Our Week in the Forest...
Was it Willy Wonker who sang “come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination”? It is safe to say that the Little Forest Folk at Wimbledon say it too, and mean it! This week the blackberries hung from the brambles in abundance waiting to be foraged by little hands that were ready to transform them into something wonderful. We had some children turning their juices into face paint for themselves and educators, others made complex potions and concoctions and some carried heavy saucepans trying not to spill their thick, lumpy jams.
Educators have been reminded just how little our Forest Folk look to toys to entertain them, preferring to create and invent what they need. This week we have seen children use sawing and whittling activities to make offcuts of logs that represented new-born babies to support their symbolic play – and how those babies were showered with love and affection. The blackberries also prompted a lot of berry themed pop up cafes and restaurants in their role-play areas and educators have been treated to blackberry pies, stews and something called a ‘Driedal Soup with Lemon’ – it was delicious. Nearly as delicious as the lemonade that flowed from a lemonade stand; one child had even got up extra early to make some with his mum.
A shower curtain and some homemade finger paint became the art medium for some budding artists who wished to create an art piece bigger than themselves – and when your classroom has no walls or ceiling, everything becomes an inspiration!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon