Our Week in the Forest...
The heat this week has been the only thing everyone has been talking about, except for our children. They noticed it being hot, but unlike us, they’ve been much better at going about their usual activities without much fuss!
We’ve had a real focus on water play, activities to do with ice and lots of water breaks throughout the day where we have read stories, sang songs or talked about how our bodies are feeling. The children have spent large parts of the day filling buckets of water from our jerrycans and then using this for all manner of things. Some children used it in the mud kitchen – baking mud pies, making soup or creating some kind of delicious ice-cream. Other children used the water to create streams and rivers and as they poured the water from the tops of slopes and watched it snake its way to the bottom, they would chase it giggling and jumping with excitement. This then progressed to children carving paths in the ground for the water to follow, but we quickly learnt that it only worked if the water was going downhill!
The children built dams to block the water, and reservoirs where it could all collect at the bottom. Who would have thought pouring water down a slope could lead to so many different opportunities for experimenting, discussing and learning? We also played with ice and as the children rubbed it over their skin to help cool them down, they observed how the ice changed shape, melted and eventually disappeared. The children particularly enjoyed sneaking up behind the educators and rubbing ice across the back of their neck or dropping an ice cube down their back! This week some of our older holiday campers have really enjoyed den building. They worked in teams to find sticks and then propped them against trees before using leaves and mud as coverage to hide the den. Not only did this test the children’s team working and problem-solving skills but it also helped to create lovely shaded dens around the forest where the children could then rest and relax after all their hard work.
Despite the challenges the heat provided, the children have had a fabulous week and have complained much less than the grown-ups. They experimented with water and ice, working at activities in teams and individually. They also developed an understanding of the importance of hydration and how to look after themselves in the heat.
We hope you all have managed to stay cool and have a lovely weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth