I can write my name!
After a day of weather that left our camp more mangrove swamp than forest, we have been blessed with glorious hot days with many more to come! As much as we love splashing in puddles and creating waterworks the summer weather is very welcome, bringing its own opportunities and challenges. We must remind ourselves that just like the plants we all need consistent watering!
This week there has been an abundance of writing practice; as our veteran Forest Folk-ers get older, more dextrous and knowledgeable, the desire to read and write is on the up! We have practiced our favourite words, copying them from the page, and had a go at writing our own names in full using a join-the-dots style exercise. Even when we finish our paintings, drawings and other creations we take the opportunity to mark it as ours. While this kind of mark making is excellent for literacy skills it also builds on the fine motor skills that have been honed in the forest.
On our famous and beloved adventure walks we also find ways to practice our literacy and numeracy skills. The signs that feature throughout the gardens is a great way to use critical thinking to read. The symbols give clues as to what the words say, and as we sound out the letters, we uncover the signs meanings. Plenty of our children are keen naturalists and have eagle eyes especially for the interesting creatures we encounter. We enjoy counting the terrapins and herons, both to practice our numbers, but to keep an eye on the populations! We also enjoy the odd bug hunt, checking out the beetles and worms that make homes in the logs we sit on for meals! Recently we’ve been caring for a snail (who goes by Slimey).
Face paints were enjoyed on our rainy day, and we saw an unseasonal number of Christmas tree faces. Face paints are an excellent way to show that if you are patient and creative you can become anything! We also recruited some mini mechanics to help us repair the faulty parts of our trusty trolley (a big thank you to those that helped!), it’s always fascinating to see how things work, and what tools are used for.
Thank you all for a wonderful week, looking forward to the next one!
Little Forest Folk
Chiswick