Forest School

Our Forest School

Forest School aims to encourage, motivate, engage and inspire children through positive outdoor experiences. These experiences help to support children’s health, development and well-being and a means through which they experiment, develop their abilities, get creative and explore the world around them.  Also, it enables children to explore and create rules and understandings, develop resilience, be active, be creative and imaginative, practice new skills, learn about risks, stimulate their senses and build friendships and relationships.

Forest School at St Mark’s was established in 2017 on the school playing field which is leased from the St Mark’s church. A seating area and fire pit were created along with posts being inserted so a canopy can be erected. The site is accessible from the main school through a padlocked gate, which all staff members have a key to.

The Forest School at St Mark’s is run by a qualified Forest School Leader, Miss Amelia Blundell, and supported by other members of staff/volunteers. The Forest School is covered by the school’s Public Liability and Employer’s Liability Insurance Policy:

Insurer: Zurich Municipal

Policy No: QLA-07AA01-0053

Renewal Date: 31 May 2023

Limit of indemnity: £50,000,000

Our Forest School Rules

The children in all classes and year groups help to decide the rules of Forest School. The rules are particularly important as they help us to stay safe, whilst also allowing us to have fun; our favourite rule! We begin with these every session to remind ourselves how we stay safe and how we can best look after each other and our outdoor areas. As the weeks progress, all of the children become more familiar with the things we can do to keep safe and how we can enjoy nature but simultaneously care for it. The children become so confident with the rules, that after just a few weeks of Forest School sessions they can lead the rule reminders each week with little support from adults- This demonstrates a great understanding of their knowledge.

Forest School- Autumn 2022

Autumn 2 Term- Class One

This half term in Class One Forest School we have been thinking about Remembrance by making clay poppies, exploring our outdoor area, exploring the changing seasons, helping the animals and having lots of fun. 
 

Class Two

We have been practicing another new skill of safely and effectively using a screwdriver to screw a screw into the pumpkin, to help develop this skill and build up confidence.  

Class One

This week we have been learning how to use a new tool; a screwdriver. We practiced screwing the screws into a pumpkin to help us develop this skill and continuing building our fine and gross motor skills. 

Class Two

We have been using a new tool to build up our knowledge of how to use tools and how to use them safely. Using the palm drill, building up our fine and gross motor skills as well as resilience, we have made a variety of creations such as decorations, conker caterpillars and bracelets.  

Class One

We have been adding some flowers to our outdoor area, as well as some springs bulbs and seeds. We talked all about how the bulbs will grow and how we can look after them. We looked at the structure of the bulbs and how the roots will stay in the soil and the stem will grow up out of the soil to create the plant. We are very excited for them to grow in the Spring! 

Class Two

This half term in Forest School we have spent time exploring our outdoor area and appreciating how lucky we are to have this space. Den building has been one of our favourite activities, and we have worked in teams to build some brilliant shelters, which we have then used in our imaginative play, including the mud kitchen. 

We have learnt a new skill of Nordic braiding, where we use our trees and a partner to create bracelets. This required lots of team work and good communication skills, to achieve this, as well as building our fine and gross motor skills. We have also been creative, making different decorations and God's eyes and using our imaginations. 

Class One

This week in Forest School we have been exploring and investigating some of the bugs and insects that live in our outdoor area. We used our communication skills to work alongside our friends to learn more about our environment and about God’s creatures.  

Class One

This week as a class we learnt how to put up a den, and we used good listening and helping skills to do this. We then had lots of fun playing in our den and using our imagination in our play. 

Class One

This week in Class One Forest School we have been learning how to use a new tool; a palm drill. The children have been using the drill, helping their fine and gross motor skills, to create conker caterpillars. 

Class One

This week we have been using our construction skills to build dens with our friends, using fantastic teamwork and communication skills. As this is one of our first times outside in the outdoor area for forest school we spent some time exploring the area and looking at the different bugs that live there. We talked as a group about what things we need to remember when outside; how to stay safe and how to look after our environment. 

Forest School- Summer 2022

Class One

This half term in Class One Forest School we have been enjoying lots of sunny weather which has been beautiful to play outside in. We have been making bracelets using a nordic braiding technique which has helped with our coordination, fine motor skills and team work skills. Also, we have been enjoying using the sand area with our friends and talking about how it feels and how we transport it. To continue discovering the world around us we have used the mud kitchen to create cakes, pies, soups and many other creative items. Mud paint, has also been a favourite, which we have used to write and paint with which has helped us to practice our phonics and spelling. Whilst digging up the mud, which has supported the development of our motor skills, we have learnt about a range of different insects; our favourite definitely have to be worms. Completing one of our rules, which is to care for the nature around us, some of the children took to making homes for the insects we found. We considered the things that they would like and might need to survive.

