums, mint, sunflowers, radishes and marigolds which we hope will bloom very soon. The forget-me-nots are already blooming brightly and add such a lovely splash of colour, they really do look stunning!

Alongside the gardening, the children also worked incredibly hard helping to build the dead hedges around the site. They are becoming so skilled and confident at creating fences using branches and natural materials, and it has been wonderful to watch their teamwork and cooperation flourish. Everyone worked together brilliantly, showing great determination, communication and creativity throughout the day. What a fantastic day of learning, teamwork and outdoor fun!

Tuesday 5th May

Today at our outdoor learning site, the children continued to develop the space, taking on lots of important jobs and were excited and determined to get them finished.

We continued moving the bark chippings to create an area that we would like to add our shed and fire pit on to. The children showed great teamwork and perseverance as they worked together to transport and spread the materials out to create a flat space. The grown ups also worked hard to clear lots of nettles to make the space safe, and the children were fantastic helpers, transporting the cut nettles in wheelbarrows across the site.

A big focus of the day was building a dead hedge. The children worked incredibly well together on this project and were amazing. They helped to dig holes for the posts and carefully filled them in, learning about how structures are built and supported. They then transported long branches across the site and worked together to weave them through the wooden posts, creating the hedge. I was a very proud moment which the children were excited to share with the volunteers.

It was wonderful to see the children cooperating, problem-solving and supporting one another. Their confidence and teamwork continues to grow with each visit and they feel proud of the beautiful space they are creating. We are excited to see what next week brings.

Thursday 30th April

This week at Forest School, the children continued developing their new site with great enthusiasm and teamwork. We brought along a large pallet, which was carefully cut down and incorporated into the bug hotel that one of our wonderful volunteers is building.

The children also continued spreading bark to cover the membrane we had laid the previous week, showing fantastic cooperation and determination. One of the adults suggested creating a rockery using the stones we had gathered, and quickly set to work. The children eagerly joined in, helping to transport the stones across the site and arrange them into place.

Another volunteer kindly donated a selection of beautiful wildflowers, which we planted around the rockery to enhance the area and encourage wildlife. By the end of the session, we paused to reflect on our progress and were amazed at how much we had achieved together.

To finish the day, we visited the allotment area, where the children carefully watered the plants and observed how well everything is growing.