Forest School

It’s nearly end of another term. This half term was very excited as we started our Forest School sessions. We go twice a week in two groups of ten children and three adults to the local park. Our designated area is not really a forest, however does have trees, soil, bugs, logs and mud! So we can call it a Forest School!

The idea of Forest School is to encourage and inspire children and adults through an innovative, long term, educational approach to outdoor play and learning in a natural environment. Every week we do really exciting things, dressed in waterproof clothes and wellies. It’s interesting to observe children’s progress, as some of them were scared to sit on the ground at our first sessions! So many children don’t have access to green areas in London and providing them with that experience on daily basis is amazing!

Our sessions last two hours and so far we dug for bugs, hammered sticks into ground, observed birds through binoculars, built a shelter, built bird feeders and last time we did a marshmallows on the fire and we made medals by cutting a log with real saw! The possibilities with Forest School are endless!! I think that Forest School training is the most exciting training ever within an Early Years and hopefully I will be able to attend one very soon!

 

Halloween Crafts

Halloween is just round the corner. Get your pumpkin ready and spend some time making simple arts and crafts with your child.
This Saturday we made ghosts and pumpkins using paper plates, some orange and yellow paint, glue and tissue paper. Simple and quick 🙂
Enjoy.

Halloween Crafts …

Early Years – Story Boxes

 

Story Box is a great idea for a setting and for families at home. It’s simple, easy, cheap and very creative. It is a miniature setting based on a story you like. You just need a shoe box and some crafts to make a background relating to a story of your choice.
They are great to support children’s exploration of stories as they can retell the story themselves or make up new stories using the characters.

This is my first story box based on a story called “Smiley Shark” by Ruth Galloway. I love this story, it is simple,  funny and the smiley shark saves the day! In this story box you can actually pull the strings with characters so they can move (swim). I also added some natural objects such as shells stones and shiny paper.

I can’t wait to make more story boxes!

Some tips:
– shoe box is ideal, but you can use different boxes too
– cut down two of the vertical edges to create a flap on one side to open up the box
– decide on your theme
– cover the inside of the box with materials, tissue paper or felt
– collect objects or photocopy characters from the story

Involve children in making story boxes! It is so much fun doing it together!

 

Early Years: Little cookies

Today an easy activity and something you can actually eat after making it with your child.
It is a buttery shortbread recipe cutted into any shapes your child likes and it can be decorated after.

You will need:
– 150g plain flour
– 3 tablespoons rice flour
– 100g butter
– few drops of food colouring
– up to you if you want to add sugar (50g) or just drizzle of honey

What to do:
– help your child to lay a sheet of baking paper into a tray
– let your child mix the flours, honey with their hands; then to add butter in one or two big lumps and let your child work it into the dry ingredients with their fingers, squishing and kneading it into a soft dough
– help your child to add the food colouring and squish the dough
– help your child press out the dough with the ball of their hand until it is about 5mm thick
– use a floured cutters so your child can cut out the shapes and place them on the baking sheet
– let your child brush the shapes with a little egg
– bake for 10 minutes or until golden around the edges

Have a nice time!

Early Years – Cornflour Play

I’m starting series of posts – what you can do with your child in a easy and affordable way.
My first post is about my favourite cornflour, some people call it gloop.
The things you need are very simple and is up to your imagination really, but you definitely need: CORNFLOUR and WATER.
This time I used metal objects and paper, to encourage children to make some pictures using cornflour.

More ideas:
– add food colouring to change colour
– add sand or couscous to make different textures
– use whiskers
– add strings, it’s really fun playing with strings and cornflour, you can also use paper and place string on the top covered with cornflour
– use a big tray or a bath and place your child inside with a nappy only, children loves to cover themselves in cornflour
– add different toys inside – such as cars, small people, animals, dinosaurs, whatever your child is interested in

Use your imagination but the best part is when you just use your hands, I can play for ages with the texture.

The best bit about cornflour play that it’s comes off very easily from clothes or hands, it’s not sticky, as you will use plain flour. Cornflour usually just dries and than you can just shake it off.
There are other benefits of cornflour play:
– children explore texture by themselves
– support development of fine motor skills
– support children’s knowledge and understanding about different consistency by adding more water or more cornflour to the mixture
– develop language
– it’s calming and soothing and provides relaxation

   

The pictures were taken on Stay and Play sessions we run on Saturdays.