February 25th 2020
A busy half term for the Pre-Prep
It was a busy first half term at Forest School for the Reception and Year 1 classes. Pumas and Panthers started the term by recapping on their fire skills. They worked hard to collect and grade the kindling and firewood needed to build the fire, and mastered cooking the perfect toast. They also cooked sausages and popcorn, taking great delight when the kernels have jumped out of the pan and into the fire, shooting popcorn in different directions!
The boys enjoyed successfully constructing a rope ladder, by helping to find suitable wood to use for its rungs and carefully measuring the lengths needed before helping to cut them. The creation of the perfect pulley proved great fun but also a great lesson in physics as well.
For the bug hunters, there was great joy at the discovery of a large number of maggots under a stone! As they weren’t moving it prompted an investigation about whether or not maggots hibernate (they don’t and can survive in temperatures as low as -60°C!)
Year 1’s latest conservation act was to build a birdhouse and a lot of teamwork went into measuring and marking the wood. The finished house looks amazing and the boys have even put some hay into it to make it comfortable for any passing birds. It is now safely in position in the woods and we will be keeping a close eye on it to see if we have any nesting birds in it in the spring.
The Bobcats started the term by making bird feeders to help the wild birds get through the winter. The boys determinedly threaded Cheerios onto string and thoroughly enjoyed making a cake mixture with lard, seeds, mealworms and raisins, all of which was then lovingly squashed into pine cones. The boys then chose where to hang it in the woods.
The boys were given the chance to cut a wood cookie with the help of a grown-up and decorate it with a bird sticker of their choice. Despite some torrential rain at many of their visits, the boys enjoyed playing on the rope swing and really enjoyed making a seesaw from a plank of wood and a large log.
The boys climbing skills have been improving all the time and they are now really beginning to co-ordinate their movements and understand how to safely assess the risk involved in climbing on a fallen tree. The boys have also searched for bugs, dug for jewels, helped each other out of sticky situations (literally being stuck in a muddy puddle and pulling each other out with teamwork) and enjoyed watching the progress of the bluebells, which have already broken the ground in the woods.
The boys have loved being in the woods and risen to the challenges set for them.
