Our Week in the Forest
We continued with our learning intentions that explore construction, comparison and wayfinding, all of which have opened up conversations that help the children to understand the world, use their growing vocabularies and play together, as well as independently.
One morning the children were faced with a huge pile of “rubbish” that they feverishly sorted into paper, metal and plastic as they learnt about the process of recycling. They went on to reuse these materials in junk modelling, creating bugs, ‘scarecrows’ and all sorts of constructed marvels.
While our eco-school activities have continued, some of the Full day attendees were able to take part in releasing the butterflies that have grown from eggs in our indoor nursery space and we had a big conversation, started by one of our little explorers, about where those butterflies might be now.
The children also had the opportunity to use the bow saw this week, as they deconstructed a log, in order to break down that particular material into parts to reconstruct other items of their choosing. Focus, good listening and following instructions are as important in these activities as strength and perseverance, and we were very proud of the childrens’ concentration and respect for the routines and rules of tool work.
They also put these skills to use in all sorts of climbing opportunities throughout the week, which not only allowed them to flex their growing muscles and hone their balance but also encouraged them to use communication to persevere through tricky, physical problem-solving situations. Educators would speak to them rather than solve the problems for them, encouraging them to look at positions while using positioning words and phrases, such as “hold onto the higher rope and use your legs to push yourself up”. All the children succeeded in solving problems to the best of their ability and agility, and were very pleased with their efforts and personal triumphs!
Wishing all our families an excellent weekend, we can’t wait to get back into camp with you next week!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon Village