Our Week in the Forest...
It has been a busy one in the forest this week, with lots of imaginative play and investigation. On Monday, we were excited to have some new binoculars in the forest. With several pairs to share around, the children were filled with wonder and curiosity. How do we use them? What could we see? Were details much clearer? How could we use them in play? We observed details of the leaves, the worm castings and of course each other’s faces. We look forward to taking our new resources on adventure walks and seeing what other wonderful details we can find in nature.
Our Little Forest Folk-ers this week built an amazing house out of logs, sticks, tyres and a touch of imagination. They worked together to construct a household and came up with a role play idea that lasted hours. The house had a kitchen and a bathroom, and the children took on roles of chefs, pets, family members and shoppers. The shoppers went off to buy the food and brought back ingredients for the chefs to use in the kitchen. The play was so rich and meaningful, and the children collaborated beautifully, playing both associatively and cooperatively.
The wonderful world of literacy has captivated the children this week, too. Books never get tiresome, and they all can happily read for hours. We ensure we change out the books frequently, to keep them interested, however there are always some favourites that stick around. This week we have enjoyed reading in big groups, small groups and one on one. We love the way that literacy connects us to our communities and offers the children ideas and provocations for their play.
Did you know that we have some very important forest rules? For those families that are new to us this school year, perhaps our rules are something that you can discuss at home to connect yourselves to our forest environment, additionally, we would love your help in reiterating the importance of these rules and the safety they provide.
No picking and licking – sticks are fun, blackberries are paint but we do not put anything in our mouth that we pick up.
No shaking and breaking – our trees and plants are special and part of the beautiful ecosystem, let’s cherish them.
Rainbow ribbons/boundary flags mean “stop, turn around and come back” – beyond the boundary could be something dangerous, or an area not monitored by educators.
Always wear a high visibility jacket or vest.
Be kind and gentle – to our friends, to our educators, to ourselves and to our environment.
Walk around the edge of boundaries - when we have a fire or swing set up, we must walk around the boundary.
Never walk off without an educator.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, see you next week for holiday camp!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon