Number Fever!
This Friday we celebrated the NSPCC National Number Day with a huge amount of number-based songs (we topped 20 for our fundraising!), numerical stories and maths based activities and play. We started by counting the spots of the ladybirds we see on the bushes on our walk in. Keep your eyes peeled for the elusive 13 spotted variety, they are very rare, and I think good luck regardless of the number. Next, we painted stones replicating these ladybirds in the arts area. A particularly popular mathematical activity was the magnetic fishing where leafy fishes were reeled in with magnetic rods that clung to paper clips. We added up our scores on the fishes to see who the champion angler was. During the rest of the day, we read plenty of our favourite books and sang our favourite songs that help us count.
In early years birthdays are important milestones of growth and development and we’ve loved celebrating some of our children’s big dates. It’s always so rewarding to watch them grow up, and see younger children take on the role of the big kids, helping their younger friends and being forest role models. Happy birthday(s) and well done!
In the crafting areas of the forest, we’ve made up some beautiful birthday cards, some belated, some premature, some for actual birthdays, using glitter, glue, crayons and heaps of enthusiasm. The camellia flowers from the woodland floor have been used again; they have perfect convent holes in the middle from where the stem used to be, and we’ve replaced the old stem with sticks to have gorgeous single flower sticks for gifting. Magic wands have been constructed by our young wizards and witches, imbued with the power of enchanted ribbons. Recently we enjoyed getting stuck in hands first into salt dough, mixing the ingredients, and learning how to make it again at home, and moulding it into objects or just enjoying the textural experience.
This week there’s been plenty of stimulating and wondrous role play moments dreamt up by our collective nursery imagination. There have been big families of billy goats carefully trip-trapping over troll bridges only to bargain and trick the fearsome monster. We’ve seen lots of little red riding hoods fighting off big bad wolves - who needs a woodcutter when you’re fierce enough yourself! Independent jet setting children have been packing their suitcases and heading off on fantastic holidays. Pirates have been boarding ships to sail to desert islands in search of treasure, follow the map and look out for X marks the spot!
We really have had such a wonderful week, we cannot wait to see what next week brings and have lovely weekends all!
Little Forest Folk
Chiswick