Forest School Week 3

Forest School 17th November

All day and Afternoon Nursery 

The group gathered together to start the session with our usual routine sharing our song, names and counting everyone. The children are growing in confidence and independence each week.

After this we focused on a teamwork task.  We worked together to gather cherry leaves, yellow maple leaves and brown maple leaves to create a mandala on the open grass space. As we added items to the pattern, we needed to make sure that we were communicating with our peers to place the items in an agreed position and giving each other enough space as we worked. It was very effective.  The bright colours in the centre leading out to the yellows and browns reminded us of the changing colours of Autumn. 

For the rest of the session, some children enjoyed making diva lamps out of clay, which they decorated with natural materials and added a tea light candle. We had to use our fingers and thumbs to pinch out the clay and shape it, creating enough space for the tea light candle. We used sticks and paint to add some repeating patterns. While we made our diva lamps, Debs told the story of Sita and Rama. 

Others were keen to explore the dens with our little coloured finger torches. They laughed with glee as the different coloured lights danced inside the den, observing how the colours disappear in the light and reappear in the dark. They used their problem-solving skills to work out how to switch them on and off while fostering their turn taking and communication skills. 

We also had our keen diggers and explorers searching for treasure alongside those children engaging in imaginative play with the Forest Friends. 

We ended the session with the question 'what did you enjoy today?' The children listened to each other's contributions remembering we have one voice when we are sitting in the log circle.