This week was our first week back with our sessional friends following the Easter break. Everyone was super excited to be reunited. This, however, wasn't the only special excitement this week, we also celebrated Earth Day, a special day for everyone ecologically minded, not least our little eco-warriors in red. ๐โป๏ธ๐ฉโ๐ฌ
Early in the week, to get the fun started, they did a special flower press activity. Next we went on an exciting adventure walk. An adventure walk is the perfect opportunity to observe how our surroundings are changing, for example what flowers are new this week, and what plants appear different. ๐ธ๐ฑWith plants in mind, we bought some additional house plants for our indoor setting. These have been added to our collection of child-grown plants which are perfect for the full timers who are trusted to care for the house plants. ๐ชด๐งโ๐พ
On Tuesday, Earth day itself, they did a special ocean clean-up activity. We had shells and sea creatures in our blue tray. ๐๐ ๐ก However, could you see these? No, because the tray was so polluted! There was murky water, plastic and even food waste. However, soon the water was clear enough thanks to our fabulous little explorers! The animals and shells were all carefully removed using pinchers and cleaned by our animal rescue team. ๐ณ๐๐ฆ๐ฌMeanwhile, the rest of the team scrubbed away all the oil and dirt from the bottom of the ocean floor. Finally, new clear water was added, and the animals were released. One of our learning intents for our younger children this week has been working and playing cooperatively and taking turns. This activity was a perfect opportunity, it took teamwork and patience, and the Little Forest Folk-ers did an amazing job.
On Tuesday the Little Forest Folk-ers looked to the future, while on Wednesday they looked to the past with a Saint Georgeโs themed day. ๐๐ฐ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ They did chainmail making, made a castle to valiantly protect against a dragon. Inside the castle, there was a library full of history books. ๐ One of the intents this week was understanding the past through characters, events and storytelling. Our historical castle library was the perfect place to learn some history, however to do this they needed to keep it defended from dragon fire. ๐ฅ Inside the castle, there was a miniature castle with small world characters, perfect for planning a strategic defense.
In the afternoon, we even had some cardboard swords and shields. ๐ก๏ธ๐ก๏ธ The children engaged in some controlled and safe weapon play. This activity required our Little Forest Folk-ers to pay close attention to their friends. It was a great opportunity for them to explore the importance of consent in play and making sure all our friends feel safe and in control during rough-er play. ๐ฆบ
On Thursday following the children's interests we had an occupation themed day. This week a new addition to the forest has been litter pickers! We ordered these for Earth Day and theyโve been a great hit with the children. Whatโs more the Little Forest Folk-ers regularly see voluntary litter picks in the grounds, so this was an excellent child-led interest to explore. In addition to role-playing conservationists, we had an animal shelter, a dentist's office and an incredible construction site. ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฟ๐ฆก๐ฆท๐ชฅ๐ง๐งฑ๐จ
Finally, on Friday we had an ANZAC themed day, led of course by our resident Aussie Dan. We had themed books including a popular favourite Possum Magic. They made ANZAC cookies in the mud kitchen and explored animals native to Australia. ๐จ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ
It was the perfect way to round out our historical and ecological themed week. ๐ธ๐บ๐ผ๐ป
Little Forest Folk
Fulham