Mama Beech

At the end of the 6/7/8 sessions of Forest School a class does, we celebrate the finish or our F.Sch.Experience with a campfire and toasting marshmallows.  During the weeks before we have learned to observe a 'Basecamp Rule' that ensures the children are aware of the space where the campfire will be lit. Even if there is no firepit at basecamp we respect the area it will be (with younger classes the placing of a tyre in the same spot helps) and walk around it carefully. The children who have never done Forest School before have heard rumour of Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows from siblings and friends, and they constantly whisper about it from day one! We make it clear that a campfire is a dangerous thing, the potential for harm is discussed briefly each week, and the understanding that we have to trust the children to listen well and NOT venture into the basecamp space is reiterated at every session. Quickly the class will police each other, reminding peers to a...

Mama Beech is gaining her colourful coat for the Autumn months, and the floor is a gallery of colour and texture.  The children are amazed at the colours they can find. AND the life cycle of a leaf. We found a skeleton leaf today and the children couldn't believe how delicate           or pretty it was. The outdoor learning aspect of our glorious grounds is beginning to emerge as classes venture out to collect 'signs of Autumn'. The return of the 'Nature Table' to classrooms, or at least to a communal area is something schools need to think about.  We assume children see nature and experience it all the time, via a garden or urban park or near their more rural home. The reality is that many children arrive to school by car, or bus, and hardly step foot in the great outdoors. Lot's see a football pitch, or swings, or a bike trail at the weekend, but not all, and these activities don...

The purpose of Forest School is to engage in Nature. It doesn't necessarily mean having a task or a plan, we follow the children's interests and build on those. Often if you explain that the outdoor area would benefit from a Bug House, or how useful a Bird Box or two could be, the children are eager to help. However, in order to really enjoy nature you need to immerse yourself in it, get to grips with bark and boughs, enjoy the breeze on your face, learn to respect the outdoors and find what it is about you as an individual loves... For Year 3 this most definitely climbing trees! The higher the better It does cause a minor heart flutter at times, but like anything in life there are parameters to be met to keep you as safe as possible.  Our basic tree climbing rules are: Tell an adult if you are going to climb so they can watch  Look up and plan a route look down and know at each stage how you intend to get back down before you climb, wrap your hand around your ...

The Year 3 Forest School Group wanted to help with the Wildlife Area, so they thought about how they could encourage birds into the 'garden'. The felt that an abundance of bugs would probably be a big draw, but also wanted to offer an alternative to watching the birds eat all the Minibeasts the Bug House could attract! So - and we are so proud of them for doing this - 2 of the group went home for the weekend and looked at bird boxes they have in their own garden, using these as a template they worked hard with family members to have bird boxes from scrap wood, and they brought them into school to use in the Wildlife area. So we now have two bird boxes, and two bird feeders. We also cut back the overgrown whips on the willow tunnel by our raised beds and planted it to create a square. When it grows it will fill out and the perfect 'hide' for watching the birds - and as we soaked it first - it grew shoots in a week!

The wildlife Garden needs quite a bit of taming one way or another. Despite a lot of it being left to nature the shallow soil and occasional class visit has done little to encourage wildlife into the area. So the Year 4 Forest School Group decided they would like to help build a 'Bug House'. The prep work - lugging large pallets was not their remit - but after that, the design was mainly theirs. The children enjoyed finding things to go in the drawers that we added: feathers and charcoal and pine cones etc. We also downloaded and laminated some information sheets from the Woodland Trust. We aren't keen on adding plastic to the environment but for now it's the only way we can prolong the life of information we want readily available. There are alternatives, and hopefully further along this rewilding journey we can fundraise to supply a more ecologically sound way to display information. We will add to the structure as time goes on. The children had lots of...

Our pond is a bonus for any school to have. It's a good size, it's a good depth, but it's concrete all around and not very nature friendly. Digging it out is not an option so we have to try and rewild the area and the margins. This will be an ongoing project throughout the year and any advice will be gratefully received!  There's a lot of pond weed beneath the surface and what we think is 'Duckweed' spreading across the water. There was spawn, froglets and the odd toad spotted in there across the last school year, but there is no easy access in or out for any amphibians. So let's start with that.  The trees in this wildlife area have lots of fallen branches, and there are larger logs against the fence. The beech hedge is 'trimmed' via the lane outside with a huge vehicle and the debris is scattered around. dragging and rolling finally meant long and lean branches could span the pond and dip into the water to allow birds to drink and wash,...

Welcome to new school year. This is Mama Beech, a huge a glorious mother tree that stands in the corner of Forest School on land next to our Primary School. We sit atop a hill and share our grounds with a Children's Centre and a Day Nursery, but have full access to 9 acres of field and a little woodland, as well as a huge mud kitchen area, some raised beds for gardening, and a good ol' school garden complete with concrete pond!  This year is THE year we start to make use of it to it's fullest. Mama Beech is huge, one day I will try and work out exactly how huge, and what her age is, meanwhile, she offers shelter, food, refuge and some evolving Autumnal colours to all manner of wildlife - including children! At the start of the academic year she was a marker for my introduction to the area, and a much needed beacon of how beautiful the school grounds are, as well as a constant reminder of how lucky we are to have such an amazing resource to hand. September weather ...