This phrase is used so often in our forest and it’s something that we really instal in our Little Forest Folkers. They are constantly finding different ways to work together, and problem solve, using their communicative skills to talk through their ideas. At every opportunity our children are finding fun games and activities to do with their friends, sharing their experiences and knowledge with each other. The forest is full of opportunities to do this and it’s great to watch the children learn from everything around them.
In recent weeks we have been talking a lot to the children about making sure our forest is clean and tidy, and the reasons for this. One of our big group tasks this week was a clean-up of the forest. So, when we got some new litter pickers to use our children were so excited to start their mission of cleaning the forest! We think it is such an important lesson for our children to learn as this forest is such an important part of their lives. We need to keep it clean and tidy, not just for us to use but for all of the creatures that call it home. The children all took it in turns to use our litter pickers and made it their mission to find as much rubbish as possible. We found 2 bags full of rubbish and each child who found something said how bad it was that people leave their rubbish on the floor. This activity showed how aware our children are of the need to look after our environment and how much we need to make sure that other people also do the same. Everyone was so excited, and they can’t wait to do it again soon!
Our children have also been exploring all of the different creatures that live on the meadow this week. Using our magnifying glasses, the children have been getting close to the flowers and plants to see which bugs and critters live on them. These walks around our site really allow the children to notice all of the different things that grow around us and use the forest as their home. It’s a great opportunity for them to chat about another reason to look after for the forest, making sure that we are creating a nice home for the animals around us. When using the magnifying glasses, we noticed lots of bugs like caterpillars, bees and moths that were all moving around the meadow. The children then ask to find out more information about these and so we use the books in the forest to find out facts. The children then love sharing the new information with the friends, and the adults!
Another really lovely part of our week has been the meditation times that we have had. Sometimes the forest is so busy and exciting that it is nice to have some time to stop and relax for a bit. The children have really started to think about why we need to take some time to calm down and just have some time to breathe. We have been using stories to do the yoga to, and one of our favourites is the Very Hungry Caterpillar. There is a yoga move for each part of the story and the children have loved listening to it as we practice the moves. This is such an important thing for our explorers to learn as they spend so much time running around playing, that we need to take the time to have some calm relaxing time.
There are so many moments for our children to learn something new, find something exciting or play a new game with friends. We also spend a lot of time learning new lessons that our children can use throughout their lives, spreading their knowledge and understanding to others and making new memories with their friends.
Life is full of exciting things and the forest is one of the most exciting places to be!
Little Forest Folk
Wimbledon