We were thrilled to welcome back all our friends after the break and jump right into our new theme: STEM! This week has been packed with hands-on experiments and autumnal fun, as our budding scientists and engineers explored the wonders of physics, mechanics, and the science of play.
We started off with some tool work to learn safe handling skills with the bow saw, creating our very own tree cookies! It was a great chance to practise risk management and understand how we can stay safe and focused while working with tools.
Our exploration into momentum and gravity took us on some amazing adventures. Using our junk modelling equipment, we made our own wheels and discovered how the circular shape helps maximise movement. In our gravity mud kitchen, we designed a pulley system to transport water across the forest, filtering it through buckets, tubes, and jugs—our adventurers were thrilled to see the water journey along their custom-built track!
In our Drop Zone, we experimented with how objects fall, timing dropping beanbags and balls from a height to observe how weight affects speed. This led to creating our very own racing track and tunnel, also crafted from junk modelling supplies, to see how quickly our cars could zoom down the slopes.
The excitement continued as we mixed up our very own non-Newtonian fluid! Our adventurers learned about ratios and textures as they mixed cornflour and water to make oobleck. Each child mixed and chose a different colour of oobleck to experiment with around the forest. Some wore their oobleck bags as hats, while others used them in the mud kitchen, squeezing, pouring, and observing its unique properties—it was a sensory science experience to remember!
Thank you to everyone for a fantastic week of learning and fun. We can’t wait to see where our STEM journey will take us next week!
Little Forest Folk
Putney Heath