Playing games with others and using our imaginations are one of our favourite activities too. The children have been able to develop their communication and listening skills, as well as their language skills, to successfully communicate with their friends. Den-building has additionally helped us practice these skills and we have worked very hard collaboratively to create some very exciting dens for our games. 

Particularly in the warmer weather we enjoyed lots of water play including puddle jumping, watering plants, playing with the bubbles, catching the water at the end of a pipe, as well as attempting to see if we can stop the water going down the pipe creating a dam wall. 

As our skills developed, we also used some tools for some creations, our favourite being the potato peeler for whittling. 

Year Six

This half term has been filled with lots of sunshine on our last Forest School sessions together. We have enjoyed many activities including making bracelets using the 'Nordic Braiding' technique which required us to work collaboratively in pairs, helping us to continue to develop our communication and team work skills. Some children even made loads of bracelets to give to their friends and family, while some planned to set up a small business selling the bracelets. We enjoyed making and creating so much that the children then went on to make other things using the wool such as God's eyes. 

Den-building was another favourite activity, using the knots we had learnt and also to provide us with some shade with the sunny weather. The children then used these in their imaginative and creative play, along with making use of the mud kitchen to make mud creations like mud cakes and mud pies. 

Some had a go at using a new tool- a palm drill- which helps improve motor skills and build strength as well as support the development of resilience and self-esteem. 

With the theme of the Queen's Jubilee, we designed nature crowns using many of the flowers and plants we had found outside. 

We enjoyed fire lighting and cooking pizzas, which was lovely to share together. The children helped to fuel the fire and checked carefully on the pizzas to make sure they were cooked. 

Forest School- Spring 2022

Class One

Over the last few weeks in Class One Forest School we have been enjoying lots of our favourite activities. The children have been role playing in the mud kitchen making lots of lovely creations, as well as enjoying water play discovering how the water moves and also watering the plants in our outdoor area. We enjoyed creating trails with the planks, crates and tyres which supported the development of gross motor skills, and then continued to practice these skills by having a go at some tree-climbing on the bigger trees. This required lots of resilience but we did not give up! We enjoyed using the parachute as a class and this helped develop team-work, communication and language skills, along with listening skills- we also had lots of fun and laughter! 

We love being creative so we created some twig and wool stars to hang off the tree, whilst we thought about our dreams, while this week we thought about all the things we love and are thankful for, creating a Hapa Zome heart using natural dyes from flowers and leaves. 

Year 5

Over the last few weeks the Year 5s have been using a variety of different tools in order to development new skills and practice existing ones. Firstly we began with learning how to use a billhook and a saw before continuing to practice out whittling skills. Some of the children helped to lead the rules by sharing them in a song which demonstrated a strong understanding of their knowledge of how to keep safe and have fun. We then had a go at making play dough before creating some bug hotels using twigs. This took a lot of resilience as it did not always work the first time. With the left over play dough we created forest faces on the trees, channelling our creativity. Using the saw required a considerable of resilience and although the children found this difficult they did not give up and self-esteem was built. Continuing to practice our skill of whittling, which the children are becoming much more confident with, they have begun to whittle Anglo-Saxon necklaces linked to their next topic. We will continue these next week, engraving their initial from the Anglo-Saxon rune alphabet. 

​​​​​​​As well as developing skills the children have engaged in lots of their own play including becoming more confident in tree-climbing and partaking in lots of imaginative play. Digging for clay has definitely been a highlight- essential for mindfulness and the building of motor skills. 

Year 5

Over the last few weeks, the year 5s have been learning how to use the flint and steel and using this skill to lit cotton wool. We had an exciting competition to see who could do this in the least amount of strikes and the children were very motivated to perfect this skill. This has supported the development of perseverance and self-esteem.

The children have also been learning how to use a new tool, a billhook, to create a mallet. Although the children were unsure as to whether they could successfully use this tool, they grew in confidence and were proud of their achievements. Many other activities such as digging to find clay and stones, den-building, tree climbing and bird spotting where enjoyed and were good skills to practice supporting fine and gross motor skills, memory and concentration.  

