There is a feeling of happiness in our forest that radiates from the children who join us. There is constant laughter, infectious smiles and wild imaginations. Every day we have something new to find and it’s amazing to watch how both our children and educators work together to explore everything the forest has to offer.
Our adventure walks are the perfect opportunity to find new areas of the forest, most of which are constantly changing and giving us a chance to learn something new. From the amazing climbing areas of the Beech tree forest, to the always exciting frog pond, there is always something new which our Little Forest Folk-ers can explore and learn from. The frog pond this week has been the perfect example as the children made boats from reeds. With the help of one of our amazing educators they made little boats and wanted to see if they could float. Before we set sail, everyone had a conversation discussing whether or not we thought the boats would float. This made the children really think about the reasons for things being able to float, and we noticed that different shapes were better for floating. It was so interesting to watch as each child had their own reasons for why their boat may float and seeing the perspective from 3- and 4-year-olds.
Our week has also consisted of a lot of art and mark making activities. We have spent time nature painting, where the children could use any item around them to create marks on the page. Our children used stones, sticks and leaves to make different patterns using various colours. Each child then had the chance to name their painting and we had some very adventurous names. We had some fire work paintings, some volcano paintings and even some night sky paintings.
Clay was also a big focus of the week, with the creation of clay faces. The children each had a piece of clay and stuck it onto a tree. They then added different features by using items they found around them in the forest. We had stones for eyes and sticks for arms and some children gave their face names. Once they were made, every child had the opportunity to show the rest of the group their creation. It was such a joy to watch as they explained their creation to their peers and see how proud they were of what they had made.
Even without set activities, our children find exciting games to play throughout their days. With imaginations so full and bursting with new ideas, there are endless role play games and characters within the forest. We have characters from books and tv shows, as well as completely made-up people. Everyone brings their own personality into the game and it’s such a great way for the children to be able to express themselves.
Every day is a chance to explore, and every day is a chance to grow. The forest is the most perfect place for both of these to happen, and it is such an amazing way to spend a day!
We hope you all had lovely weeks and have a wonderful weekend all!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon