Our Week in the Forest
Buttercups and daisies, clover and forget-me-nots, these are the things that the butterflies and bees enjoy. The little forest folk know this, and nurture our flying friends any way they can. Looking after each young, lonely caterpillar is a tricky task. And supporting moths as they dry and take flight requires constant supervision. The little forest folk are always here to help!
A Holiday! Everyone needs a holiday every now and again. This week saw old and new friends arrive for our holidays camps and each children has brought their own little bit of magic to the forest with their fantastic holiday energy!
A holiday is not just for children, however, and our insect friends need a break from time to time as well. With this in mind, the little forest folk were busy this week making a magnificent array of different insect hotels for our 6, 8 and 1-legged friends. Some hotels just used sticks and wood of every imaginable sort; some had grasses and flowers from every corner of the meadow; and some created hotels of such precision and detail, carefully selecting all sorts of natural resources that one wondered whether the insects would ever want to leave the hotel!
A Work of Art. Inspiration was very much taken from the natural world of Fishpond Wood this week and saw the children getting very creative with paper and pen to produce both bees and butterflies, which was the theme of the week. The butterflies focused on the children’s use of colour to draw wonderfully bright and vivid wings, which they then cut out. Using some string, threaded through the wings and tied to some string, the children had their own flapping, fluttering butterflies to whizz around the meadow and to drink from the great number of flowers sprouting up all over.
The bees had their own dynamic creative process. Using black paper, something a little different for the children, the little forest folk coloured and sketched their own buzzy bees. As if that wasn’t enough, some other children got hands-on with a bow saw to cut some round pieces of wood, decorated with yellow and black string and leaves as the final wing flourishes. They say that bees and butterflies are sadly in decline in the U.K, but our children are trying their hardest to bring some back to our fair forest.
A Sticky Surprise. Cleavers, Goosegrass, Sticky Willow. All these, and more, are the common names for Galium aparine – a prolific grower in Fishpond Wood. If you’re unsure what it looks like, take your child to the forest and they’ll be able to show you very quickly. It has been a real favourite of the walk-ins and walk-outs this week with great clumps of the stuff being passed around from child to adult and back to child again. All giggle with delight when being chased by a stick willow wielder and the plant gave rise to ‘The Sticky Willow Game’ this week whose rules are thus: jog around in a group (carefully avoiding each other) until someone shout “Sticky willow!” at which point each individual must stick to the nearest thing to hand, be it rock, tree or another person!
Reminders
Dressing for the weather
With the warmer weather please ensure children have sun screen applied before being dropped at nursery and children wear a sun hat or have one in their backpack, clearly labelled. We also need all children to be dropped off wearing trousers or leggings with full waterproofs in their bags.
Water bottles
Please ensure that children's water bottles are full with water only each day.
Dates for the diary
You can see a reminder our term dates here
Summer hours
As of Monday 5th June, we will move onto our summer timetable. Thanks to the extended daylight and warmer weather, from June to September/October we are able to play out in the forest a lot longer every day.
For those of you with sessional children, they will still be walked out of the forest for 3.30pm as usual so no change for you.
For the full day children, we will remain in the forest each afternoon, returning to the scout hut for approximately 5.00pm for dinner in time for you to collect your little ones.
We are looking forward to our extended days in the forest, with more time to explore, play and enjoy the English summer!
What to wear
For a guide on what children should be wearing follow our Summer kit list HERE
Have a wonderful weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon
