Well, we have been gifted with the most beautiful Autumn weather this week, with golden sunshine lighting up all the colours in the trees. On our walk into camp, we talked about how lucky we are to be able to come to such a beautiful place that changes all year round and is such a fun place to play. We talked about how some people live in places that are far away from woods and trees and might not have a chance to visit them very often, so it made us feel very thankful. We called out “Thank you trees!” together and then some chose to call out “Thank you leaves!”, “Thank you grass!” and even “Thank you squirrels!” which they all found very funny.
As well as noticing all the new colours as we walk into camp, we have also worked together to spot letters and words in the gardens with the children taking turns to find their own initials on signs and information boards. Sometimes we even find twigs or pieces of mud that look like letters and, of course, we enjoy having a try at writing our own when we get to camp.
On the 11th the Magpies were led in a focus activity by Harriet based around Remembrance Day. They talked about the day at morning circle and some of the children shared their knowledge of it and told us about their own relatives who had been alive at that time. They used paper and pens to create their own poppies before carefully attaching them to lollypop sticks. At 11 O’clock the children were gathered to see if any of them wanted to take part in the minute’s silence and we were amazed to see how many did and how well they concentrated to complete it too!
The Robins this week have been very creative with rainbow streamers being made with sticks and tissue paper that would flutter in the wind or stream behind as they ran, holding them up in the air. They also used their fingers to press clay into before tipping them out and leaving them to dry so they could be painted later. These kind of activities are wonderful for practicing fine motor skills as well as turn taking and being able to compare and complement each other’s creations. We all love seeing how carefully the children carry these pieces of art as they leave the forest, proudly announcing that they are going to show them off to their mums and dads.
An aeroplane was constructed on the Robins side out of pallets, benches and planks in time for the children to arrive and after snack they immediately set about making their own additions and roleplaying at piloting or boarding and finding a seat to fly somewhere exciting! With help from their educators, they have also worked as a team to build a house with pallet walls and sticks placed carefully to make a roof.
The Magpies have been taking part in number activities and games, and we have all taken turns counting children, the leaves we’ve collected or our steps as we find out how far away something is. There is always a way to bring numbers into play time and to find ways for the children to practice without it feeling like work.
Kindness has been a focus lately and we love seeing examples of it being displayed naturally by the children, both to their friends and to the little creatures that we find in nature. This can range from offering help to carry something heavy to drawing a picture for a friend when they have seen that they are sad. As time goes on, we see friendships developing and adapting and will often find children, heads together giggling over something they’ve said or taking quiet time together to look through books side by side.
As usual there is so much more that could be written but I hope this has been a little window into the fun week we have had. It has been so lovely to be welcomed back by the team, the children and by parents too and I can’t wait to see what next week brings! Have lovely weekends all!
Little Forest Folk
Fulham