This week at forest school the weather was beautiful. As we arrived and headed down the bank, the children spotted lots of different colours littering the forest floor. Numerous colourful flowers have begun to bloom. The children used their sharp eyes to see how many colours they could spot. We spotted yellow, white and blue flowers as well as lots of interesting leaves and plants.
We had a very special surprise visit from Jessie, Lisa’s dog as she was going for a walk in the sunshine around the burn. We gave her a gentle stroke and even had a few kisses in return.
The children demonstrated their skills in negotiation as they decided between themselves the plan of the day. Would it be a lovely walk in the sunshine or visit a little stream and explore the local surroundings. With a 7:5 vote, the plan for the day was to explore the stream. Once we got to the stream the children helped to create a site by laying down the tarp ready for picnic lunch. When our site was ready we safely stored the trolley and headed along the stream to see if we could stop the ducks. Unfortunately we didn’t see the ducks today however the children did use their sharp eyes to spot many strange and unusual footprints. This encouraged the children to share rich and meaningful conversations and also delving deep into their imagination. Some thought the prints could be from a dog but others looked closely deciding it may have been a tiger who was prowling in the woods looking for some food and a place to stay. One idea was that the tiger was camouflaged and hiding in the nearby ferns or stream. Others thought the prints could be from some deer or a horses hoof. This encouraged the children to look around the nearby ground and they soon spotted more footprints. We began to wonder if the deer had been jumping over the stream to find food and water.
After lunch some children decided to explore the stream by removing their socks and shoes and venturing out into the cold water. One by one the children became more confident as they explored into the water. Some children enjoyed walking all around the stream, while others stayed at the sand area splashing with their peers. Some children stayed dry on the sand and chose to use their fingers and sticks to create numbers and shapes.
It was a great afternoon exploring the stream and engaging in rich conversations, the children decided next week at forest school they would like to come back to the stream and do engage in some “swimming”. Next week we plan to be more prepared by taking towels, swimming clothes and swim shoes ready for a fun, wet day. Let’s hope this beautiful spring weather continues.
