This week our children buzzed with the rhythm of dancing bees, travelling from flower to flower as they explored the wider park. Their curiosity set the pace, and what a wonderful pace it was.
Children tested their abilities in all kinds of physical challenges: running, ball play, climbing, and navigating their way under and around trees. There was a real sense of stepping out of comfort zones and challenging themselves to do a little more.
On our way to the natural playground, we discovered a hidden path, the place where magic begins. Stepping through it felt like entering a fairytale, and there it was: a humongous bug hotel, the greatest of all! Children observed and named all manner of bugs and spotted hints of spiders too. Balancing on and navigating the huge logs became a favourite, with each child finding their own creative route through.
Back at our camp, the children were captivated by the small life all around them: bumble bees, ladybugs, and all the tiny creatures hidden in our beautiful little paradise. And just like that, time seemed to stop. Everything has blossomed, and the children explored using all their senses, rubbing leaves and wondering what each scent reminded them of. Some said honey. Some said carrot.
What a beautiful thing, to pause and notice the world around us.
Imagination sparked everywhere at camp. Our Little Forest Folk-ers collaborated to build dens using loose parts, made houses, and found hiding spots. All before the majestic tiger (one of us!) came to chase them all out. Crates, logs and pipes became planes, houses and beds. It was creativity at its most natural, sparked entirely by the children themselves. They worked as a team and also found their own quiet moments to enjoy the space independently.
Our mud kitchen was busy with tea parties and potion-making all week. And some wonderful artists revealed themselves too, painting by observation and by pure imagination, mixing colours boldly and making their own choices. Through mark making, colour and image, the children found their own ways to express their ideas, feelings and the world as they see it. Every piece told a story.
This week the children truly led the way, their curiosity took us to hidden paths, bug hotels and blossoming meadows. You might like to pause on a walk and wonder: “What can you hear? What can you smell?" The habit of noticing is one of the most magical things we can nurture.
Little Forest Folk
Fulham