Thursday 26 April 2012

Better prepared than not.

We welcomed back one member to FS this week who came to the first term but then went missing and also had two new members joining us so circle time was full of rules and name learning.  There was a new rule for everyone this week, which is to get everyone paying attention during circle time; anyone can start making three circles with their hands and then finishing by clapping them together as people notice they join in too.  The idea is to give everyone time to refocus before the clap so we are all listening again to whoever is talking.
After last weeks soaking we got the shelter up in the corner of the FS site as soon as we had finished circle time.  We have moved location of the shelter so we don’t end up in a hollow, paddling about again but this did mean dismantling a den.  The parts of the den went to join the big den so it now is massive.  It turned out to be a lovely sunny afternoon with no sign of the forecast heavy showers, which was great.  Due to the forecast I brought the storm kettles out and we had hot chocolate with birthday cake thanks to one of the lads from Sycamore who even though he could not stay this afternoon because he had a suit fitting he dropped the cakes off so will have to wait until next week for to hear us sing happy birthday to him.
We don’t do a lot of tool work because of ratios but one tool we do use are saws and today was a chance to get them out.  Last week we decided to have a go at making wood cookie badges.  To start this off we put up the sawhorses and went over how to use the bow saws safely.  Everyone took it in turns to cut a wood cookie while the rest of their group helped hold the wood in the sawhorse for them.
We had some good self-directed play and some not so good self-directed play today.  The good play involved a found plastic bowl and the collection of a salad (not eaten of course) made up of different herbs and weeds fund in the FS as with all good ideas after a while a number of the children were collecting different things in bowls.  The not so good play involved jumping on each other, which breaks one of the FS charter rules of no physical contact with each other, a rule written by the children.
We finished the day by collecting more material for the den from around the playing field.  I have brought the wood cookies home to drill holes in and next week the children will decorate them and we are going to try making a rope ladder as well.

Thursday 19 April 2012

A birthday in the rain

We started a new term hoping for spring like weather and we almost had it, for ten minutes! I’ve run three FS session this week and have been watching the weather forecasts intently and until today I’ve escaped a soaking.  After a slow start and having to convince everyone although the sky was blue it would be a good idea to take a coat out as showers were forecast we made it to the FS site.  Until now the shelter tarp has always lived at the bottom of the big red bag but it seem like today was going to be the day we needed it so armed with rope, tarp, mallets and tent pegs we went of in search of two trees to erect the shelter between.  Once we strung the rope between the trees the children unfolded the tarp and flung it over the rope.  Pulling the four corners tight they banged in tent pegs and tied off the guy ropes.  With the addition of a ground sheet we were ready for what ever the heavens had for us.
Now we have been running FS for a while and we have a core group of children who come I wanted to see what rules they thought we should have at FS.  With a large piece of fabric the kids wrote out their own Forest School Charter using fabric crayons so we will be able to hang it in the FS site.  We have so great new rules now; you must be kind, you’re not allowed to stomp, don’t touch mushrooms, don’t be naughty and have fun to list a few.
At the end of last term as we sat around the fire in tee shirts thinking that summer was here and decided to stop having hot chocolate in favour of squash although with the change in weather I had brought the old faithful with me today.  Instead of building a fire we used a Kelly kettle that works by having a bowl in which the fire is lit, then over it the kettle sits.  The kettle has a double wall so the flames go up the middle and heats a jacket of water around the column.  It can be safely used by the children who feed the fire by placing sticks on the top of the kettle and letting them fall into the fire keeping their hands away from the fire.  A number of the children had a go at this as they helped prepare the hot chocolate.  Just as the kettle boiled the clouds opened so we rushed into the shelter for snack time.  As the rain drummed on the tarp and water started puddling on the outer edges of the ground sheet we sang happy birthday to one of the boys at the top of our voices so we that we could be heard.  He declared this to be the best birthday ever whilst eating his second biscuit (wet days = 2 biscuits (Kate’s rule)).
As the rain eased off some of the group went of to work on dens and others remained to play in the shelter until it was time for home.  Next week wood cookie badge making and in the following weeks climbing frames ready for the assault course at the end of term.