June 2022

1st June 2022

Every Monday morning Primary have taken part in Forest School at Redwood Outdoor Learning Centre. Sessions have taken place throughout the different seasons and the children have loved experiencing and noticing the changing seasons. The biggest surprise was the arrival of bluebells in Spring and noticing the bare trees in Winter and the wonderful 'green-ness' of the trees in Summer . The children spend time in silence listening to nature and immersing themselves in 'being outdoors' in a forest environment . Staff and pupils alike recognise how this improves their emotional well-being . The children have taken part in many different activites- whittling, den-building, using flint and steels to light fires ,orienteering, scavenger hunts, bug hunts, making big nests and using trowels to dig. Some of our highlights have included exploring a massive tree that came down in a storm and looking at skulls of different woodland animals. Every week without fail we have a big fire (apart from the last Forest school of the year which was during the heatwave !) and we cook and eat marshmallows and smores . In winter we enjoy gathering around the fire and enjoying the warmth and chatting .

Forest School develops the children's resilience in an environment where they learn to take risks and try new things . It is child-led and develops confidence and self-esteem in a natural woodland .