We have had a wonderful week in the forest! Our little adventurers are exploring the forest with such energy and curiosity. It has been especially wonderful to watch our youngest friends becoming more confident in the group and getting more actively involved in all of the fantastical imaginative role-play games that have been playing out in the forest. The children are collaborating on the same ideas showing an incredible ability to communicate effectively and engage with each other in a productive way.
One role-play game involved lots of children all together in their very own shop. There were children making cakes, biscuits and fruit salads using a variety of found objects from the forest floor. There was a till and a counter so that customers could come and buy what they wanted. Some children counted out wooden coins and then took their goodies back to their self-built den to tuck in. The expressive nature of the children’s acting that was on display was worthy of any west end show! As soon as the crowds dispersed, the shopkeepers realised that they still had leftovers which resorted in a delivery service of biscuits with orange juice! These were handed out for free to try and entice customers back into the shop.
One day the logs and planks are a shop, and the next they have morphed into a boat sailing across the seven seas! With everyone aboard, the captains set sail only anchoring up to repair holes in the side of the boat or to fish for the babies’ supper. The children quickly assumed roles using props they had made themselves and the story developed quite rapidly. They used fishing rods they had made with sticks and twine, tools they had found carefully from the forest floor and gadgetry that took the form of upside-down cups, bowls and mini logs. With the help of the forest mechanics the boat had become a super vehicle capable of blasting into space. Just before taking off to the moon the captain halted everything, deciding that actually the moon wasn’t where they really wanted to go. They should really be going to a beach in Wales!
Our walks in and out of the forest this week have also taken a new shape. We have started to try out different, more adventurous routes. We call them ‘jungle walks’ and the children get to weave, climb and trek through thicker forest foliage studying the different leaves up close and working out which way to go next. The children have shown their intense fascination with all things in nature during these peaceful walks. We noticed a leaf spinning in mid-air on one day. The children stared intently at it for some time before one child said “It’s stuck on the spider web! That’s why it’s spinning”. We all took a closer look and indeed the tip of the leaf was attached to one strand of spider silk and the gentle breeze was causing it to spin around super-fast.
As Autumn starts to take hold, we are all super excited to see the leaves start to change colour and watch as the sights and smells of the forest change with the season! We cannot wait to see what next week brings and wish you all a lovely weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Putney Heath