Our Week in the Forest...
This week has been Stay and Play week, and once again it has been a wonderful occasion for the parents to be involved with their children's play within the forest environment. The children have revelled in showing others what they do and what they can achieve when set a challenge.
Through the week we re-introduced a lot of fun ideas for the children to tackle. We have provided clay as a medium to use, since the mud has dried up in the forest. The children thoroughly enjoyed using this malleable material creating many different items. Some made fruit bowls with miniature fruit or cereal inside. Others used their creative juices to make monsters using goggly eyes and wire arms. It has been great to witness the children's ability to plan their way of making their final creation.
We have also made more rope bridges this week - traditional jungle style! It was as wobbly as it was aesthetically fantastic, and it really focused on challenging the children's core strength abilities in order to make it all the way across. More rewarding though was our vertical ladder created on Thursday. Climbing up the ladder the children had to trust their abilities, by leaning back and climb to the top. At the top, the children were faced with a large overhang, for some this was too much of a confidence barrier to overcome but to those who tried and succeeded it was a massive boost. "Ah, safe, now" a little one gushed when she tackled her way onto the branch.
The children have also thoroughly enjoyed making miniature worlds using sticks, stones and other forest elements. Starting by making a square or rectangular base, the children started to make their own miniature fairy worlds using sticks for tents and pathways, stones for patterned gardens and leaves for beds. The children really had to think about what the fairies might need in their village, which led them to reflect on their own needs and the needs of others in the world around them.
Have a lovely weekend everybody and see you next week!
Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth