Mama Beech

Dear Santa, for Christmas please may I have a mini JCB digger because my back, hands, and for some reason my elbows, hurt from digging holes to plant Fruit Trees in!  And if Santa can throw in some new trowels and garden forks it would be much appreciated as our rocky ground has literally broken 5 tools this month! Our site is more flint than soil it seems, so even with the help of the children it's a nigh on impossible task!  Having spent most of this term planting 400 Woodland Trust Trees you'd imagine we were at least used to forging these holes in our challenging site! However the fruit trees are a lot bigger 'baby trees' and need substantial space to bed in. As it is we're running out of Term and they need to be settled into their spaces before school closes till January. In between digging for England there was the small matter of Forest School Celebration Week. We always end the term with a week of campfires and treats. This Term it celebrates the previous ex...

At the risk of repeating myself - Forest School is only one part of outdoor learning. Currently we're running 'Forest School Lite'. The Forest School Leader is running the sessions, but it's not Forest School format, or Forest School length... So is it Forest School? Probably in the strict definition of things it isn't. The children have a 90 minute time slot allocated to each class, but due to staggered starts and finishes, lunches and breaks, and movable timetables, some classes spend just over an hour outside.  So we are firmly in the realms of outdoor learning sessions, however we try to follow as much of Forest School routine as we can in preparation for the start of full sessions in future Terms. The bonus of this format is that 3 sessions can be fitted into one day, and across four days twelve classes get to venture outside and begin to explore the area with Forest School rules and ethos and freedom.  In our particular setting we can also rotate use of differ...

Getting Both Outdoor Learning and Forest School ready for the next few months when the days shorten and the weather turns cold is a busy time. Getting the actual spaces ready as well as the activities is a juggle, fitting in the prep and planning around actually taking the children for sessions is almost impossible! A lot of thinking on your feet is required! And involving the children is a given. The Wildlife Garden is by no means ready but the bare bones of what is needed is in place to build on. This was achieved by two weeks of 3 Forest School sessions a day for four days each week, including all classes from Year 1 to Year 6, and laying the foundations of how the area needs to be looked after. The children also joined in the maintenance and improvements to the area. A sudden 'Indian Summer' sent the temperature up and the sunshine out and the children's enthusiasm blossomed.  Obviously, after both a six week Summer break for some, and a 5 month break from school from p...

In the last month the children have engaged and smiled through all kinds of aspects of being outdoors. Much of it with their teachers and some of it with the Forest School Leader. With over 100 children from Reception to Year 6 it has been a challenge to keep up Forest School as a broad scope for exploration and learning.  Squeezing 12 sessions into a four day week leaves little time for changing activity-starters, and no time for planning!  Switching from the mindset of instructing   10 year olds' on  building a safe structure, straight into Early Years mode with no break in between can make your head spin! The change of pace and needs required can alter drastically depending on the range and experience of the children involved, and this swap 3 or 4 times a day can be demanding! The school staff, teachers and TAs who have joined in to ensure safe numbers have all adapted too. Many had never been to a Forest School Session before this term and were learning alo...