Mama Beech

At the risk of sounding even older than I actually am "We have way more storms than we uses to"! Which may or may not be statistically true, but definitely a lot more have impacted our Forest School since 2021 than before. (Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning!) Often, these charge in overnight or at weekends leaving me tip-toeing onto site to see what damage has been done. Frequently they gather pace at 4pm leaving the school day clear for sessions, and sometimes, the gods are smiling and they blow themselves out in the morning before the first class is due on site! They always make their mark though. Torn parachutes, flapping tarps, tree debris everywhere, litter blown in, on one occasion a 6ft trampolines rolling across the school. Field... There's the risk assessment required to ensure the site is fit for use, and damage to manage or remove. We're never totally unscathed! Sitting on a plateau at the edge of the South Downs doesn't help. The wind rush...

It's THAT time of year. We have 4 weeks of Term 2 left and school is getting busier than ever. Carrier bags of tinsel and costumes are appearing, the Hall has been timetabled for rehearsals, and the children are already chattering about Christmas gifts. It's THAT time of year. Coughs, colds, and fevers are doing the rounds. Children are sneezing everywhere, staff have constant headaches, and the boxes of tissues in the classrooms deplete in a day. It's THAT time of year. Gluesticks and glitter. Christmas meals marked on calendars. School disco preparations. Shopping to do after work. Evenings out. Juggling dates. Watching time gather speed... It's THAT time of year.  Hectic. At basecamp it's different. The rain beats rhythms on the canopy, smoke curls in patterns, the birds twitter away above, we sit as we always sit making sure everyone is mindful of being safe, of keeping others safe, and of exploring exactly what and where they wish.  We have the opportunities to...

Today the weather decided to remind us that although part of Cornwall, the Scillys are very much sitting in the Atlantic Ocean! Dawn was calm and, as usual, stunning... When we reached Forest School, the wind was behaving this morning and we started the session as usual, but it didn't take long for the drizzle to arrive.  We had the 3 to 8 age group back today, some had been on Wednesday, others hadn't. They settled in quickly and ignored the rain. The wind decided to pick up a little but luckily never really amounted to much as the day went on. I've decided Chartham needs some hefty ropes and nets! They make brilliant swings and we have the trees to cope with it!  We managed to keep the campfire lit all day, the children had hot chocolate and made bread over the fire (eaten with honey) and even squeezed in a marshmallow (of course), and the day whizzed by... Despite the damp and sometimes outright wet environment, the children ignored it all and just got on with exploring,...

Amongst Forest School Leaders and Outdoor Practitioners, there is always a conversation going on somewhere regarding clothing. What is the most durable?  The most value for money?  The warmest?  The most waterproof?  The BEST!? A lot of this will boil down to preference, and I think we all muddle through with a mix of new and old, top-class and trusted items that we know work for us! But when it comes to children it's a different matter. If we're supplying overalls we want the most hard-wearing clothing, capable of sliding down muddle banks without ripping and totally waterproof to protect whatever is underneath... and that comes at a price, especially when you need to buy in bulk. Usually, there is a compromise somewhere, maybe not the most expensive range but a mid-price version we hope will last a few years. Sometimes the remit to provide suitable attire will fall on parents and carers. This is something many will have considered before signing up to a Forest Scho...

I love a Snow Day. By that I don't mean a day off work because the commute has become epic, I mean a day outside in, or after, a decent snowfall!  It's not something that happens too often in South East England, and when it does it rarely lasts, so when the temperature dropped at the weekend it was exciting! Sunday is not a Forest School day - or a School day for that matter, but it was a busy day for children as they ventured out into the snow that had fallen overnight, and was still falling! There was a lot of fun had by all. Children and their families were out with a sled, or a tray, or anything they could find that would slide down a slope!  People finally saw their wider communities, socially distanced, but in the same parks, on the same commons, doing the same things, side by side in shared celebration of snow!  Children who have spent much of this term stuck in front of a screen were outside from 9am until the sun went down. Outside in the fresh air. Outside ...

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...