Mama Beech

Firstly, the outdoor classroom is almost complete. Hand built literally from green wood. Trunks stripped and carved into peg & hole joints to create the roof, others sawn into planks to make roof slats. It's been amazing watching the progress and the children have been in awe of it's creation! Even the benches to sit on are rustic and hand made... 😍 Then there's the usual construction going on in Forest School as Year 4 make their own dens using whatever they can find And finally there's the unusual and exciting prospect of Level 3 Forest School Training taking place on our grounds in April!  CANCELLED DUE TO COVID 😢 Anyone interested in doing training with the renowned Forest School Learning Initiative in Canterbury, Kent needs to check out their website FSLI.co.uk and book themselves on to the course!  HOPEFULLY WE WILL RESCHEDULE IN 2021 I promise you will get to see the amazing roundhouse complete, and p...

We are swapping one of our parachute canopies for a wooden structure! A hand-built, round, base with a stunning roof to cover the fire pit, benches to seat an entire class and a table to set down whatever work teachers wish to do in our developing Wildlife Garden! We are ridiculously excited to have an outdoor classroom that the whole school can use and the opportunities for outdoor learning it will extend are endless. In the daily routine of Outdoor Learning and Forest School meanwhile, Year 1 were the first to explore the fallen tree and swarmed all over it! They also liked using pestle and mortars to crush berries from the climbing ivy and smell how sweet they are. The Garden Gang started planting vegetable seeds and some complimentary plants attract pests away from the veg! They helped to create a garden nursery outside the poly tunnel to allow a safe outside area for the seedlings when they need it, by deciding the shape of the area we enclosed wit...

T he easing into the new year is over! Our RHS School Challenge zipped past level 1 and 2 since term started because we have raised beds and a poly tunnel to utilise - the children are excited! We have a knowledgeable volunteer and a dedicated teacher eager to expand it's use and some equipment to repurpose! Meanwhile Storm Brendan hit Kent and brought down an old Elder Tree and took up a lot of time managing the crown which was now a tangle of twigs at face level! Now it's prone the children can still climb all over it, and the tree surgeon will look it over next week to see what is salvagable! Some roots are still earth bound so it may survive, plus a fallen trunk provides a home for huge numbers of minibeasts, and any bough that need removing can be repurposed in Forest School! The vehicle built by Year 5 is now attached to the Bug Tower to create what they call 'The Buggy'! A great storytelling prompt alongside a lot of very real insects! ...

It's amazing that we are already a third of the way through the school year!  Our RSPB Wild Challenge team have earned a Bronze Award! Our Woodland Trust Champions have also earned a Bronze Award! Our Junior Foresters are half way to their certificate and our Tree Champions are starting on their RFS Certificate. And a new Garden Group are hoping to earn a few levels in the RHS School Gardening Awards! And that is on top of Forest School and all the outdoor learning the classes have planned in for this term! We have achieved a lot - but there's lots more to do! 2020 will see the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch, and the delivery of new trees from the Woodland Trust to plant. Two groups need to complete their Junior Forester Certificate, we hope to get Silver and then Gold with the RSPB Wild Challenge, AND we'd love to end the year looking forward to some Platinum Challenges with the Woodland Trust in September!  We have also only just started on ou...