Mama Beech

💓💓💓It does verge on an obsession! 💓 💓 💓 Trees are one of our favourite things. Who doesn't enjoy Forest Bathing ?! Or marvel at how trees can create their own weather ?!?! Or the brilliance of their communication skills... The Wood Wide Web ?! Mama Beech is eternally grateful that we're all smitten!! Twice a year, every year, the Woodland Trust makes trees available to schools, community groups, charities etc. If you have some space - even if it means you will grow them in containers - you can apply for FREE trees. These can be planted in the hope of strong tall saplings in a few years time, or as a hedgerow to encourage wildlife. You can choose trees for your purpose, and their website offers great advice on what will work best for your space and circumstances. We have an awful lot of space. In March we ensured every class had the opportunity to plant 10 trees, and also created a couple of new hedges to grow into maturity over the next decade. We were lucky enough to a...

It has taken me weeks to find a way to put this online! In the end I did a screen shot of the PDF so I don't know how well it will enlarge now it is a jpeg - but it does mean it is visible to all After hundreds of requests for it! It is very site specific but we aren't the only site facing these issues I hope it helps! If you think of something that needs adding - tell us in the comment section!  

There are so many ways to develop learning outside. Certainly there is a marked different between taking whatever you plan to do inside out, and outdoor learning which utilises the space and environment specifically. But both have a place in the school curriculum. Forest School is one part of learning outdoors, it's pretty well known, and requires training. After that CPD isn't always straight forward or cheap! I have learned over the years that sharing good practice, online and in person is the easiest way to find good ideas, but now and then I also stumble across an event or course which potentially adds something into how Forest School is provided. For instance local walks and talks, in woodland or parks these are often free, or come  with a small fee, and allow you to go on something like a 'Tree Identification' wander with like minded people. Sometimes this just reinforces your confidence, often it throws up a nugget of information you never knew! Online, the Open ...

This month's weather has been the kind I like, as long as I don't have to work! So being a term time Forest School has it's benefits because I can kick back and enjoy the heat!  The sun has been out almost permanently, and on the rare occasion when cloud cover has has arrived, the temperature has dipped - just a little. Storms have been promised, and have raged around the country, in places causing havoc, but no rain evident for Mama Beech ... yet. This is the problem with term time only Forest School: The constant wondering if the newly planted willow is curling up and dying, if the pond is ridiculously low, or if the Woodland Trust baby trees are coping with the heat... Next week I will have the opportunity to go in and check everything over. I live 50 miles away from the site so I have no idea what I will find! This may well be a damage control visit rather than any kind of development planning! And if the storms come between now and then the ravages of a deluge or fou...

Since the School year ended I've managed to visit a couple of friends around the country and get some walking in across five different counties.  It's amazing how often it means I stumble across possibilities for Outdoor Learning in some unusual places! Outdoors remains a safer environment than inside. Events and attractions and just the great outdoors remains a good place to explore - and the need for it when School starts in September grows. Many schools are heading back into classes of 30 with new guidelines and baited breath. Many parents are still awaiting some kind of sign that their child will be a) safe, and b) unlikely to bring a virus home. The reputation of the weeks between a new school year dawning and the Christmas break as one full of colds and possible flu etc doesn't inspire confidence.  So, outside air will circulate quickly and disperse most of the virus if it's in the air, plus UV light will diminish it's power, stepping outside the building make...