Our Week in the Forest
It's the most wonderful time of the year... 🎶🎄🌟Merry Christmas, everyone!
It's also one of the busiest times, but we survived the hustle and bustle of Christmas thanks to being outdoors in nature and using all our senses to appreciate the best gift of all - being present, here and now. Our children know best; they taught us to be grateful and to spread joy everywhere, making the most of this time. 🎁It doesn't matter where we are from or how we celebrate these festive days, our children know it's all about gathering, family time, friendship and sharing.
This week, we continued with Physical Development activities with special focus on the Understanding the World area. We learnt about amazing winter holiday traditions, such as Hanukkah, Christmas and the Solstice, through activities and our brand-new books! 📚
We enjoyed The Christmas Star 🌟 at circle time; the little ones particularly loved the lift-the-flap Hanukkah book🕯️, while our older children especially spent time-sharing and commenting independently on the spectacular illustrations in The Shortest Day. 🌅
We turned into Christmas stars and fairies by climbing trees and reaching the top! We practised both our fine motor and counting skills by cutting nine candles out of paper to create a Hanukkah Menorah. We made a Yule Log mud chocolate cake to celebrate the Winter Solstice using an actual log covered with the muddiest toppings and served with delicious hot mud chocolate! 🪵☕️
Before the week ended, we set up a stable and made a cosy manger with leaves to represent the Nativity Scene as we learnt through storytelling and one of our lovely Christmas books. We also encouraged children to share how they celebrate Christmas at home, some brought their books and told us beautiful stories such as The Christmas Promise!⭐️✨
Probably the most exciting experience for all was when, on a very rainy day, we dressed up as our favourite characters and went on a gift hunt inside the Palace. We used a map to spot where the surprises might be, and we followed the children who led us to the fireplaces in one of the secret rooms. They identified their names written down and spread their joy and enthusiasm while speculating about the types of surprises inside. What a wonderful and magical week!🎁
Merry Christmas, everyone! 🌿🎄
Little Forest Folk
Fulham