Our Week in the Forest...
This week saw the children engage in the wonderful world of bushcraft! With some very hot days in the forest the children were happy to sit down in groups and get creative! It was also our first week of summer holiday camp and it was wonderful to welcome back so many children from previous years.
On one day, we brought out some shells, elder and fresh ash logs. The children then engaged in tool work sessions where they had the opportunity to use palm drills, thread twine and learn how to tie knots. Some children drilled holes in the shells before threading them onto twine to make wonderful necklaces and bracelets. Others created models using larger pieces of wood as a base, they drilled holes into the wood and connected thin sticks to their creations. They made lasers, jets and special shooters with an incredible amount of different parts. The attention to detail was amazing! We also had some children who made beautiful nature frames by tying some sticks together with twine and weaving a web between the frame. The children then found lots of pretty natural objects and fixed them between the layers of webbing. It was wonderful to see older children working alongside younger children discussing their ideas and supporting each other to achieve their goals.
Another day saw lots of children engage in some wonderful construction ideas. They found ropes and planks and proceeded to try and build their own platforms and slides. They spent a long time trying to find a good spot from which to tie the ropes, eventually finding two trees close together. Once the rope structure was in place the slide was set up as a team and the children took turns both scaling and coming down their contraption! Later on, the children used the planks and balanced them over a log to form a balance board. They then showed determination as they attempted to balance, rocking back and forth with a foot on either end of the board.
This week has also marked Little Forest Folk Barnes’ second birthday! It has been such a fantastic journey for all the staff and children. We have been reviewing some of the photos of the children who first arrived with us two years ago and it is truly incredible to see how much they have grown and developed. Now we look forward to another year of exploring nature, inspiring wonder and getting creative!
We hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Barnes