Wednesday 13th and Friday 15th November

The Year One children thoroughly enjoyed the dry, slightly chilly Autumnal weather for their second session Beyond the Gate. They found new places to explore and play - especially sneaking through the area full of young oak trees; climbing the big trunk and digging. Throughout the sessions, we heard lovely risk assessment discussions taking place, and it was great to hear the children verbalising what is a risk and how they can stay safe while they play.

This week, each year one class selected a tree to become their "class tree". Throughout the year, the children will have opportunities to carefully observe their tree, noticing how it changes through the seasons. This forms part of their scientific longitudinal study helping them understand seasonal changes in weather and plant growth.  They were encouraged to select a deciduous tree. Three of the classes picked our biggest oak trees, and Otter class chose our largest sweet chestnut tree!

The children began to carefully sketch their tree, noticing what the bark on the trunk was like and the shape of the leaves.

During their free exploration, the children had the opportunity to complete leaf rubbing, using crayons. Once they had created their rubbing they used tree identification cards to identify and name type of leaf. 

Wednesday 6th and Friday 8th November

Mrs Dear was delighted to welcome Year One to the Beyond the Gate site to begin their Key Stage One sessions. They had all visited the site once in Year R, and we were all impressed with how some of them had remembered the ways we keep safe in the nature area.

They sung a song which helped them remember to walk around the outside of base camp (being green dragons) rather than cutting through the middle (red dragons) and how to swivel on their stumps to sit down, rather than step over them. This takes practise but is important to learn, so they can stay safe, especially if we light a fire in the fire pit.

They then took sticks with pink ribbon on them and placed them around the site to identify things that might be a risk or things that need protecting. This supports children in becoming independent risk assessors, which is crucial in allowing them to take part in risky play and risky activities. Can your child tell you what "see pink, stop and think!" means?

Following these health and safety activities, the children busily explored the site and resources available to them. Many children enjoyed climbing on the big log, the plank, A-frame and tyres, which is brilliant for their gross motor development. They independently took it in turns and made sure everyone felt safe.

Others used the guttering and stands to create obstacles to roll conkers down, imaginatively playing that they were other things. And, many children were busy digging - enjoying finding worms and woodlouse

 

As an activity on offer, Mrs Dear had collected left over Halloween pumpkins from the local community which otherwise would have been thrown away. She supported children in turning these into bird feeders. The children discussed why we need to start feeding the birds in the Autumn and why we should not leave pumpkins on the floor in the woodlands.

One child in Badger class eloquently explained why it was good to turn the pumpkins into bird feeders, telling the class it was important to recycle and reuse things rather than throwing them away - she is defiantly a sustainability champion for the future!

 

Wednesday 23rd October

We had two amazing nature finds during our sessions today! With Kingfisher class, two leopard slugs were discovered, and just before Woodpeckers came to the site, Mrs Dear found a frog.

At base camp, all the children had time to closely observe the creatures and used expanded noun phrases to describe them (practising their oral English skills outside!).

During their free play and explore time, some children then choose to draw pictures and write little rhymes or poems about them.

Harvesting our bee cocoons and looking at a Blue Tit nest

During the sessions on 16th and 18th November, Mrs Dear showed the children how to harvest bee cocoons and also let them look closely at a Blue Tits nest. These opportunities help support the children's scientific knowledge and understanding of lifecycles.

If you remember, in the Spring we had some Red Mason Bee cocoons delivered in a release box to the site and throughout the summer the children watched the bees (once they had hatched in May/June) busily foraging and filling up tubes in our bee boxes.

October is the time to harvest the new bee cocoons from the tubes. Mrs Dear carefully unravelled the tubes to reveal the cocoons. You could clearly see the mud and bright yellow pollen which had been foraged and surrounded the cocoons. 

We were amazed to find two types of cocoons in some tubes. Not only do we have Red Mason bees, but we also have some Leaf Cutter bee cocoons which look totally different.

Mrs Dear then soaked and cleaned the cocoons and these will be stored in the shed over the winter.

Also in the sessions, Mrs Dear opened up the Blue Tit bird box. During the Spring, the children had been fascinated by watching a female blue tit constantly entering and exiting the box with nesting material. Then, in the summer, we watched a pair taking food inside. The nest was empty and quite flat. The children all had a turn to look closely at it and describe what had been used to build the nest: feathers, moss, small twigs and mud were noticeable. The children asked why there were no shells, and Mrs Dear explained that blue tits eat their own shells to get calcium.

Wednesday 16th and Friday 18th October

Over this half term, some of the children in Year 2 have been working on a project to create a flag. This started with dying their piece of fabric with blackberries, then whittling their sticks. This week the children completed their flags by drilling holes (using a power drill) through their stick and attaching their fabric with string.

Mrs Dear supervised the children 1:1 while using the power drill. They were shown how the drill work and risk assessed how to use it safely. Using real tools in a supervised way means the children are successful as they are using the best tool for the job. 

The finished flags look amazing and the children were proud of their finished product.

9th and 11th October - all about conkers!

Over the last few weeks the year 2 children have been finding sweet chestnuts around our site, falling from one of our sweet chestnut trees (we have 3, but only one is mature enough to produce nuts!).  However, many children have been calling them conkers - a common misconception! Therefore, Mrs Dear decided to address this and focused this week's session on learning about Horse Chestnuts (conkers) and Sweet Chestnuts. Can your child describe the difference to you?

Mrs Dear, with the help of all the children, then demonstrated how to make conker soap! This can be used to wash hands and as laundry detergent!

First, the children used mallets to smash the conkers.

These pieces were then put into a bowl of hot water (Mrs Dear heated this using the Kelly Kettle) and given time to seep while the children played. Finally, the pieces were strained out and the children all tried using the soap to wash their hands.

The children have also had the opportunity to be creative with conkers and use palm drills to make holes in them to make anything of their choice. Some children created necklaces and bracelets and others made bow and arrows and stick people or animals!

Friday 4th October

It was a stunning Autumnal morning today with bright blue skies and a slight chill in the air. The children of Woodpecker class looked in awe and wonder at the amazing spider webs which glistened with water droplets.

Mrs Dear quickly gathered a few resources together and the children in this class had the opportunity to create their own spider web with string and sticks if they wished.

In the afternoon, the children of Kingfisher class had the opportunity to learn how to whittle safely with a sheath knife.

They also loved playing with the water in the natural pond; playing in the mud kitchen; bug hunting and experiencing the swing. Some children choose to do some drawing of things that they found (or might find) around the site).

Wednesday 2nd October

Today, Mrs Dear introduced the children to a sheath knife, which can be used to whittle sticks. This was to continue the project that some children are doing of creating a flag using their blackberry dyed material. The children learnt how to use the knife safely by sitting in the correct position and moving the knife smoothly and gently to the ground. The children who choose to take part in this activity showed good skill and awareness of the need to use it safely - they took it very seriously (including putting the knife back in its sheath and into the locked tool box).

In Owl class last week, many children had written recipes on paper and so Mrs Dear enhanced this by adding a table of "ingredients" including unripe blackberries, conkers, sweet chestnuts, dock leaves and flowers. The children enjoyed using these to enrich their creations and continued writing recipes (they plan to create a recipe book!).

Around the site, water play and mud kitchen activities continued to form most of the engagement - especially because of the amount of muddy water! Lots of giggles could be heard from the swing as the children enjoyed the unpredictable nature of it!

Wednesday 25th September

Because of all the September rain we have been having, the natural pond was full of water today. Many children love the opportunity to play with the water in different ways and are always creative with the use of loose part equipment. Through engaging in play this way, the children use their imaginations, problem solve and practically experience science concepts. Many boots were full of water by the end of the session (we hope the children had spare socks with them!).

Mrs Dear put the swing up today and the children loved it! They played safely together and enjoyed the way a rope swing can go in all different directions. Playing on a swing helps develop the children's core muscles.

In order to make use of a few of the "many" wellington boots which had been left in school in July (too many for us to store as spares!), Mrs Dear had purchased some bulbs to plant in them. Holes were drilled in the bottom, and then children helped fill them with gravel (for drainage) and compost before planting the bulbs. Mrs Dear explained the difference between seeds and bulbs and why it is important to plant bulbs in the Autumn. The children added some late flowering pansies on the top to help support the last

Other children were busy creating all manner of feasts in the mud kitchen. Some children decided to write their recipes down so we could make them again! Can you spot the imperative verbs and the different ways they describe the quantities required? Which recipe would you choose?

Thursday 20th September

Wow! The British weather threw a lot at us today! Grey, overcast skies in the morning for Woodpecker class, followed by a mighty storm and torrential rain shower over lunchtime, which passed and cleared to bright blue sky and warmth in the afternoon for Kingfisher class.

Luckily, the storm and rain came precisely between sessions, which meant Mrs Dear was still able to light the fire for the blackberry crumble cooking. The children enjoyed seeing the blackberries change from plump and whole to mushy in the pan as it was heated, and listened to the melting butter in the saucepan of oats. They verbally gave a brilliant selection of adjectives to describe them which supported the English learning they have been doing in class this week.

As well as cooking over the fire this week, all the classes have had the opportunity to draw observational pictures of the bramble plant (if they wished too). They used mud and blackberries as paint!

Children who tied and dyed fabric last week carefully untied their material to see the amazing patterns created! We were all impressed by the vibrant colour the blackberries have produced.

Not to mention the children who found evidence of animals (this was their own words). They were supported in identifying it as being fox poo! And those who found sweet chestnut cases which had come off the tree in the storm!

Tuesday 18th September

Continuing the theme of brambles and blackberries from last week, Mrs Dear has

embraced the dry September weather this week, and got the fire going.

The children were reminded of, and demonstrated, the "respect" safe fire position. Can your child tell you why this is a safe position when using a fire pit? 

Once the fire was lit, Mrs Dear got busy preparing blackberry crumble. The children observed how the blackberries and oats changed when they were heated over the fire - and the change of state of the butter from solid to liquid. Some children noticed that the blackberries started to bubble, and Mrs Dear explained about the boiling point of liquids.

Some children chose to remain at the fire, rather than exploring and playing, to help with the cooking, by stirring the oats and the berries carefully. These are chefs in the making!

At the end of the session, everyone enjoyed tasting the crumble! All of the senses were used at Forest School today with such a multi-sensory activity provided.

 

Friday 13th September

The date may be unlucky for some, but it certainly wasn't for the children of Woodpeckers and Kingfishers for their first Beyond the Gate of Year 2. The gorgeous Autumnal sun shimmered, and the light breeze rustled the leaves, as the children explored, played and learnt.
Like the Tuesday classes, they were given the opportunity to forage for blackberries and use these to dye fabric. 

The children in these two classes played and explored immensely today. Some children in pairs and others in large groups.

Using the multi-use stands, a large group of children became engineers and constructors. Their play evolved from creating a motorway to developing mines in Africa - complete with pipes to reduce flooding! Immense team work and collaboration was seen while they played.

A pair of girls spent their whole session creatively building a den. Their class teacher observed  - careful not to interrupt their play - and commented on the richness of the problem-solving and discussions held by the girls.

Tuesday 11th September

Today the new Robin and Owl classes enjoyed returning Beyond The Gate. It was a breezy, slightly chilly, but bright and sunny day and the children relished the freedom and exploration that their sessions enabled.

Being September, there is an abundance of blackberries on our bramble bushes and so children were given the opportunity to forage for these to use to make dye for tie-dying. A few might have been tasted at the same time!

The children mashed the blackberries with a potato masher, and added a little hot water to make the dye. They used elastic bands to tie up a piece of fabric - using acorns to create gaps - this was great for their fine motor skills. Finally, they mixed their material into the dye, making sure it was completely covered.

They have been left to soak for a while and then will be left to dry. Next week the children will be able to un-tie them and see their results!

 

Tuesday 16th and Thursday 19th July - Year 2's final Beyond The Gate sessions.

For their final Beyond The Gate sessions with us, the Year Two children had the treat of toasting marshmallows on the fire. They absolutely loved this!

 

Whilst the fires were being lit, they were able to share their knowledge and understanding of the fire triangle and how to light fires responsibly and safely (skills for life). They all demonstrated our "safe fire position" whilst toasting their marshmallows and some could explain why this is a good position around a fire pit.

We hope these children will take with them amazing memories of their Forest School experiences as well as retain the knowledge and skills they have learnt. And, most importantly, continue to enjoy and respect nature, appreciating the awe and wonder of our natural world.

Tuesday 9th July - Rain, Mud and Swinging Fun!

Following the Year 2 requests, Mrs Dear put up a tree swing this week! This demonstrates the ethos of Forest School education - where there is a child-led approach to how sessions are planned. 

Giggles echoed around the site as most of the children in Kingfisher and Owl classes had a turn swinging. There were rich risk assessment discussions before using it, and during the play - especially when children were teaching other children how to use it safely. They loved the unpredictability of the tree swing and talked about how this was different to swings found in constructed play parks.

It was an extremely wet July day - especially in the afternoon where we had a torrential down pour (in amongst the constant light rain!). The children were not put off and relished the opportunity to freely play with mud and water again! All kinds of different games and role-plays happened with the mud and water being carried in various receptacles all over the site.

