What an exciting day we have had at Forest School this week! For the majority of our children, today was their very first session with the group, and there was plenty of excitement and curiosity as we explored our woodland surroundings together.
Our older children were wonderful role models, helping to support our younger friends and reminding them of the important ways we keep ourselves safe in the woods. It was lovely to see them sharing their knowledge, looking out for one another. There was so much to see and our familiar older friends were waiting to say hello!
One of our volunteers let us know there was a very special visitor on site, he gave us a clue, he was colourful, and was sitting on one of the trees. The children were excited to see what it could be.
As we approached the site we were met with a little surprise. After the recent storm, our woodland site had been left looking rather different! Large sticks were scattered everywhere and the ground was covered in a sea of leaves. One of the children had a little trip over a fallen stick and quickly alerted their friends that it could be a danger. This gave us the perfect opportunity to think about how we could make our space safe again.
We decided that teamwork was the way forward! Some children chose rakes, others collected spades, and everyone got stuck into helping clear our woodland. We even found a special spot to create our very own leaf store. Before long, it was completely full! The children worked incredibly hard and we decided it was time for a well deserved lunch break. We had a very special visitor join us too… Steve the robin! Steve was feeling particularly brave and even attempted to help himself to Diane's sandwich! The children were fascinated by how close he came and how comfortable he seemed sitting alongside them. He clearly enjoyed our company, as he spent the rest of the afternoon swooping in and out of the children's play, keeping us entertained as we explored.
With our site looking much tidier, there was plenty of opportunity to explore our woodland spaces and resources. The mud kitchen and den were especially popular, giving the children lots of opportunities for imaginative play and adventure. Once the leaves had been cleared, we noticed that some areas needed a little extra bark, so a few children grabbed the spades and began filling the wheelbarrow to replenish the ground. Meanwhile, others got creative with Diane, making beautiful decorations using wood, conkers and lots of colourful paint.
Our volunteer popped back to see if the children had discovered the special visitor he had told us about earlier. With so much happening and everyone being so busy, we had completely forgotten to look! We quickly set off to investigate and soon spotted a lovely caterpillar decoration on one of the trees.
Our volunteer sparked a wonderful conversation by asking the children what they thought might happen to a caterpillar. One child suggested that it might turn into a butterfly, which was exactly right! He then told us that there was a beautiful butterfly waiting for us on another tree, closer to the mill. This created excitement amongst the children and we look forward to finding it next time we visit.
It has been such a productive and exciting day, we have been very busy and have lots more to explore over the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing what next week will bring.
