Our Week in the Forest...
In the depths of a forest, hidden underground, there is a bounty of hidden treasure. Who better to track it down and excavate it than a team of Little Forest Folk-ers? They worked in teams to organise a selection of tools that would be used for digging and a collection of sturdy sticks were deemed appropriate for the job. Then commenced the task of digging out the treasure and one child suggested they put it into a saucepan from the mud kitchen. It didn’t take long before the saucepan was brimming with stones and rocks, each one a glistening piece of treasure that came with its own backstory and each one had the potential to be a gift that could be given to someone equally as precious, “This is a gold badge and I am going to give it to my mum”.
This detailed role-play enables children to use each other’s ideas and keeps play focused on a shared theme, while at the same time allowing each player to bring individual meaning to the props that are being used and everyone’s contributions can be included and valued.
Group role-play seemed to be a running theme in the forest this week with another group of children fascinated with working in a hair salon. One day, the salon only had a small team of hairdressers, each one eager to try something new and exciting on one of their educators. However, by day three, the salon had its own kitchen and salon assistant who would greet the customers with “would you like a cup of tea?” and proceed to pour lovely muddy tea from a pot into a cup (and a little splash on the customers lap for good measure).
We had a team of assistants all eager to help wash customer’s hair and a soggy leaf was used to symbolise a bar of soap and also doubled up as a towel. Finally, the hairstylist themselves would start work, a stick in hand to symbolise a pair of scissors and begin to chop away, twirling a stick hair ornament into place to ensure the customer (one of the educators) were left amazed at how beautiful they could look, if only they had thought of the stick idea too!
They have also been very creative with tools this week, they used bow saws and drills to cut the pieces needed to make cars (complete with wheels) as well as necklaces and bow & arrows. This has given the children the opportunity to make resources that are original in design and empowers the imagination!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon