Blackberry Pancakes
The highlight of the day this week was on Wednesday when we made Blackberry pancakes. There are now lots of Blackberries on our site, all ready to be picked so we decided it was time to use them and we settled on making pancakes! The children began by picking yummy berries, careful to choose those that were ripe and ready. Once enough were collected, we took turns washing and mashing up the berries. Next a few children worked together to mix the ingredients for pancakes including flour, banana, blackberries, milk and a little bit of honey. The Little Forest-ers showed great patience and turn taking, ensuring they all got a go at mixing the ingredients. The next step was fire! On the walks in we collected firewood and worked with an educator to build a ‘waffle’ in the fire pit. Once sat at a safe distance an educator lit the fire and all the kids watched in amazement as the flames began. Once hot enough the pancakes were cooked on a pan and each child got one. They were so delicious especially as they were forest made!
Another exciting element of the week was all the adventure walks. On one the children made it all the way to the ‘troll bridge’. Here we all got to engage in lots of splashing and climbing. There were so many stones to collect and games to play, such as pooh sticks as well as testing what might float or sink. Another spot visited this week was the Beverly Brook, the children quickly noticed how fast the water was flowing and how steep the side of the Brook was. We all made sure to stay a safe distance from the edge to ensure our safety. That did not stop the fun though, they experimented with how big they could make splashes by throwing in different items such as stone, sticks and even some small apples found on the walk.
Paper plates have been used in the forest this week, with each group using them for such different creative ideas. In Bunnies, they made lollipops. Each child decorated their paper plates, with each colour being a different flavour. Then they stuck on lollipop sticks and they were ready to show to friends. In the Foxes we made butterfly feeders. Using a hole puncher the children made holes on the outside of the plates, then threaded through string. After decorating these, we added some left-over fruit peel from snack and hung up the feeders. They then watched in awe as all sorts of animals came to eat the food.
The rain on Monday has meant lots of mud play all week. Some children just love to feel the squish of mud between their fingers while others invent full narrative stories to go along with their play. For instance, one child set up his own mud coffee shop while another set of children were on Mars and had to trek through the thick oozing mud to make it back to their spaceship.
No matter the weather, where they are or what resources they have, the forest children always find fun ways to play. It is such a joy watching as one simple stick creates a whole story!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon