Lions, Tigers and Bears!
It seems this week, Little Forest folk wasn’t just for children but for animals too! We saw the camp transform into a jungle, a dark scary cave and a hiding place for lions, tigers, bears, sharks and even snakes slithering in the grass! The children have taken on these animal roles in their play this week - making the movements and noises of the different animals and creating dens and hideouts to call home. They created a few rules along the way about how to stay safe and not get eaten…
If you didn’t want to get eaten by a shark you had to climb aboard the Bat-boat, a sturdy structure sailing the seas equipped with a steering wheel, diving goggles, snorkels and wetsuits if you were brave enough to dive in and see what fish were swimming underneath.
To steer clear of the bears, make sure not to go into their bear cave and wake them up. If by chance they came to chase you, be sure to run back home, up the stairs and back into bed!
To stop a lion from ROAARRRING really loudly, you had to pretend you were a lion too! Luckily Karen was there helping to make lion masks for the children to paint and decorate, cutting out holes for the eyes and drawing on whiskers!
Finally, to slither away from the snakes, you had to be as quiet as a mouse, not making a sound!
The children all loved this open ended play, each choosing what animal they would like to be. The best part for some reason was to chase the…educators!
When opting for a slightly quieter activity, a lot of the children have been choosing to use the paints; drawing family members, favourite foods and colourful patterns. Underneath our Scots Pine tree, we have found some fantastic pine cones so this opened up the opportunity to paint them. Karen made a bracelet for herself using string and tied a pine cone to it. The children were quick to admire it and it wasn’t long before there was a production line going. By the end of the day, almost everyone had one!
Music has also been a strong theme in the forest. Gemma took her speaker down to play some songs while the children got creative with their paintings. We have also been witness to some amazing Ukulele playing. Tomaz showed the children how to hold it properly and where to put your fingers to change the sound. Many of the children took turns to have a go, cheering on their friends, clapping their hands to make a beat or tapping their toes!
Sadly, this week, we say goodbye to Gemma and one of the children; both whom are off to sunnier climates to embark on new adventures. We will miss them so much but we know they are off to do wonderful things. They may be moving far away but we know they’ll always be part of the family at Fulham. We wish them the best of luck for the future.
We have had such a wonderful week and hope you all have fabulous weekends!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham