What a wonderful week it has been in the forest! From cold crispy days, to warm sunshine in the afternoons, foggy cold mornings and a bit of rain to indulge our muddy puddles! The children have been so happy with all these changes in the environment. They absolutely loved the fog and mist these last few days, which gave them the opportunity to see all the sparkly cobwebs shining and glimmering! How different everything looked in the mist, being able to see nearby, but not seeing from afar!
We have been exploring the grounds for mushrooms in our adventure walks to the forest. The children have been learning about mushrooms, how some of them can be poisonous, how they grow and about the different types of mushrooms that we spot. Using our "no picking, no licking" rule, we have also been learning that we can look but not touch.
The Robins have been so active this week. It is amazing to see how much our children develop each week. The younger ones are starting to be more independent, more confident and they are so comfortable making their way around the forest! They are developing their fine motor skills when we use the clay, when they paint using the brushes, or using pens and chalk. The Robins love focused activities and they will spend long periods of time engaged and immersed in something that clearly makes them happy!
They also made some bracelets early in the week using straws, which they have cut into small pieces and using a bit of string. The children did all the threading and the result was fabulous, colourful bracelets and necklaces!
The music theme this week was wild and creative! We hanged the bowls and pans from the mud kitchen and the children used sticks and spoons to make the most wonderful sound! ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ they were shouting!
The construction site was transformed into a pirate ship once more, with a flag waving in the wind! The pirate symbol was a skeleton, of course, inspired by our lovely little ones!
The Magpies have also been super-duper busy this week! They have been painting and drawing, sharing a big piece of paper. Their enthusiasm is so inspiring and contagious! They have been mark making on the ground using sticks, fingers, basically whatever works to make it work!
Pirate ships and aeroplanes were a hit yet again this week in the Magpies! Planks, logs, ropes and complex engineering work were executed to perfection by our little ones! They have mastered the art of ‘anything is possible’ with team work and problem solving. Their ability to keep trying, experiment, change strategy and imagination is absolutely brilliant!
The clay station was all in fashion this week! The Magpies made amazing hedgehogs and crocodiles, which then belonged to a museum where everyone could visit to see how wonderfully they were made! Then, from clay crocodiles they moved on to real size crocodiles! We had an absolutely incredible crocodile made out of branches and logs! The children had such an amazing time!
Although the week has been challenging for most people outside the forest, our setting has been enjoying the changes from a very privileged view. Nature feeds our soul every day and working in this environment is an absolute blessing more than ever! We are so happy to be able to spend this time with our Magpies and Robins and we are truly thankful for all the warm smiles and hugs we receive from them each day!
We hope you all have relaxing weekends!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham