From Skeleton’s to Beehive’s, dinosaurs… and spooky goings on!
What a half term it’s been! It has been a true delight to welcome back some familiar faces to the forest for holiday camps, along with some new friends too! On Monday we thought it best to relax into the week, so we put our hammock up for the children to lay in and relax. Though with the children eager to swing their friends inside, they were in for more of a bumpy journey!
Our best bow and arrow maker was back in for a day to teach his new recruits just how you go about making and shooting one. A station was created in order to make the bows and arrows with feathers, string, paper and sticks. Later, a target practise area was assembled using benches with a bullseye drawn on with chalk. The children worked cooperatively, making sure no one was in the firing line and cheering each other on at they took their shot. Of course, our very own Robin Hood hit the bullseye almost every time!
Over on the magpie team later in the week, a familiar buzzing sound became louder and louder. No…not from our bees in the walled garden, but the children in disguise! They buzzed around our camp trying to sting anything in their path! It was only after a while that they realised they had no beehive to go home to, so the bees swarmed together and made a plan of attack. They needed pallets, rope, pegs, a hammer and benches to make their beehive come to life! Oh it was so fantastic once all the parts were constructed and as an educator, so lovely to see that with no educator input, the children helped each other with the heavy lifting, took turns using the hammer and tying the knots to keep our beehive from collapsing. A whole day was focused around this busy beehive, so much so that the children ended up having their afternoon snack inside!
Next up, Karen had noticed the children’s interest in dinosaurs and suggested to the children that they make dinosaur fossils! Immediately a group gathered, ready to create! Using sticks and rope, dinosaur skeletons began to form; some that wouldn’t look out of place at the natural history museum! This brought on discussions about our own skeletons and parts of our bodies. On a smaller scale, some lovely artwork was made using the children’s handprints and some colourful straws as bones!
Continuing on the Halloween theme and to end the week, all of the children have been decorating leafs collected around Fulham Palace gardens and painting spooky faces on them using paints and sponges. The leafs have transformed into skeletons, pumpkins and witches!
We have enjoyed so much seeing some of your Halloween costumes; batman’s, lions, pumpkin’s and more! Have a spook-tacular Halloween this weekend and we look forward to welcoming back those who have been off for half term next week!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham