Our week in the forest has been truly magical. Our Little Forest Folk-ers have amazed us with their confidence as they have tackled new challenges and formed new friendships. In both groups we have observed them as they have adapted to a new dynamic and have developed relationships with different children. This has led to some wonderful new role-play ideas and some blossoming friendships!
In our monkey camp, the children are negotiating their collaborative skills defying their limited time on this planet! One group got together and decided that they were all going to be lions! After coming to this agreement together they quickly morphed into feline poses and prowled around the camp. Some were cubs with quieter high-pitched growls whilst matriarchs and male lions roared around on all fours! There was a natural rhythm to the game and the children showed a great awareness of each other, discussing where to go next, what to eat or where to live.
Another day saw our smallest little explorers get creative with logs and sticks. We positioned a hollowed-out log in the middle of their yew tree den and quickly a group of 6 children started to make and bake! They gathered thick sticks to use as tongs or spoons and started to put in different ingredients. They put in dusty soil for the flour and some thick sticks for the eggs before carefully pulling the shell back out. They then used different leaves to represent icing, chocolate, strawberries and to top it off some mini candles! The children decided it was Charlie’s birthday, so they all counted to three and helped him to blow out the candles.
One afternoon in monkey camp, the children got to get creative on a miniature scale. They all got down close to the ground to make their own version of a mini town using natural materials. One child became the site manager directing all of her builders and making all the big decisions. They created mini towers, a swimming pool with slide and a swing! There were little buildings made out of sticks and roads that wiggled between them.
In our blue camp this week, many of our Little Forest Folk-ers have shown a fascination with fairies. Šarūnė brought in her little flower fairy book of poems and we enjoyed listening to them. Some children went off to build their own fairy houses with fairy beds and little fairy pillows. The attention to detail was wonderful and the children really explored their imaginations as they created their wonderful tiny fairy worlds!
The children have also really enjoyed setting themselves their own physical challenges. They have been showing off their balancing skills on the fallen tree and their ability to jump safely down but also using some planks to create their own surfboards. The children managed to walk up the plank and then keep it balanced over the top of the log rocking it back and forth! Occasionally the plank would slip, and they would fall down in hysterics! Then they would dust themselves off before trying again!
Finally, we got some rain this week too and we used the wet weather to embrace an aquatic theme! Our Little Forest Folk-ers became a long submarine that snaked through the deep blue see like a conga line in search of some mysterious creatures from great depths. They also enjoyed watching the raindrops land on the tarp and chased them around as the moved into each other forming every greater droplets.
It’s been another wonderful week and we can’t wait to see everyone back in the woods next week.
Little Forest Folk
Putney Heath