Our Week in the Forest
We have had a fantastic week in the forest with our theme “Understanding the World”. The children have been busy exploring how things work, observing the natural environment, and expressing their ideas in imaginative ways.
To mark International Museum Day, we turned the forest into a child-led “museum” experience. Our little explorers explored water in many different ways, experimenting with movement and flow using a range of containers and equipment. They tested floating objects they had constructed themselves and carefully watched how they travelled through the water. Water play has continued throughout the week, with the children thoughtfully gathering items to embed in water ready for a freezing experiment next week.
The week also included opportunities to experiment and problem-solve. Children investigated which materials would adhere to sticky surfaces, comparing results and adjusting their choices. Meanwhile, a bubble investigation brought teamwork and excitement as the children adjusted mixtures to create impressively large floating bubbles.
Time spent exploring the forest environment encouraged careful observation and thoughtful conversation. The children examined tiny details in leaves, bark and small creatures they discovered with magnifiers and microscopes. They were fascinated by patterns and textures that are usually overlooked and eagerly shared their findings with one another. These moments sparked meaningful discussions about habitats, lifecycles and the differences between living and extinct animals.
Creativity has flourished across our art spaces. The children explored pattern and texture by working with natural materials, discovering the detailed shapes and markings they could transfer onto paper. Some unexpected results led to wonderful moments of surprise and discussion. There was also great pride shown in the making of nature-inspired headpieces, where children independently selected and arranged materials to reflect their own preferences and ideas. Their confidence in making creative choices continues to grow. Our modelling area was equally imaginative, filled with brightly coloured dough creations ranging from animals to inventive “foods” and fantasy figures.
It has been a week rich in exploration, cooperation, and discovery. We are excited to see where their investigations lead next!
Little Forest Folk
Twickenham