Forest & Meadow School
Forest school w/b 2nd March 2026 PART TWO!
We were very lucky to have a second lot of Forest School this week! This time it was Reception and Year 6s turn. It was Reception's first time to Forest School and they were very excited! Reception had lots on offer for them to explore, which included; making natural paintbrushes to paint mud with, binoculars, journey sticks, mark making, bug house building and sensory hunts. It was great to see how creative and imaginative the children were. They have lots of suggestions for what they would like for their session next week.
Year 6 had the task of building dens, whether that be big enough to fit them in or for a small animal. The children worked together in groups to create their den which required a lot of perseverance, communication and team work. The children even started adding extras such as decorations to their spaces.
In more exciting news, we had a delivery of wood chippings today! I had some very helpful children who have helped to start spreading it in the area to make clear paths and spaces. A big thanks to Ace of Trees for the donation!
Forest School w/b 2nd March 2026
This week it was Year 3 and 4s turn and we had beautiful weather for our session today. The children have already started noticing the spring changes that are coming in the area and across our school grounds.
Year 3 revisited their learning from English around Alice in Wonderland today and created miniature worlds that Alice could fall into when she went down the rabbit hole. These children included items such as tipis, trapeze ropes, football pitches and many more. The children were delighted when some ladybird visitors took up home in their new miniature worlds!
Year 4s focus was slightly similar in the way they were making small worlds. However their focus linked to their English text 'Leon and the place between'. Today in English the children had been planning their own fantasy worlds and were discussing ways in which their character would transport there. The children then used natural materials to recreate these worlds. It was great to see their imaginations come to life, especially how they decided to create their portals.
Forest School w/b 23rd February 2026
This week it was Year 1 and 2's turn. This was both classes second sessions and it was brilliant to see everything they had remembered from our 1st session and that they were even more excited about having another turn!
This week Year 1 focused on using their 5 senses in the natural environment. They were each given a strip of card with double sided tape attached. Their task was to collect items using their senses and then stick them to their strip. Don't worry... we didn't use our sense of taste! It was great to see the children carefully selecting what they wanted to keep and they had some fantastic adjectives to describe them.
Year 2 were also given a strip of card and tape but their focus was on collecting the colours of the rainbow. Some of the colours were tricky to find but it led to a good discussion about how the colours in the environment were starting to change because Spring was coming. At the end of the session we compared the number of natural objects to the amount of rubbish they collected. The majority of children recognised that alot of the colours came from rubbish. We then spoke about the impact of rubbish on the environment and the animals that lived their.
Forest School w/b 2nd February 2026
This week it was Year 4 and 6's turn.
Year 4 were very good at identifying and suggesting potential hazards in the area. They also understood the importance of looking after the living things around them. The focus for their session today was creating a 'journey stick'. This involved the children collecting a stick the length of their arm, tying a length of string to one end, and then collect Forest School 'treasures' to add to their stick. Our learners had to show lots of perseverance when tying the objects on. The finished journey sticks were very creative and took many different forms.
Year 6 were given the option of either creating a natural picture frame or a hanging leaf mobile. If they chose a natural picture frame, they needed to use four sticks and then tie these together with string. Some children then chose to place these on the ground and create a picture using natural materials, others used string to weave natural materials in and out of the frame. Those children who made hanging leaf mobiles, selected leaves and then hole punched them to be able to hang them from different lengths of string. With both of these activities, it was great to see the creativity, perseverance and team work on display.
Forest School w/b 26th January 2026
This week it was Year 1 and 5s turn for Forest School.
In Year 1, we started our session identifying the potential hazards in the Forest area. They were very sensible with their suggestions on how we could all keep safe. Mrs Bond noticed that we have daffodils starting to grow and the children were very good at making sure they didn't tread on them. The focus for our session was on Animals, including humans. More specifically thinking about how animals bodies are all different, this linked to the learning the children are currently doing in Science. The children worked in groups and used natural materials to make humans, penguins, foxes, fish and a whole lot more!
In Year 5 we used large pieces of wood to make dens. The children worked well together in groups to problem solve in order to make a den structure that would stand. Some groups decided to make smaller dens that might be able to be used by animals, whilst others chose to make larger structures to fit themselves in. One group even included a bed and a fire in their den! It was great to hear the communication between the children and how they planned their structures.
Next week its Year 4 and 6's turn!
Forest School w/b 19th January
This week marked the start of our Forest School sessions, and kick started with Year 3 and Year 2. The children loved accessing the area and started off their sessions with identifying boundaries and potential hazards in the area. By identifying the hazards, it helped them to move more safely around the area and be mindful when selecting their natural resources.
Year 3 were set the challenge of using natural materials to create mountains, hills, valleys and settlements. It was great to see the learners working together as a group and communicating about what they were doing next. You can see from the photos that they showed a lot of resilience in trying to make their mountain and hill structures stand.
Year 2 were set the challenge of creating the structure of a plant using natural materials. This linked with the learning they have been doing in Science and Art. Lots of the children told me they were being artists like Andy Goldsworthy by making Land Art. Again, the children worked in groups, and each had the responsibility of a different section of the plant to create.
Next week it is Year 1 and Year 5’s turn
