Year 1, Week 5

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We arrived at the shelter to rainbow cards hanging all around.

The children predicted they were from the elves and they were right.

We went exploring the school and grounds to look for clues and evidence that their friends had visited.

“The kindness elves have come to the shelter!”

“Wow, they’re from the kindness elves! Let’s read them!”

Rosanna: I’ve been kind to my friends, I helped my friend when she fell over.

“My sister was sad so I wrote her a nice letter”

“I helped my sister find her toys”

Owen: I had a cheeky elf at home and he wrapped me up for two weeks!

Layla: You know they could have a large sycamore leaf as a rug. This stump looks like something the elves might travel on and maybe they magic it so they can travel on it and all three of them can have a ride.

Amelia’s grandmother kindly gave each member of class a golf ball on a lid and the children decorated them for Christmas.

We learned more about how litter affects animals and how we can use our imaginations to think of fun ways to recycle objects.

Some children also chose to make a little nocturnal hoglet, using woodland treasures, including pine needles for spines and a pine cone for the snout.

Year 3, Week 5

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On this day we explored hedgerow healing/medicinal first aid; focusing on yarrow, plantain and comfrey.

We observed these in the wild and learned their properties:

Plantain: crushed leaf is fantastic for insect bites & stings, allergic rashes, cuts & wounds, infected cuts

Yarrow: Yarrow makes an excellent first aid poultice for deep cuts and wounds

• Comfrey: As a poultice for bone breaks and ankle sprains, or muscle and joint pain. ...
• Ointment or healing salve for topical wound dressing – I use healing salves or liniments for wounds to keep them clean and help them close faster.

The children learned: what herbs are; parts of herbs and safety.

They also learned that humans began using herbs medicinally as early as the Palaeolithic age 60,000 years ago.

Additionally, a few children helped pull the bark from willow whips and cut them up into small sections to make charcoal for next weeks’ cave paintings.

Every child cut a section of elder using loppers, pushed down the pithy centre using a tent peg and inserted willow charcoal, in readiness for creating stone age cave paintings in class.

Next forest session, aside from free choice, they will also be using natural earth pigments to create the white, black, yellow and red used in these art works.

Year 3, Week 4

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The afternoon group made a Stone Age treat, oatcakes, but with a very modern ingredient: organic coconut sugar.

We learned more about what foods were eaten during this long period.

Starch residues found on stone tools prove they ate ground flour 20,000 years before the dawn of agriculture.

The children tried pounding the corn with a pestle and mortar to get an idea of how long it would have taken and how they would really have to persevere.

A group of children chose to start Christmas sewing projects and many went for their flint and steel badge.

Next week we will explore primitive fire: fire by friction.

Year 1 Week 4

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We started with a scavenger hunt that developed their knowledge of the woodland as well as describing words.

After sharing woodland treasures and describing them Teddy PB shared, “These words are called adjectives!”

Milo said, “This leaf is spikey around the edge like sharks’ teeth”.

This was a great comparison and I explained how the word ‘serrated’ means just that.

As the children were leaving school a beautiful rainbow appeared briefly in the sky.

“It’s the kindness elves!” proclaimed a child.

Year 1 week3

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This term in class Year 1 are learning more about their senses.

In forest school we are consolidating and developing this learning through nature games and exploration.

Today the children developed their vocabulary and used words to describe the smell, feel and taste of different fruits.

It was also Red Nose Day today and the children shared how the money raised from this fun day helps children to be safe and healthy.

We spent a few moments reflecting and sharing what we are grateful for.

I started reading The Kindness Elves, who sprinkle kindness and joy wherever they go.

Some children decided to make their own kindness elves or potions, activated by our magic wand and their own wizard like spells.

Some decided to make beds for the elves by placing cabbage leaves in underground chambers they had dug up.

Amelia: I have made a special potion. I put leaves and pebbles in it and some red and purple glitter. Look, I can see the kindness coming down and all around!