Our Week in the Forest...
“Double, Double, Toil and Trouble…Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble” said the Witch, as she appeared in the snack circle, opening her cape to reveal someone whom the children thought looked suspiciously very much like Abbey.
Luckily, this was a nice Witch who arrived to tell the children of her predictions that some Halloween fun may be had across the week…and her predictions came true!
We have really enjoyed taking favourite nursery rhymes this week and giving them a playful twist, “The Wheels on the Haunted Bus” did indeed go round and round, and the passenger skeletons went “Rattle, Rattle, Rattle!”. This opened some really organic opportunities for Big and Little Forest Folk-ers to play with matching rhyming words. Children particularly enjoyed it when they could get words in their songs to rhyme, even if it gave the song a whimsical turn and this is all part of children becoming skilful communicators.
On Wednesday, they got to help build a real fire and bubbling cauldron, which was heating up some yummy hot chocolate that gave the children, not only a little treat, but a boost of imagination as they then went and made their own potions and spells with mud and water. Whilst imaginations were filling the forest, educators helped record down children’s stories again this week but went one stage further and used the afternoon snack time as opportunity to act out the children’s stories if they wanted them to. The look of pride on the children’s faces as they watched their stories being enjoyed by their friends was proof that that children love it when the educators and their peers value their contributions and helps build confidence and positive self-identify.
With colder days now seeping into the forest, learning has taken an icy turn this week in the shape of some ice-lollies. Children have been using the lollies to scientifically experiment with insulation. They used different materials around the lollies to see if they could hinder or even stop the melting process. Kinaesthetic experimentation enables children to take abstract concepts and move them into concrete experiences that contribute to their knowledge and understanding of how their world works…as well as providing the additional treat of some lollies to eat afterwards!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon