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.

Tuesday 28th April

This week at forest school, the children experienced another highly productive and enjoyable day in the outdoor environment. The session began with the collection of sticks and stones to continue the construction of our bug hotel, which is now half complete. The children then worked collaboratively to clear the next section of the site using wheelbarrows, in preparation for laying a weed membrane. This task required considerable effort, including lifting and removing embedded sticks; loppers were used to ensure the ground was level, safe, and ready for the next stage.

We planted a selection of seeds including radishes, marigolds, nasturtiums, and violas. These additions will enhance the site as they begin to establish and grow. Time was also taken to care for previously planted flowers. The forget-me-nots, which appeared slightly wilted, were thoroughly watered and quickly revived. Mint was planted at the rear of the site, with the understanding that it will spread readily in the coming weeks.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming construction of our new shed, alongside the installation of a polytunnel in preparation for the planting season.

The day was further enriched by a couple of special visitors. The children were delighted to meet a small dog named Hercules, whose lively and confident nature made quite an impression. His owner explained he is a small dog with a bit personality! We were also visited by Steve the robin, a long-standing and familiar presence at Forest School. His appearance was warmly received, as he observed the children’s activities and, as usual, took the opportunity to search for worms nearby.

Thursday 23rd April

A Busy Day at Forest School 🌿

Today was a wonderfully productive day at our forest school site, with the children fully immersed in hands-on work from start to finish. It’s been incredible to see how the space is beginning to take shape, and that’s entirely down to the children’s hard work, teamwork and determination.

We began the morning by clearing the area, removing sticks left behind by the mini digger as well as a number of stones. Rather than letting these materials go to waste, the children made the thoughtful decision to repurpose them for our bug hotel, which is currently under construction in the workshop. It’s fantastic to see their awareness of how natural resources can be reused to support wildlife.

With the ground cleared, we moved on to laying the weed membrane. Armed with tools and plenty of enthusiasm, the children carefully hammered pegs into the ground to secure it in place. This required patience and precision and they rose to the challenge brilliantly.

Next came the big task of the day, moving bark into the area using wheelbarrows. This was no easy job and it certainly tested everyone’s strength and perseverance! Although we managed to move only half of the bark, the children showed great resilience and we’re looking forward to finishing the job next week.

To round off the day, we planted some beautiful forget-me-nots that were kindly donated to us. These have been placed along the banks and we’re excited to watch them grow over time. Hopefully, they will one day form a stunning blanket of blue, adding even more life and colour to our forest school environment.

A huge well done to all the children for their effort today. It’s amazing to see what can be achieved when everyone works together!

Tuesday 21st April

What a wonderful day we had at forest school today. We were especially excited as we knew we would have at least one special visitor and sure enough, on arrival we spotted it, a mini digger working on our site. This will soon provide a perfect space for our new mud kitchen and bug hotel, and the children already have lots of ideas for what else they would like to add in the future.

The children spent some time observing the digger before gradually moving closer to take a better look, showing great curiosity and care as they explored the changes happening around them. We then headed out on a bird hunt to see what types of birds live in our area. One child thought they had spotted an ow. How amazing that would have been!

After lunch (and a few more checks on the digger’s progress), it was time for some tree identification. The children could already name a few trees, and we know there is still so much more to learn as we continue to explore our surroundings.

We were then told we had another special delivery arriving, a huge truck bringing a load of bark for our site. The children stood safely at a distance as the truck carefully manoeuvred into position and we watched as it tipped and released the bark onto the ground. One child commented that they had “never seen anything in my life before like that!”. A truly memorable moment.

Our forest school site is really starting to come together now and it’s exciting to see it develop into a rich, engaging space for the children to explore and enjoy.

Thursday 16th April

Today marked another busy and fulfilling session at forest school with our new Thursday group. We started the day by gathering together to talk through the important jobs ahead of us. With our site continuing to develop, there was plenty to be done, and the children showed great enthusiasm in taking on these responsibilities.

Everyone quickly got involved in preparing the space for the upcoming arrival of the mini digger. There was lots of teamwork as sticks were collected, logs were carefully moved, and the area began to take shape. It was wonderful to see the children working collaboratively, sharing ideas, and supporting one another with the tasks at hand.

As always, the woodland had its own surprises waiting for us. Our work was briefly paused as we discovered snails clinging to a tree trunk, sparking curiosity and close observation. Not long after, excitement grew when a frog was spotted hiding beneath a pile of deadwood, followed by another cleverly tucked away inside a log. These moments of discovery brought a sense of wonder to the session and reminded us all of the rich wildlife that shares our space.

After our explorations, the group returned to their tasks with renewed energy. The children worked incredibly hard digging and levelling the ground, showing determination and pride in their efforts. Bit by bit, the site is transforming, and the children are playing a key role in that process.

It was a truly productive day, filled with teamwork, perseverance, and those special moments of connection with nature that make forest school so meaningful. We’re all looking forward to seeing the progress continue when the digger arrives next week!

Tuesday 14th April

This week, a new group of children enjoyed spending time at Forest School. We explored a different area of our site, where the children had great fun climbing and balancing as they discovered the space.

We were also delighted to be greeted by our favourite visitor. Steve the robin has returned from his winter adventures! He happily flitted through the bushes and trees, searching for worms that the children had just dug up. We hope he decides to visit us again next week.

The children took on several important jobs during the morning. These included moving logs and branches to help prepare for our new dead hedge. One child carefully collected sticks for our upcoming bug hotel, while others worked together to dig soil and fill in a hole we had created and all this before lunchtime!

After lunch, the children continued to explore the area and began learning about our Forest School promises. During our adventures, we also spotted a mallard and discovered a magical pond, adding even more excitement to the day.

Thursday 26th March

This week at forest school it was fire week which is always an exciting day as we prepare and cook our own food. This week was even more exciting as we decided to cook a full english breakfast!

We began the session by coming together to discuss how to safely build and manage a fire. The children shared some fantastic ideas, showing their growing knowledge and confidence. They talked about what a fire needs to burn, how to build it carefully, and how to stay safe while working around it.

Once our fire was established and burning well, we moved on to preparing our food. We decided to try something new and began creating homemade patties, which smelled delicious as they cooked over the fire. The children really enjoyed hearing them sizzling in the pan, adding to the excitement of the experience.

The smell of breakfast cooking outdoors was wonderful, and everyone eagerly waited to taste what they had made. The patties were a huge success, so delicious that some of the children even went back for seconds! As the breakfast was served, the children gazed in amazement at the variety of colours on their plates and thoroughly enjoyed every bite of their food. After lunch we had some time left which we spent in the meadow. The children enjoyed exploring the space together.

Thursday 11th March

As we wandered through our forests school site, one child found what he thought was a caterpillar on the ground but when we looked more closely we realised it was actually a catkin that had fallen from a tree. We talked about how catkins grow on certain trees and tried to work out which tree it might have come from by looking at the branches and leaves nearby. It was interesting to discover something new and learn a bit more about the trees in the forest.

Later we discovered our forest school site is littered with lots of fairy houses hidden between tree roots and mossy logs. We decided to make magical wands by choosing special sticks and decorating them with beautifully coloured ribbons. What a magical day where the forest felt like a place full of imagination and adventure.

Tuesday 24th February

It’s that time again! One of our favourite weeks, it’s fire week! The children were all very excited about cooking on the open fire and the meal of the day was cheesy toasties, corn on the cob and to finish, warm banana and pear pudding. Yummy! After lunch the children helped to tidy our poly tunnel and prepare for the upcoming season. We have emptied out our poly tunnel in preparation for something rather exciting so watch this space!

Tuesday 17th February

As we wandered onto our Forest School site, we were greeted by a large pond where anglers were quietly fishing, which immediately sparked our curiosity about what might live beneath the surface. We learned that the pond is home to some impressive fish, including perch and carp, and we imagined them swimming in the deeper water below. This led to an important discussion about staying safe near water, keeping a sensible distance from the edge, and never going onto ice. Excitement grew when we spotted a section of the pond that had frozen over, prompting thoughtful questions about how deep the water might be and how thick the ice was. It was a wonderful opportunity to combine nature exploration, seasonal change, and safety awareness through hands-on observation and discussion.

Our curiosity about the frozen pond continued when one of the children suggested breaking the ice with a stick. After making sure everyone was standing at a safe distance, a grown-up carefully tapped the surface and managed to lift out a huge piece of ice. We gathered around to investigate it more closely and were amazed by how thick it was. Each of us had a quick touch — it was so cold! The exploration didn’t stop there. Another grown-up threw a large stone into the pond while we all stood well back in preparation. There was a tremendous splash and we watched in awe as the sheet of ice shattered across the water. It was an exciting and memorable moment, helping us understand just how fragile frozen water can be while reinforcing the importance of staying safe near icy ponds.

As we continued our exploration, we found ourselves surrounded by a wonderful variety of trees, each offering new opportunities for discussion and discovery. One of the children excitedly spotted a silver birch and confidently shared that silver birch trees can be used to make paper. Intrigued, we asked him to explain his thinking. Carefully climbing the embankment, he reached towards the trunk and gently peeled away a small loose piece of bark. Holding it out proudly, he showed us how the thin bark could be used just like paper. It was a fantastic example of child-led learning — drawing on prior knowledge, making connections with the natural world, and confidently sharing ideas with the group. Moments like these truly capture the spirit of Forest School. 🌿

Tuesday 3rd February

During today’s forest school session, the children spent time exploring the woods, fully immersing themselves in the sights, sounds, and textures of the natural environment. Despite it being a chilly first week of forest school, this did not stop us from exploring and having fun. With the colder weather in mind, we decided to head out on an adventure and explore further afield than our usual site.

One of our first discoveries was a HUGE mountain, which quickly became an exciting challenge as the children set their sights on reaching the very top. With determination and perseverance, everyone had a go. The greatest challenge came when finding a safe and careful way back down, encouraging problem-solving, teamwork, and resilience. With gentle guidance from the forest leaders below, the children made it safely back down with only a few wobbles along the way.

As we continued our adventure, we stopped to observe catkins hanging from the trees. The children eagerly shared their ideas about what they might be, suggesting everything from avocados and cucumbers to caterpillars and worms. Close by, the children discovered three large boulders and, leading their own learning, set off to explore. Some played with sticks, others carefully observed the moss growing over the rocks, but a common theme throughout was imagination. The woods quickly transformed into scenes of pirate adventures, fishing trips, and superhero missions.

While walking, we paused to listen carefully to our surroundings and heard the sound of running water. After a short discussion, we discovered it was a river. This led Kirsten to guide a conversation about managing risks in the woods, focusing on potential dangers such as steep drops, uneven ground, and the importance of being aware of water and the risks around it. Together, the children thought about how they could keep themselves safe by slowing down, watching where they were going, staying within agreed boundaries, and listening carefully to instructions. These conversations supported the children in developing confidence and independence in assessing and managing risk. Some of the children asked if we could follow the river, and that is exactly what we did. To our surprise, the river seemed to move from our left side to our right, prompting another thoughtful discussion. The children shared their ideas, wondering if the water flowed through a tunnel, a tube, or under a bridge. One child even suggested that the river might flow all the way to her house.

After lunch, we found a small clearing where the children continued their imaginative play, alongside climbing trees and balancing on fallen branches. The children were also eager to search for signs of wildlife. We talked about animals that live in the woods and those we might be lucky enough to spot, such as birds, squirrels, deer, and other woodland mammals. The children enjoyed playing a game where they took turns giving clues while the rest of the group guessed which animal was being described. This supported the development of descriptive language, questioning skills, and confidence in sharing ideas.

Although we ended our day a little earlier than usual due to the cold weather, the session was filled with exploration, learning, and fun, and we are already looking forward to more forest adventures next week.

Thursday 22nd January

Today’s trip to forest school was a wet, windy, muddy kind of day and what fun we had. We started our day exploring puddles but these were no ordinary little puddles. We had to carefully walk into them to make sure the water didn’t go over our boots (no one wants soggy, wet feet)! Once on site, we were surprised by a visit from a deer! It ran very quickly up the hill but we managed to spot its white tail.

We started to set up camp and one of our grown ups had a great plan to make a different kind of shelter which would keep us really warm and dry. Everyone helped to create an amazing shelter and once inside it really was toasty.

The bouncy log remains a highlight of our trip and as you can see there is plenty of space for everyone! Today we met two dogs called Tinkerbell and Holly and they were very friendly. They jumped around us excitedly, wanting to play. They must love our forest school just as much as new do!

Thursday 15th January

This week was a very busy one in the forest. We started our day exploring our site and as usual the den and bouncy log were a favourite. Some children wanted to explore the pond and we wondered if any animals were nearby. We thought we spotted something moving in the long grasses and decided that it was time to venture away from our site to investigate. This was a little trickier than it sounded because to climb up the huge hill, we had to cross the dreaded swamp. Children from a previous group had already built a small bridge but it was very slippy and some of the bridge had been washed away. The grown-ups helped the children across and before we knew it we were on the other side of the swamp. We began climbing the hill which was really tricky.

The space became more muddy, wet and swampy but we persevered. Before we knew it, we were at the top! What an achievement. We looked down and we could see the whole of our forest school site. We ventured along the top of the hill until we came to what we thought might be a giant nest. But who could have built this nest? We decided in the afternoon that we could build our own nests to support the birds who live in the forest. It was time to climb back down the hill and have lunch. We practiced our knees bent and arms out to ensure we were balanced and could get down the hill safely.

Thursday 8th January

This week we introduced a new group of children to forest school. We headed straight to our usual site to see if it had changed since our last visit. The children wanted to get to work as quickly as possible and as usual the den and bouncing tree were the favourites however on this occasion the children found an even bigger bouncy tree. This tree allowed everyone to sit a little higher off the ground while a team of children held onto high branches and pushed the tree up and down. To their surprise the fallen tree was extremely bouncy and the children screamed with delight!

Tuesday 25th November

This week at forest school, the children had made a plan to add to their den however very quickly the plan changed when the children discovered a bouncy fallen branch. The children used the branch for a variety of activities. At one point it was a pirate ship with the children clinging on as they sailed the seven seas, occasionally falling overboard and having to swim back. It then became a slippy slide and was then used for balancing. Who would have thought that one piece of fallen tree could be so many things!

This week at forest school it was fire week. The children love to watch the flames dancing as our lunch is cooked on the open fire. We always start our fires the same way, with a discussion about fire safety. The children are aware of how to keep themselves and their friends safe around the fire, understanding the safe routes to exit the fire circle, what to do if the smoke heads your way and how to use the ‘respect position’ (how to kneel safely around the fire).

Our lunch was rather delicious and there were lots of yummy noises from the children (and the grown-ups). Our very special recipe for ‘forest school garlic bread’ was a particular favourite!