This week was an unusual one in the forest. Of course, the weather was hot and cold 🌞❄️ — but that wasn’t the only strange thing! There were far more adults at camp than usual! Why? Because it was Stay and Play Week! The forest was filled with Mums, Dads and Nannies, all getting stuck in and enjoying the forest school experience 🏕️👨👩👧👦.
On Monday, we had a doctors and nurses setup 🩺👩⚕️👨⚕️ this included a special laboratory🔬 perfect for cooking up cures for any ailment! The children donned their scrubs and lab coats 🥼🧪 and got straight to work! In the afternoon, we had a special delivery - a visit from a new mummy and baby! Donna and baby Arabella came to visit the forest and all the children had a cuddle with little Arabella. Luckily, she was in very good hands with our team of tiny doctors and nurses! 🩹❤️ All in all, we diagnosed it as a great start to the week! ✅
On Tuesday, we focused on health again - this time mental health, in honour of Mental Health Awareness Day! We focused on our feelings in the morning, and looked at ways to help us feel calm when we’re feeling fizzy, or happy when we’re feeling sad.
Another great opportunity to talk about our emotions was our spa set up 🧖♀️🕯️ which included cucumbers for a relaxing unwind. 🥒 The children were much more into relaxed than we anticipated, with some of our friends lying down for a good 10 minutes! They all enjoyed role-playing as both the client and the spa therapist, and did a great job taking turns and respecting their friends’ wishes - clearly everyone was feeling very zen!
To add to the calm vibes, we had a yoga setup, which helped us stretch our bodies and focus 🧘♂️✨. It was a piping hot day, but we all felt cool as cucumbers by the end! 🥒🌞
On Wednesday, we had a special construction-themed day 🚧! We got straight to work building - ready with hard hats, bricks, and pipes! 🧱⛏️ However, our site wasn’t like any ordinary messy building site… oh no! It was very clean. Why? Because we had litter pickers on hand to clear the debris, and plenty of construction-ready volunteers laying the foundation for a fantastic day!
One of the highlights was our special pulley system, perfect for lifting those heavy loads - and we definitely had loads... loads of fun that is! From teamwork to problem solving, our little builders really nailed it! 👷♀️
On Thursday, what better theme to celebrate during our week of visitors than a family-themed day? 🏡 We had a home setup complete with bedrooms and kitchens - everything needed for some cosy imaginative play! In fact, cosy was the perfect vibe because, after two days of tropical heat, it was a chilly one! ❄️
With lots of mummies and daddies on camp, we certainly hope we made them feel right at home 🛏️.
In the afternoon, we had a lovely discussion about what it means to be part of a family. It was an open-ended question - perfect for our open-minded little philosophers! 🧠 We all agreed that whether you're part of a big crew or a tiny team, one thing's for sure: family is where the heart is 💕!
Finally on Friday, we moved from celebrating people and beloved pets to celebrating wild animals - specifically endangered species! 🐢🌍 We had a turtle rescue activity! Our little ones did a cracking job rescuing the newly hatched turtles from prey 🦅 Well done, forest rescue team! 👏
All in all, it was an amazing week full of lots of learning, family love, and teamwork! 💖 We can't wait to see what next week has in store! 🌟
Little Forest Folk
Fulham