We’ve had a wonderful week in the forest. The children enjoyed a roaring camp-fire where they had the opportunity to cook on it. The children were fascinated by the smoke and noticed how it changed direction with the wind. Some of the children were telling the educators to move round the fire to avoid the smoke. Using a pan, they each had the opportunity to melt chocolate and stir it using a giant spoon. Some of the younger children then had the special job of adding in the cornflakes into the chocolate after the chocolate had melted and each child helped to stir it all up. They knew to make sure all the cornflakes were covered in sticky chocolate. Lastly, they each got to scoop up the mixture and place it inside a cupcake case to take home, where they could share their delicious creation with their families. Other children decided to roast marshmallows on the fire using extra-long sticks to ensure their safety. Once they had cooled down, they got the chance to enjoy them as a special pudding after their lunch.
Our little chefs have been very busy as they have also been making pizzas this week. We explored different vegetables and chose which ones we wanted to have on our pizzas. The children made the executive decision of tomatoes, peppers, celery and mushrooms. The children practiced their knife skills as they chopped up each of their toppings, being very careful while using their knives. Each child had a wrap for a base, which they then spread tomato puree on top of, ensuring all of it was covered. We added a sprinkle of cheese (after some nibbles were taken out) before arranging the toppings. We counted out how many tomatoes were on top of our pizzas, the most being 11! We then added a little bit more cheese for luck, before melting it all in the oven and then getting to try it for snack. The children and educators were all in agreement that they were delicious.
The children had lots of fun splashing around in the puddles after a huge downpour of rain. They came up with interesting ways to enjoy the muddy forest, including building a mud slide to take turns in sliding down. A giant plank of wood that had become bendy in the wet was placed upon some crates to lift it up and the other end was in a puddle! The mud was spread all over the plank to make it extra slippery to slide down super-fast to make the biggest splashes! They were also able to jump and flash in the big puddles, staying nice and dry in their waterproofs. The children enjoyed exploring which puddles were deep and which were shallow and wanted to show the educators how far the water went up to on their wellies. At mealtime they listened to the sound of the rain on the tarpaulin and sang ‘rain, rain, go away.’
The children have been enjoying exploring clay, exploring its texture and how to manipulate it into different shapes. They used the clay to make long flat roads and humpback bridges. Each child had a particular way of manipulating the clay, with some squishing and twisting it while others pressed it down onto the table. Suddenly snails were being crafted with curled up shells and soft, slippery bodies. With the wet weather we have been finding lots of snails and going on snail hunts, lifting up logs and under the leaves. The snails have been regular visitors to the mud kitchen and are happy with the snacks the children have been preparing for them. We observed our local river and noticed it was moving very fast and deep. The children discussed how deep the river was and how we cannot walk in the river when it is so deep. It was agreed that humans would get washed away with such a fast and deep river, but they insisted ‘’Dinosaurs wouldn’t get washed away… they’re heavy, and they would splash us as they walked through the river.’’ The Little Forest Folk-ers dug lots of holes on a slope and filled the first hole with cups of water. They were excited to see it overflow into the next hole and watch as it went into the next hole creating a beautiful waterfall!
The eco-school council have been enthusiastically making use of our mark-making table this week. After filling up our recycling box with paper and cardboard, we took a learning walk to the recycling bins, the children helping the educators to carry the boxes. Once there, we discussed why we recycle things and how recycling works. They were intrigued to hear about what happens at a recycling centre, especially imagining the giant magnet and how we could make new paper and cardboard from the old. The children then all took turns in posting the different recycling materials into the correct slots on the bins, looking very proudly as they told passers-by, “We’re recycling!”.
We hope you all have lovely weekends!
Little Forest Folk
Twickenham