Whenever our children walk into the forest, they will always find something new and exciting to point out. It could be some new flowers on the meadow, or a tree that has some bugs on it in the mud kitchen. No matter what it is, our Little Forest Folk-ers will always find the amazement in it.
This week we have been so busy at Wimbledon! We have had such a wide range of activities available for our children to get involved in, coving such a broad range of interests. There was some magnet fishing, a new giant chalkboard was brought into the forest, and we have spent some time reading some classic fairy tales which have inspired some beautiful play. It’s been a very fun and exciting week.
The magnet fishing was a big highlight of our week. Whenever it rains in the forest there is always discussion of fishing and seeing what the children can use to catch a “fish” in the puddles, so we decided to try a different form of fishing this week. Using some large horseshoe magnets attached to some string and sticks, the children had to catch some of the items that had been laid out. There were metal pots, lids and paper clips which had been put across the floor to make it a bit harder to catch an item. Each child really had to think about how to steady their hand to get hold of the item, and which one would be the easiest to lift. This activity really encouraged our children to plan their approach to the activity and think about what they needed to do to reach their desired outcome. It also encouraged a lot of focus and patience, which is such an important skill to learn at a young age.
When the weather is lovely and dry, it’s the perfect opportunity for our children to play on the meadow, and this week they have been lucky to have new giant chalk boards to play with. These chalkboards are big enough to fit a large group of children around them which means it’s the perfect place for some group activities. The children have loved using the large chalks to create drawings with their friends, creating portraits of each other. They would take it in turns to draw each other, looking closely at the different features of their friends and putting them down on the chalkboard. The great part about this was that the children thought of it themselves. They decided to draw each other and look at how different we are, but how lovely it is to see everyone’s individuality. That is one of the most beautiful things about our children, they are so welcoming to everyone and are aware that everyone can be different and that’s what makes everyone amazing.
With many of our children getting ready to go off to big school we have been talking a lot in the forest about feelings and actions towards other people. It is so important to make our children aware of their own feelings and talking about what makes them feel a certain way. When there are so many new things happening, it can be a lot for a child to take on and so it’s important that they can think about their emotions and how they are feeling. One of our new favourite books in the forest is “The Colour Monster”. This book talks through all different feelings and links them to a colour. The children have done so many different activities linking to this book, and it’s been great to watch them think more about different emotions. Some of our children have been using paper plates to make monster masks, painting them different colours that link to the emotion in the book. This is not only good activity for talking about emotions, but also so much fun!
There is never a shortage of fun and exciting activities in the forest, and always something to suit every child. It’s lovely to watch as the children find things that they enjoy and love to do, especially in such a wonderful environment.
We hope you all have wonderful weekends!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon