Mama Beech

Oh my goodness, what a week! We celebrated Save Our Wild Isle Week in so many different ways! In school we were OUT of school, not only taking lessons outside into the great outdoors, such as celebrating the Festival of Holi on the field, but we took opportunities to delve into the nature at Chartham. Classes came outside to explore their immediate environment by doing Tree Surveys (identifying them, measuring them, and getting to know them), some planting, and getting know the wildlife on the grounds. Our regular black & white visitor kept us entertained on the Wildlife Camera Trap... and we learned some interesting things from the pictures... And we deepened the children's understanding of nature INDOORS with eggs to nurture. We're the first to agree that chickens are not wildlife! However, learning to care for all living creatures is essential to dragging the wildlife crisis in the UK back to some semblance of sustainable. In many ways Forest School took a back seat and

Many of you will have watched the David Attenborough TV series Wild Isle . A beautiful in-depth exploration of the British Isles and its surrounding seas. It made it clear that the wildlife, ecological balance, and therefore the life led on these islands is facing decimation. Within the school curriculum there are pockets of learning regarding ecosystems, flora, fauna, pollution, and sustainability, which aim to explain what they all are before the class move on to the next subject. However, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and with the current predictions perhaps these lessons need to be a constant.  In Forest School we provide the opportunity for that theory to be seen in practice, week in and week out. Children are exploring and observing the natural world, encountering wildlife, watching life cycles and food chains play out, experiencing season changes, and are encouraged to support and preserve the environment they are in. Sadly, for most children

It's been half term week. Five days of catching up with friends and catching up on chores!  It was also an opportunity to contemplate Term 6, the final run up to the end of the school year. It's a hectic time in the school calendar. Trips, plays, report writing. The winding down of a years work and the beginnings of prepping for next year. Plus the goodbyes to those moving on to new schools. Year 6 will head off to Secondary School having had almost 4 years of Forest School, and for the most part, that was weekly! Any and all benefits of the last few years are anecdotal, It's difficult to 'prove' the worth of any extra curricular education. We don't provide sessions for one year group class and not the other, allowing a neutral sample! We can only build on what the children say and the observations by ourselves and their teachers, and we ALL continue to see it as a positive influence on children's wellbeing and learning. I have rambled on in the past about h