Forest school club 24th 25th May

For the last week before the half-term break the children have been cooking. Some decided to make mini pizzas and others wrapped bread dough around a willow stick and cooked it on the open fire. They were shown how to make props from forked sticks, to support their bread dough sticks at the right height over the fire

Now that the days are warm we will not be lighting a fire every session. This will save the firewood for the cooler months, when a fire will be much appreciated. It is important that we think about how to use the site’s limited woodland resources sustainably. However, the last session for each group at the end of each half term will always be a cooking day, so the children will still be able to enjoy fireside activities in the summer.

The first saw horse has been constructed for us. Thank you to all the parents who help with the making, mending, planting and tidying. The Wednesday group watched a demonstration of how to use the saw and sawhorse correctly (sawing is an activity that is always carried out with supervision) and in the next half of this term both groups will have the opportunity to learn how to safely cut firewood and saw branches to length for crafts and den building.

Some Wednesday group members found a large number of wood lice in a rotten log, and a very large stag beetle. Their finds were shown to the group, and then the insects were returned to where they were found.

On Thursday we were given some bean plants that had been grown from seed in a class activity. We also had some more seed potatoes donated. We are looking forward, later in the year, to cooking our potato crop in the hot embers of the fire.

Things we need for the forest (please): Any unwanted rope, cord, string, wool etc. (for den building, knot tying practice and crafts).

If you have any queries or would like to:
• enrol your child in a session
• help to build new resources
• share a traditional skill or craft with the group

please call Jayne on 07984655688 Or email jaynewheatley2001@hotmail.com