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.