Our Week in the Forest...
What an amazing week in the forest we have had for the second week of holiday camp. Our campers have been so full of enthusiasm, ready and willing to try anything new that has come their way. They have enjoyed adventure walks to explore the gardens of Fulham Palace, encountering birds and discovering the bee hives in the walled garden.
One day this week the forest explorers had a mission, to find and collect plants that might make a nice cup of tea. Katie explained that if we collected some special leaves that grow in the gardens, we could use them to make tea in the forest. The children and educators set out in search of dandelions, nettles and mint. As the nettles are pretty stingy, Katie provided gloves for the children to wear. At first the children weren’t sure what each plant they needed to collect looked like, but soon they got the hang of it, returning to base camp with a bucket full of nettles, dandelion flowers and some carefully picked mint.
Katie explained that they needed to prepare the plants. The dandelion petals needed pulling off and the mint and nettle leaves needed to be removed from the storks. Still wearing their gloves for protection, the children set about preparing the plants. When they had finished they put them in cafeterias and Katie helped them carefully add some hot water. Katie explained that they had to wait for the petals and leaves to steep in the water. The children used a sand timer to decide when they were ready and then… if they were brave enough… the children got to taste their delicious tea!
Throughout the week the children have created some amazing dens from loose parts, logs and tarps. One group incorporated a meditation zone in their den which they informed the educators was a ‘phone free zone’. Another group created a clubhouse which they named the “Jolly Colourful Mess Clubhouse”. As the wind picked up during the week some of the children created a storm shelter full of gadgets, secret entrances and escape hatches. It has been so wonderful to watch their imaginations flourish and develop, creating wonderful new things, working out how to solve problems and helping each other reach their combined goals.
We hope you all had a lovely week too, and have a wonderful weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham