Year 5 Forest School

 

This morning's session was full of a sense of adventure, fun and challenge. As requested, the children started with a very energetic game of 'Hide and Seek It' ; setting the rules before we began so that everyone was able to play happily.

After that, there was some epic den-building going on, with upgrades and adjustments as they went along. The finished results looked almost good enough for camping out overnight! An amazing rope ladder was built from scratch which allowed lots of the children to climb the tree and a canopy to also be put up in the tree. A little later on, a group of children worked together with an adult to make a turn on the rope swing thrilling and exciting, by pulling together and letting go when it got high. (We adjusted the angle and direction of the rope swing 'tug of war' to ensure the person on the swing didn't swing back into the tree trunk!)

There was also plenty of fun sharing the hammock and some whittling and learning the knots to lash two sticks together well, and of course lots of creativity in the mud kitchen.

During the session, the group came back together to discuss the rules of their game and make sure everyone stayed safe and continued to have fun. The children paused to think carefully and share and agree on guidelines which allowed them to continue the game but ensure it was a happy experience for all. It was brilliant to facilitate this democratic and calm approach and see the children act with such maturity and responsibility.

At the end, we focused on which experiences the children were grateful for from the session, which the children shared with the group. The children should be really proud of themselves for today, they truly challenged themselves in so many different ways...and had amazing fun whilst doing it.

Many thanks to our fabulous volunteer today for getting stuck in and making the session so much fun for the children.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Mrs Rassell