Our Week in the Forest...
This week we have seen some beautiful collaborative moments in the forest. As the children become more confident with their communication and are able to understand each other better, their friendships are blossoming. They have shown fantastic speaking and listening skills, playing cooperatively as they go about their busy Little Forest Folk days.
The children have this week worked together to build their own drum set using chop sticks and wooden blocks. Some of the children have shown a natural flare for music and have an ability to stay in time with a beat at the tender age of two! We have had drumming renditions of twinkle twinkle, rain drops and Old Mac Donald! The children sat alongside each other enjoying each other’s music, laughing and complimenting each other with big smiles on their faces.
As the children walk to the outdoor site they have continued to be fascinated by the soft bodied creatures that slime their way across the grass in the fields. The children were asking each other questions and commenting on the features of the slugs as they held them in their hands. They remembered what they had been told last week about the eye stalks, feelers and breathing hole. It was great to see how the Little Forest Folkers respected these little creatures as they carefully placed them back in a safe placed and said “goodbye”.
Our mud kitchen has taken many forms this week. It had wooden cookers with dining areas, it's been on a boat and pirate ship, and it has even been inside an ambulance! Wherever the mud kitchen has been the children have been cooking up all sorts of lovely soups, cookies, cakes and tea. They have enjoyed trying each other’s dishes and talking about how it tastes. The pirates on the ship showed grim faces as they shared bowls of fish soup, AGAIN! Three different types of tea were made in a giant wooden kitchen and carefully poured into tiny copper cups, we had three choices – yucky worm tea, yucky worm tea, or vanilla. Surprisingly the yucky worm tea proved more tasty than vanilla!
We have also seen some wonderful shows of empathy. When children fall over in the forest, their peers have been quick to help them back up, asking “are you ok?” or offering a hug to help them feel better.
It’s lovely to see this empathy develop naturally among our Little Forest Folk, and it is a trait they will carry with them throughout their schooling and beyond. We are so proud of our children, and look forward to seeing how they will astound us and fill us with pride next week.
Have a lovely weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Barnes