This week in the forest we had a lot of fun with all the new mud. Obstacle courses were a big favourite this week, and the children especially enjoyed forming a queue and walking along the planks in single file. The mud made this a real challenge, but everyone showed great resilience and perseverance. This was a perfect activity for building social skills, as the children had to negotiate the order of the queue between themselves. It was also great to see children teaching each other new techniques, such as holding their arms out for balance.

The swing has been a real favourite recently, and has provided an opportunity to develop patience, turn-taking and physical skill. The children have also had many messy, focused art sessions, taking inspiration from toy dinosaurs, portraits, and flowers to create their paintings.

During staff inset day yesterday we brushed up our tarp-hanging skills for rainy days. We also created a bank of new activity ideas inspired by our favourite books from the forest. We gave a lot of thought to all the ways these books can offer developmental opportunities in line with the EYFS framework. Some themes we're particularly excited about are conservation, celebrating our differences, understanding emotions, and being a confident artist. We can't wait to share these with the children, and with you!

Little Forest Folk
Putney Heath