This week has seen Animal Top Trump championships galore, popping up around our sites. We now have four weatherproof sets that all the children love using in a variety of ways; a red Safari Animals pack, a blue Sea Creatures pack, a black Nocturnal Animals pack, and a green Insects pack. We’ve all enjoyed lots of interesting facts about our animal friends around the world where groups or one to one chats have let children share their own knowledge whilst posing lots of good questions too, enabling us to have long discussions rich in new vocabulary. Our youngest children like to collect, collate, carry, stack and sort the decks. Others like to line them up, lie down and investigate all the wonderful details within. This week though, is the first week that several of our oldest children have focussed their listening and observing to fully master the skilled game! After they’ve shared the cards out fairly, this number-based game has allowed children to demonstrate their sound knowledge of numbers 1-10 and how they can be less, more or the same for a draw. Children have paired off to play this independently now, often inviting friends in that are watching by re-sharing the cards, and we have also observed children teaching each other how to play which is brilliant.
Animals have also surrounded us in other ways, as the abseiling caterpillars that have been swinging around our heads for several weeks at the forest site have changed into their final form. They have become “green oak tortrix moths” and are a very common moth in many parts of Britain. This year has been a bumper year according to the Forest Rangers and accordingly our afternoons have seen us surrounded with the soft green fluttering wings of the harmless insect. The moths have been particularly friendly, often landing on arms, hands, legs and shoes which the children have loved and also managed very well indeed by letting the moths be, in a very kind and gentle way. Naturally, the legendary Very Hungry Caterpillar book by Eric Carle has been enjoyed several times over; it’s such an important book to support colours, counting and enables relevant talks about the amazing variety of foods that give us different types of energy to play, be happy and rest well.
We’ve even all had a fantastic opportunity to observe a dozen adorable baby toads having a rest beneath a log. Naturally Educators provided a new safe environment for them with as little disturbance as possible, nonetheless children had a good moment to visually investigate the “springy” limbs and “rough looking” skin of these stout little amphibians.
So, all in all, a fab week, where we’ve been absolutely submerged in nature, which is one of the reasons we are so very very lucky to be able to play here all day long!
Here’s hoping that the weather is suitable enough this weekend for a few more adventures as well as some well-deserved rest for you all. See you all soon!
Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth