The week has been filled with adventure walks to bathe in the pockets of sun that dart through the open canopies. Walks into the wild twice a day have been fun, as we’ve chased each other through swathes of leaves and challenged each other to jump over streams or take the felled branch route across! Treasures galore are found on these walks and this week we have been collecting kindling and smaller sticks that were dried out to be used in fire starting activities on Fridays and Mondays. With a larger fire lit we are also able to cook hot food and have revisited bread making to warm the soul and tummies in the afternoon.

Hot drinks, served mid morning and mid afternoon help to cement already great bonds as the air is filled with excitable chatter that reflects on all goings on in and outside of the forest and field walls.

This year so far has been warmer than previous ones some of us have experienced and it has been great for all of us to finally experience some of the new changes in environment a colder snap brings.

These changes all help children to learn in different ways across all areas of learning, whether that’s through the change in descriptive language that helps to evaluate surroundings, or the new sensory experiences of changes to all surfaces and the many loose part items we play with. This time of year, it’s always so wonderful to see children inspect and crunch ice laden leaves, or trace warm fingers across glistening white surfaces to make marks. Similarly, once muddy slippy puddles now hardened and lumpy make for lots of inquisitive fun as boots persevere at finding something to squish!

Have a great weekend everyone, hope you all find some puddles to squelch into and you have some outdoor moments to embrace the natural visual and sensory gifts this weather does give us. Equally, rest well!

Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth