Making and establishing new relationships was our major theme this week and the children went about it in many ways. They shared chase games and hide and seek were very popular! It was so lovely to see the whole group join in. Often, cries of ‘paw patrols’, ‘super wings’ or ‘grrr.. dinosaurs’ can be heard in the forest, followed by a group of children running after each other. The group often ends up in the ‘fire engine’, which is considered a safe and neutral ‘home space’, before heading back out again. The mud kitchen is also a very popular place to make new connections, working side by side or collaboratively on amazing mud cakes or mud soup. Here, the children are often seen working together on a particular beautiful mud cake. Tricky negotiations over sharing of resources can also be seen in action.
Autumn is coming with a lot of changes and the children have been fascinated by these. Our sensory treasure hunts have helped them to really focus on our environment - what they see, touch, smell and hear. The found objects were collected in a treasure box and the children were very proud to show them off during snack time and explain the significance of each object. Our big plane tree is shedding its seeds and the children have incorporated them into their play - collecting the seed balls, exploring the feeling of the fluffy hair that gives way to the hard kernel inside. They have been incorporated into mud cakes, used to pay for ‘ice creams’ and placed into long lines.
It’s harvest galore in our garden and we collected the fruits of our labour - potatoes, tomatoes, salad, carrots and rhubarb! We dug up the tomato plants and the children looked at the roots that were still entangled in the soil. We cut open the stem that was full of water and the withering leaves. This sparked a lot of discussion about autumn changes and seasons. Some children were very happy to share their knowledge of planting in their own gardens and allotments. Digging up the potatoes was a particular highlight and we found some potatoes as big as a fist. Harvesting the salads required great care and fine motor skills. The children carefully held the plant at the bottom of the stem and broke the leaves carefully off, one by one to take home. Their faces were alight with pride, when they harvested the produce of much hard work throughout the summer. In our garden, the children have met plenty of creatures and shown great empathy to the bees and snails. The children built a nest for the snails they found following careful observation ‘I can see his eyes’. There was much concern over drowned bees, so we set up a bee drinking station that is filled with sticks and stones. To replace our vegetables, we have planted plenty of herbs. Children used all their senses to explore the herbs and the salads, especially smelling them - ‘This smells like orange’ and ‘that is mint’. We also tasted the different types of salads and parsley that did not smell of anything but had a peppery taste.
As part of looking after our environment, the children have helped to collect litter in the forest and on the lawn. We have also collected paper and put our paper brick maker to good use by making paper bricks. These can be used to burn over the fire. To this end, children have been ripping and shredding paper and then soaking it in water before pressing it using the brick maker. We hope to soon burn our brick over a campfire.
We have learnt new songs and it has been great to see how creative the children become, once they are familiar with the songs. The children have enjoyed the ‘slippery fish’ song, where different types of sea creatures are eaten up. It was lovely to see that with children’s increased confidence, they suggested new creatures and rhymes - the dinosaurs are chasing the fish.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Little Forest Folk
Twickenham