Mrs Dear had put up a vertical board with mud and paintbrushes and some children creatively drew mud pictures.

Other children continued to finish their musical instruments and others chose to create observational drawings of plants around the site.

Thursday 4th July - Moving Up Day!

As part of "moving up day", the lovely Year R children had a taster Beyond the Gate session.

They learnt how to go around our base camp circle by singing a song. Then, took part in a scavenger hunt - collecting their finds on a special stick - and finally they had a little time to freely explore the site and play.

It was lovely to see how amazed they were by the size of the site and all the things they could find. Some children choose to play on the climbing equipment while others played in the mud kitchen. Some created leaf rubbings  and others choose to relax by reading in the  tent.

Tuesday 2nd July

It was a chilly morning today with Kingfisher class - it certainly didn't feel like July - but it warmed up a little for Owl class this afternoon!

Mrs Dear challenged the classes to identify where plants were growing around the site. Using their map reading skills, the children had to mark the location of different plant species on a site map.

Over the last two weeks, some children have chosen to make a "clapper" style musical instrument. To do this, they used both a bow saw (to cut a wooden disc) and a palm drill (to make holes). Today, a few children finished them and the results were fantastic!

 

Thursday 27th June - plant & minibeast discoveries

Today was all about fascinating discoveries of flora and minibeasts with the children of Robin and Woodpecker classes. They were amazed to see hundreds of European Peacock caterpillars on the common stinging nettles near the bell tent. We hope that next week we will see some chrysalis and then, hopefully, beautiful butterflies! This discovery instigated mass minibeast hunting around the site.

The children are observing how the plants are changing as they grow through their life cycle. This week we have seen some buds on the Bristly Ox Tongue and flowers on the Creeping Thistle (which is prickly).  Also, a plethora of Birds Foot Trefoil has come into flower.

Mrs Dear showed the children how the Lords and Ladies plants are now growing their green berries (which will turn red in the Autumn). Three children in Woodpecker chose to draw some observational drawings of these during the session.

Whilst the children were freely playing and exploring, the majority of children were enjoying the opportunities available for developing gross motor skills. The hammock was enjoyed; climbing the big log tackled, and exploring balance by playing on a plank like a seesaw.

Tuesday 25th June

With the glorious sunshine, the children in Owl and Kingfishers enjoyed being Beyond the Gate today. They had the opportunity to make different types of bubble wands and seeing if they could make large bubbles!

Because the children had enjoyed making musical instruments last week, Mrs Dear gave them the opportunity to make a different style of instrument this week. For this, they could use the bow saw to cut a wood disc and then the palm drills to make holes. They then added string and beads. These will be continued next week.

Many minibeasts are being explored using bug hunting equipment and some children have even started using paper and pens to create their own minibeast hunting sheets!

Thursday 20th June - It's the Summer Solstice!

The Year 2 children have enjoyed learning about the Summer Solstice this week while Beyond the Gate. Mrs Dear taught them the science behind why we have our seasons - reinforcing the vocabulary 'tilt', 'spin', 'orbit' and 'solstice'.

Some children choose to use the power of the sun to make sun prints on special cyanotype paper (sun sensitive paper).

Others made jingly musical instruments from household items which would usually be thrown away. They then played them whilst singing a call and response song!

 

And lots had fun creating flower headdresses using cleaver as the base. Mrs Dear was impressed with their knowledge of the flora they were using, and some great discussions were held about how cleaver being sticky helps with its seed dispersal.

April 2024

It has been lovely to see the Year One children back Beyond the Gate in the spring sun.

Mrs Dear challenged the children with a flora scavenger hunt. Firstly, they were given a map of the site and used map reading skills to locate features such as the bell tent, shed, swamp, mud kitchen and bug skyscraper.

Each map had a star on it - in a different location – and the children had to follow the map to find the correct place. They then had to identify the plant which was growing in that location by reading a name label. They had to tell Mrs Dear the correct plant name for that point and then were given a different map. They loved this challenge and hopefully can tell you the name of some plants found around our site!

After this, the children were free to play and explore as they wished. Some children chose to continue their plant identification by leaf bashing and labelling, or collecting a leaf, cutting it in half and drawing the other half.

Amongst many different forms of free play, Mrs Dear observed one group of children making a seesaw and heard their independent risk assessment discussions: “be careful – I don’t think it is safe yet!”; “We need a team to help make it safer!”; “we need 4 people to lift that,”; “let’s be builders and build a park!”