Loo at what we have been up to in Forest School in Term 5.
In week one there was a challenge of making a rope ladder from scratch. Children learned how to tie the know with the rope - the Marlin spike hitch and they used saws safely to cut the right lengths of wood for their steps. Some chose to make big rope ladders which are still up now and some chose to make small rope ladders - like Gagan. I was very impressed with children's perseverance as it is not an easy challenge. Aidan and Teoman, for example, spent most session creating their rope ladders.
Week 2 saw the return of the fire pit and we cooked popcorn in a pan . The secret is to heat up oil first, add a couple of kernels and when they pop - take the pan off the fire , add the rest of the kernels and count to 30 - then back on the heat, keep shaking the pan and the popcorn will turn out beautifully.
We also looked at a part of a slow worm which was decomposing with the help of little maggots to show the circle of life and decomposition. I had lots of weeding and planting helpers, particularly Lily and Ariana. Hopefully we will get a great harvest this year.
Thea, Tilly, Finn, Henry and Ines were fire lighting experts. Some children asked for tools for their own projects- laplanders for sawing, knives for whittling, palm drills for drilling holes and string for square lashings. Elodie and Alf went on a bug hunt and found a very interesting spider and a newt!
We also made our very own charcoal pencils. We used Elder as it is easy to hollow out and we added willow to a tin and turned it to charcoal over the fire.
Year 5 also helped with some maintenance of the Forest School area; they cut the brambles, weeded around the trees, put up the bat house, looked after the compost, cut planks and built benches ... and they explored and had fun in nature.
Year 5 Forest School Term 5 2024-2025
