Our Week in the Forest...
Spring was lovely while it lasted, Summer might appear next year but for now it looks like Winter is well and truly back again. Our children haven’t complained in the slightest though and with an array of activities this week we’ve made sure the children have remained busy and active.
This week’s highlights have included spending more time on our walk to camp at some new felled trees, the introduction of a new tool, painting, lots of muddy play and a nice toasty warm (pretend) campfire.
The children love testing their tree climbing ability and the discovery of new logs to climb on has added some extra excitement to our walk to base camp. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the forest, for both the children and the teachers is the constant evolution of the setting. Fulham Palace sometimes have diggers or tractors, this week there was scaffolding, new logs to climb on appear, other things disappear and the activities that we set up in camp continually change. This continual development means the children remain engaged and interested.
The building work that is happening to the outside of the palace has given us another opportunity to talk to the children about the world around them and for them to see first-hand, builders at work. Each morning we have watched as the scaffolding has risen higher and the children have been able to observe the builders. After our previous visit to the café this was another chance for children to see the different jobs that people have and to discuss what they might like to do when they grow up.
Having previously been introduced to a bowsaw and a pinion drill, this week the children were introduced to a bill hook. As with the other tools, they listened intently during the explanation of how to use it before safely having a go. They then used the blocks that had been split to for printing with paint – there were semi-circles, rectangles, triangles and squares all helping to develop mathematical knowledge as well bringing out their creative side. Some children stuck to printing with the blocks, others experimented with their hands and waterproofs.
We hope you have a lovely weekend, and next week looks like being even chillier so make sure your little one is well wrapped up!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham