Our Week in the Forest...
After the amazing sunshine we had over the Easter weekend, the children came back to the forest with a renewed sense of purpose. It was lovely to welcome back all of our sessional children and others who had been away for a while. The children greeted each other with smiles and hugs as they rekindled their friendships and got ready for a day out in the woods!
As the children left in the minibus in the morning, the excitement grew and we danced and jigged all the way to Putney Heath listening to Earthworm Ensemble. Once back in the forest, the children set about designing and making various pieces of art and models. Together with Mar, the children wrote in a special book designed for Tom as a leaving present. They talked about the fun times that they had together and how much they are going to miss him. They also drew wonderful pictures, wrote their names and even wrote their own messages for Tom. It was amazing to see how well the children were able to articulate their feelings and show Tom how much they care about him.
We also had lots of fun with twine this week. The children went off and collected lots and lots of sticks being careful to find sticks the same width as their thumb. Once collected they made a pile and began to use the twine to tie the sticks together. This rather fiddly procedure had the children concentrating for hours. They showed immense perseverance only asking for help to tie ends off or cut off a loose piece of twine. Many of the children decided to make rafts and boats by binding the sticks together in a row and forming a square frame around the edge to support the structure. Some children made their own mini bungalow houses!
This week the children also spent some time listening carefully. On adventure walks the children crept down paths being extra careful not to make a sound with their feet. They gently encouraged each other to maintain this silence so that they could really tune in to the sounds around them. They heard robins chirping in nearby trees and then a woodpecker rattling against a trunk. They heard a blackbird singing loudly from the treetop canopy and a cacophony of mingled birdsong. One child also noticed some rustling in the leaves and thought there was a large animal moving about the forest. They then heard trains, planes and other people nearby... each time they were able to identify the sound and the direction it was coming from.
We are all looking forward to next week when we welcome those parents who have booked on to attend our Stay and Play sessions!
Little Forest Folk
Barnes