This week a new group of forest schoolers enjoyed exploring the woodland. As we arrived, we were met by some workmen who were repairing the paths and stairs in our forest. We looked at the wood which they were removing and were shocked to see how rotten it was but were happy it was being replaced. Today was the day to see squirrels and there was a lot of them about. We observed them playing together in the trees and running along the ground. They looked like they were having so much fun!

We decided to go for a walk and explore the forest however the children were torn between whether to head up or down the path. We decided we needed a vote. The children who wanted to walk up the path stood together whilst the children who wanted to walk down stood together. We then counted them. Four children to go down and eight children to go up. Up the path it was! As we walked on, the children found a whole array of magical things. One child found a tree which looked like it had hundreds of caterpillars hanging from it (catkins) and another found the most beautiful leaf in the shape of a heart as well as pinecones, nuts and seeds. We walked all the way to the orange river which the children are always intrigued by. We talked about what colour the water was. Some children thought it was orange whilst others thought it was white or ‘see-through’. We chatted about why the river looked orange and the children were amazed to find that it was the leaves and branches which were actually orange and not the water!

For lunch we sat on the steps on the top of one of our very high hills and watched the world go by. We kept a close eye on the small meadow below us just in case a deer decided to wander past. After lunch we engaged in some floating and sinking activities before heading back to nursery. The children estimated which of our resources would sink and which would float. We love engaging in experiments at forest school!