We can’t quite believe that our forest school sessions have come to an end for this term!
Here’s a wee summary of our fun filled 4 weeks!
Week 1: we were introduced to our forest site where we explored how to keep ourselves safe through setting boundaries and learning how to identify hazards and assess risks. It was super muddy so we squelched in the mud and even lost our wellies! It was lots of fun to look for trees we might want to climb and to learn about plants that grow in our forest.
Week 2: As we were now experienced explorers, we recognised familiar landmarks to navigate our way to our forest and were able to remind each other of our rules and boundaries. Our bug hunt helped us discover insects and animals that might live in our forest and we learned more about what they need to survive. And who could forget that this was the week Harry Potter came to the forest with us!
Week 3: This week saw us swinging through the trees on our very own rope swing! Our confidence has grown in leaps and bounds and we led our own learning by revisiting who lives in our forest through searching for bugs and reminding each other of how we should respect the environment and look after our forest.
Week 4: cook out week – a firm favourite! We listened very carefully to our safety instructions! It was very important that we stayed outside the “green square” to make sure we “stay away from the fire so we don’t burn ourselves”. In our fire safety kit Fiona had special gloves to protect her hands, a fire blanket and lots of water in case she needed to put the fire out very quickly. We also learned that only adults should light the fire in a safe place away from “trees and houses”. The potato scones Fiona toasted on the fire were so tasty! There was a pond at our site today and we discovered it had tadpoles in it! We were very careful around the pond to keep ourselves safe and to ensure we didn’t “frighten the tadpoles”.
There was lots of time left for us to have fun and play some games! Hide and seek was a firm favourite, along with a game of football, rolling the ball to our friends, pole climbing and of course a wee impromptu dance on the stage!
As always, our last sessions are a time to come together, have some fun, reflect on our favourite moments and most importantly, celebrate the new friendships we have made.
“I liked playing hide and seek”. “I liked snack the best”. “I climbed the tree”. “I was on the rope swing”. During our time in the forest we have grown in confidence and self esteem, become independent, are able to use our problem solving skills and have learned how to care for our environment, all while creating some wonderful memories!
Article 29 – the right to an education which develops my personality, respects each other’s rights and the environment.
