Whilst the weather may have been milder this week, we have been reminded that it is the deep mid-winter by the many scurrying squirrels snuffling around for food in the leaves all around us. Here, we are able to observe details and behaviours of nature at length, filling the space with language and talk that help the children develop useful vocabulary. This year has been particularly hard for the squirrels as some of you may have noticed that they have been no acorns about at all! This is on account of a particular set of conditions that meant that there was a extraordinary flourish of acorns the year before. The oak trees then actually recognise there was no need to produce seeds this year as they had done their job so well before!
From squirrels to smaller creatures now, as over on the bowling field the bug hotel has finally been finished off and is now brimming full of natural materials collected by children across both sites. Here, we have spied spiders and woodlice, and as always, educators are quick to compliment these finds by looking through minibeast guides to help us identify differences in shape, number of legs, patterns, etc. The Bug Hotel also has plenty of wooden surface space for writing and drawing with chalk, and this gives children a great area to practice drawing animals using real life examples to study. This week, to finish the hotel, we found lots of chopped ivy which we all enjoyed trying to snap into even smaller parts, using great fine and gross motor skills. Children showed great perseverance and care, finding the right shaped pieces and placing or weaving them into the right place to make a compact loving space for our little animal friends.
Another sort of weaving brought much happiness to the forest this week, as with several meters of new multicoloured wool, Vanessa and Jemima have been braiding and wrapping the children’s hair throughout the days. The children absolutely love this activity; all have wanted to be included and seeing photos of the creations at the end has brought much joy. Matt has been taking lessons in braiding from Vanessa too and is looking forward to joining in soon too! These moments of unique care and play create such special bonds between educators and children and we’re sure you’ve seen at home how proud the children are of these colourful new twists!
The sun made a few appearances towards the end of the week, so we hope the weather favours your adventures this weekend. Have fun!
Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth