Our Week in the Forest...
Although we did not have a single drop of rain this week – water was our main theme in Barnes! Children had lots of fun with various water play activities and our sprinkle bottles were very popular. Our Little Forest Folk-ers were very concerned about our plants not getting enough water so they made sure to water our garden every day. They have also noticed that some of the leaves are getting dry so they have been taking extra special care of them. We observed lots of wonderful team work with filling up the water containers and taking turns with watering cans and bottles. The children were so excited when they noticed our first pea pods growing and they can’t wait for them to be ready to eat!
We had lots of long adventure walks every morning this week, exploring new areas of the Common. One day we travelled through a magic gate and over two bridges to get to the river where we had our morning snack. It inspired children to make some fishing rods out if sticks and twine. They also got very creative with attaching various bait onto their fishing rods: flowers, sticks, leaves and discussing what food fish like the most. Then we all sat together patiently, trying to catch some fish. We also looked out for some sharks, crocodiles, turtles and even giant squids in the river! Water themed play continued in our base camp where children made their own boats from art and craft materials, cutting sails out of egg boxes. We tested how well the boats floated on the water and how waterproof the materials were.
Our little explorers had another amazing adventure through the fields, listening to the crickets and discovering new plants and wild flowers. Everyone got very excited seeing the first ripened blackberry! We spent some time counting and comparing how many green, red and black blackberries we could see. We also saw lots of colourful caterpillars and butterflies this week and one big green grasshopper who was named “Hoppy the Lizard”.
We discovered a new secret hiding spot in the forest this week and after morning snack we had a great time playing there. We found lots of sticks lying around so they decided to make their own bow and arrows and even swords. We observed lots of imaginary play with children making Birthday cakes, building their houses under the trees, going on bear hunts and collecting treasures.
It is also wonderful to observe how our children look after their environment during the adventure walks. They spot any rubbish on their way and tell the teachers straight away. One day when we were talking about rules of the forest in the morning, one of the children said: “… and do not leave rubbish behind!” which is a great extra rule we all should follow. It is a proud moment to hear it from someone who is only three years old!
Little Forest Folk
Barnes