We had our first summer holiday Stay and Play session today. It also marked the start of our second full year of playing in the woods....welcoming back faces who were here with us a year ago and meeting some new friends also.
The children collected a trolley full of wood to make a fire, which they lit and used to bake bread. There was careful observation of the woodlands as they collected fuel, identifying different trees, plants, fungi and animals. The butterflies were all of a flutter and led them to create some of their own imaginative designs which they then flew around the woodlands in search of flowering thistles and brambles and their nectar.
Keen to explore their 'Children's Forest' which they had planted in the Spring, the children set off with their butterflies after lunch to the space which was teeming with butterflies, moths, flies, bees and crickets. They wondered at the growth of the trees and investigated which trees were thriving and which had been nibbled by deer.
They spent time playing games in their new forest and then enjoyed tasting their bread with jam.
At the end of the day, the children extinguished the fire together, sharing some of their thoughts and enjoyment of the day.
"I liked making new friends"
"I like playing the games in the Children's Forest"
"I like eating the bread we made"
"I liked making a butterfly"