Afterschool delight

The afternoon brought the sunshine and we set out for an afternoon of after school delight. It gives us such joy that the children attending the club have started bringing their own books to Forest School. We looked at a brilliant 'stick book' and a wonderful bird reference book. Their connection to nature is obviously inspiring them beyond their times in the woods, which is such a brilliant thing to see emerge. So after finding out a bit about swallows and sharing some creative stick inspirations the children set off for the woods.

We found lots of fungi along the way and looked with interest at their different forms, sizes and diversity. We talked of poison and fairies and the world of the mycelium of fungi hidden beneath the ground.

The new shelter brought wows of excitement. The children discussed how they could use it and set out drawing their own fire circle in the middle of it. Then there was great clay engagement and they wandered off through the woods to mark their dens and trees and to sculpt and create faces.

Then they climbed, they knotted, they unknotted, they swung, they ran, they pushed and pulled the trolley, they dug, they washed trowels and forks and their hands, they snacked, they whispered and listened to each other and the birds.