Busy! Busy! Busy!


Apologies for the lack of blog this weekend just gone. I usually aim to do it on a Friday afternoon - and it sometimes spills into the weekend, but lately, time has been running away from me!

With the last of Summer fading away any sunny day feels like it needs grabbing! My weekends are full of housework, laundry, errands, and chores, and when the sun shines the opportunity to ignore it all is very tempting. Of course, it doesn't actually go anywhere, but ignorance is bliss so I spent Sunday at a Flower Farm and have been playing catch up with the hoover and washing machine ever since!

Meanwhile, although the new school year doesn't feel very new anymore, there are still a lot of changes and rearranges to accommodate.

Forest School is always a work in progress, so developing sites and practice while getting to know new children means a lot of reworking. My two colleagues new to Forest School know the school well but don't know the classes in Forest School, this is a learning curve for them also, discovering the dynamic out of the classroom and each child's interests. I at least had sessions with them all last year so it feels like a continuation. For the other Forest School Leaders at Chartham, it's a bit of a challenge! One they are embracing, but another aspect that throws up the odd issue we need to add to our agenda of strategies, communications, and planning!

All in all, I have no idea how we have passed the Equinox and are hurtling towards October! The established children are happy and eager in Forest School with me and enjoying the new settings if they are on our other sites. Children new to the school need a little orienteering, there are a few language barriers, and staff new to the school may never have assisted in Forest School before! It's fun, but it's not yet routine for all!

Hopefully, when things are more settled (after Half Term) we can start up our volunteer register and increase our ratios and offer more activities. 


I have no idea how good the uptake will be for this. I know some parents have expressed an interest in helping out in Forest School, but life does get in the way of free time and they may find it difficult to commit to a weekly session.
It is a really good way for people who want a taster of Forest School before training to see how we deliver it. There are also people who just want something to do on a Monday afternoon...

So sorting out the nuts and bolts before we open the register is another admin job I am happy to do, but takes up my time away from Basecamp.

These are all of course - excuses! Because amongst 100-mile round trips to see my Mum, flower picking with my sister, Forest School Meeting (with wine and pizza at a restaurant!), I have had my fair share of recharging! Quiet time with a book and increasingly late starts to the day - hiding under the duvet while it's dark and cold outside!

This coming week/weekend I have a Student FSL to assess at their site (and the paperwork that brings) as well as a visitor for the day (the up side to living by the sea!) and a motorway closure to negotiate on my 100-mile round trip to see my Mum! So time is going to be short even if I have nothing to do except the 'usual' Forest School Planning, Preparation, and Assessment!

So apologies in advance!

However, if you have any views on the idea of a Volunteer Register, if you use volunteers yourself, have a register, would like to volunteer somewhere, think the idea is fraught with possible pitfalls... please let me know! Either respond to whichever post you saw this on, or message on this here blog!



Happy Autumn Peeps!




 

Location: Canterbury, UK

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