Year 3 & 4

Over the last few weeks the Year 3 and 4s have been learning how to use the flint and steel to light fires, how to successfully create and maintain a fire. The children enjoyed toasting on the fire and enjoyed some exciting circle times with their friends. We enjoyed many team games to help improve communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team and learning essential life lessons such as winning and losing and how to deal effectively with those emotions. 

The children built many shelters and used them as part of their imaginative play, as well as enjoying time in the mud kitchen using their creativity.

Monday 7th March- Year 5

The weather was kind to us today and allowed us to have a try at some fire lighting. We talked about the three elements need to create a fire; fuel, heat/spark and oxygen before the children went off to collect fire wood and prepare the kindling, using a whittling knife and mallet. Using the flint and steel, the Year 5s practiced creating a spark and then once they mastered the technique had a go at setting a piece of cotton wool on fire. The children were really proud of themselves and this activity was brilliant for building up self-esteem and develop resilience. We then enjoyed toasting marshmallows on the fire and making s'mores. 

Whilst some of the children were helping with the fire some others continued to practice their den building with the knot we had learnt last session, whilst some other children enjoyed spending time digging, discovering some clay in the soil, supporting their fine and gross motor skills.

Friday 4th March 2022- Year 5

This week the children in Year 5 enjoyed their first Forest School session of this half term. We started off having an explore of the site considering the rules that we might need to remember whilst out at Forest School to keep us safe. Climbing trees and den building were favourites, and the Year 5's had a go at working in teams to create their dens using a knot that they were taught to make their shelter more secure and robust. This activity allowed them to work in teams, improving communication skills and their ability to work well with others. Attempting the knot required them to use their memories and then apply what they had learnt with great concentration. It was discovered that we could use natural resources including sticks as pegs in our shelters. Some of the children's shelters became 'houses', whilst some became 'medical tents' which they then used in their imaginative play. 

Wednesday 2nd March- Year 2 & 3

This week in Forest School with the Year 2s and 3s the weather decided to turn dull, however the rain did not dull our spirits and we had lots of fun. We enjoyed some yoga, pretending to be lots of things that we love about nature, such as pretending to be trees and swaying in the wind. This activity helped us to feel calm and allowed us to spend some time resting in nature, relaxing our minds and bodies and being grateful for the beautiful area we get to spend time in. Sometimes in the chaos of life we forget to look up and around at the nature that surrounds us, and the children discovered some new things that they had not noticed before whilst being outside. We found a few bird nests up in the trees and even made some creative observations, which will support creativity in writing, such as suggesting that 'the pine cones attached to the trees look like small, camouflaged birds'. After this activity, some children chose to continue listening and relaxing in nature, fantastic to support mental health and bringing calmness to them, whilst others chose to continue exploring and using imaginative play. The children even tried to create a kite using the tarpaulin sheet that was blowing in the wind, encouraging the children to explore the weather and elements.

Wednesday 9th February- Year 2 & 3

In Forest School this week, we have been talking about fires, what we need to light them and how to do this activity safely. The children enjoyed helping to fuel the fire, talking about what is best to fuel and even created some imaginary fires in their creative, imaginative play. Whilst the fire roared and the chocolate filled bananas toasted away, the children enjoyed time in the mud kitchen, climbing trees and playing games together- helping to improve communication and language skills, the ability to work in a team, creativity which supports curriculum areas and gross and fine motor skills. To finish our session, the Year 2s and 3s enjoyed sitting around the warmth of the fire and demolished their melted chocolate and toasted banana whilst chatting with their friends. 

Monday 7th February 2022- Year 6

This week was the final week of Forest School for the Year 6s this half term. Their creativity brought this weeks 'Pine Cone olympics' where the children worked as a team to design and set up the sporting events, created trophies and signs and then took part, some as contestants and some as hosts and judges. All of the children demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship and encouraged their friends. The event ended with a lovely ceremony where trophies and pine cones were presented for different achievements, such as the 'Kindness award' and 'Greatest effort award'. 

Wednesday 2nd February 2022- Year 2 & 3

This week the Year 2s and 3s were practicing using a tool safely to create pieces of art; Hapa Zome art. The children placed down flowers and safely used the hammer to hit the flowers. We learnt how the colours transferred from the petals, leaves and stems onto the material. Once we had created these we turned them into some flags, perfect for the windy weather and imaginative play. Meanwhile, some of the children choose to climb trees, make creations in the mud kitchen, search for bugs and create dens.