Forest club to up the 14th September

The recent high winds and rain have provided a wealth of fallen materials in the woods for forest school activities. There have been caterpillars blown from trees to identify, acorns, chestnuts and feathers to collect and sell in forest ‘shops’, imaginary animals to make from natural items, natural jewellery to string together, fallen twigs to decorate, dens to repair and exciting mud pies and soups to make from a wealth of new ingredients. The winds have also given us an opportunity to make model birds and experiment with flight, and some of the children have been making bird feeders help the birds through the cooler months.

During a holiday club session involving looking at the mini beasts in the school pond (some through a microscope as they were so tiny), we discovered that the pond is home to a large population of common newts, so this year we will be taking advice on how to improve the habitat for them and maintain the population.

The new trees that have been planted by children and parents this year have benefitted from the rain and are growing in strength. This winter we will be letting the leaf litter collect on the ground, establishing a rich new habitat that will encourage new plants and insect life and prevent erosion. We have also been offered willow cuttings to plant over the winter, to start to build new willow structures. You may have seen some large wooden structures in the garden, awaiting construction, these are materials for a circular building that will provide some extra sheltered space for winter activities.

A focus for this year will be recycling and making high quality compost.

DON’T FORGET – YOUR CHILDREN NEED TO BRING WARM CLOTHING, WATERPROOFS, CORRECT FOOTWEAR, GARDENING GLOVES AND SNACKS FOR THESE COOLER MONTHS.

If you have any queries or would like to:
• enrol your child in a session
• help to build new resources
• donate materials
• share a traditional skill or craft with the group
please call Jayne on 07984655688 or email jaynewheatley2001@hotmail.com