Our week in the forest
This week, our Little Forest Folk-ers embraced everything the changing season had to offer - from muddy adventures to colourful celebrations of Diwali. Despite the mix of sunshine, showers and even Storm Benjamin, the children’s energy and imagination never wavered!
On Monday, we started off the week with a wonderfully wet day in the forest. The children made the most of the rain, using water collected from the tarps for their epic mud kitchen creations. They filled buckets, cooked up muddy meals and even “washed up” afterwards! Some of the children explored measurements by checking how much rainwater had gathered, while others got creative with mark-making: racing toy cars through bright paint to leave trails of colourful tyre prints. Later in the day, the children turned their attention to caring for the local wildlife, making apple and muesli bird feeders. They practiced knot-tying, hung their feeders in the trees and proudly shared hopes that the forest birds would enjoy their tasty treats.
By Tuesday, the sun was back, making the autumn leaves glisten beautifully with morning dew. The children were curious about why leaves fall in autumn and learned that it’s the trees’ way of preparing for rest through the winter. Inspired by this, they decided to keep summer alive a little longer by sowing pea shoot seeds to grow indoors. They carefully prepared soil, planted the seeds and watered them before finding a sunny forest spot to encourage growth. After their gardening session, everyone enjoyed a relaxing yoga practice - stretching, balancing and feeling refreshed from head to toe.
Wednesday had the children venturing to Robin Camp, where they were delighted to find that the forest fairies had built brand-new dens! They explored each structure, noticing roofs made of leafy branches and cosy spaces inside. The day’s activities were themed around Diwali, the festival of light. We discussed how families around the world celebrate, then created beautiful Rangoli art in three different ways: with dyed rice, colourful paper tiles and a large collaborative group design. The creativity was incredible - spirals, diamonds and bursts of colour filled the day.
On Thursday, strong winds kept us indoors, but imagination filled the room as the children pretended to be class pets - ‘Woof’ the dog and ‘Meow’ the cat - leading to giggles and plenty of role-play fun. We ended the week on Friday by continuing our Diwali celebrations, reading stories about the festival and creating even more beautiful Rangoli patterns.
In eco news, the children will be conducting their environmental review after half-term and selecting a new animal to adopt for the year - we can’t wait to see which one they choose!
Little Forest Folk
Putney Heath