Welcome back Helen

It was welcome back to Helen who is helping out again so she was straight back into the hot seat setting up the fire for hot chocolate. This term we are moving the tree house to a different tree and building a shelter just in case the winter is as wet as the summer was. With our building plans set it was time to revise our knots as there is going to be a lot of rope and string to get tangled in. We started with our stopper knots and figure of eight which held no problems for anyone. We then moved on to the clove hitch which is the basis for square lashing and raft lashing so one we need to master. It was positive to see that most did not give up and some would not stop until they could do it again and again.

Before snack time we divided into three groups and each group chose an area in the FS to build an island. After the hot chocolate had been supped the groups returned to their areas to which I had added piles of sands too and they started modelling their islands. Each group came up with different ideas and started telling stories about what was happening on their island there was a monster island, a pirate island and a tropical island. With the addition of lumps of clay the islands had characters modelled to live on the island and piece of cloth became flags and tents. I think the islands will be returned to over the term and it was really nice in the way the children wanted to show off their islands to their parents at the end of the session which makes me think that we will always do pick up from the FS area in future so that parents can see what their children have been up to.

We are back

After a summer of sport it was time for the Forest Games.  With a few new faces we started the session with refreshing the FS rules and playing the name animal and action game just to make sure everyone knew everyone else’s names.

We divided into two teams and started with an obstacle race under willow hoops, balancing along logs, hopping over willow hurdles, make our way along the slack line and before a run back to tag the next person it was a swing over a giant chasm (will two sticks marking an imaginary chasm).  We then moved onto a relay race with no baton drops with a course around trees through arches and through long grass.  From the track we moved on to stick bowls a jack (two sticks crossed and lashed together) was thrown onto the pitch and then everyone threw a stick (marked either with blue or yellow tape) and the team that got the closest won.  We finished the games with javelin made from two hazel poles, we had different levels of success at throwing these. 

After a cool drink and a biscuit everyone got a medal that they decorated and then it was over to free play.  Next  week it is tree house repairs and sparks

Stair rods

Our last session of the school year and it was not just wet, it was torrential but not cold so we just ignored it and got on with what we were doing.  We got the secateurs out and cut back willow whips to thatch the tree house with.  Unfortunately it was too wet to take pictures of the hard work that the children were putting into finishing their construction project. As always members of the Forest School dipped in and out of the activities with the war of the Gummy bears and cola bottle continuing, and the discovery of some forest friends I had carved at the school fete in the sand pit started other games.

For the first time we got the knives out and the children prepared a stick to toast marshmallows on.  The blades are about 9cm long and very sharp so safe practice is important so working in small groups we took ourselves off to a quiet place the site and talked about how to use the knives.  We start by getting into a safe position, which is kneeling on the ground with one knee up to give support to the hand holding the piece of work and the other planted on the ground.  By being in this position we have three anchor points two feet and a knee so we have less chance of losing our balance than if we were standing or kneeling on both knees.  We remember the position by the hand that holds the knife is the busy hand and so the knee on the same side is the lazy knee and is on the ground.  Once down on the ground we check our blood bubble, which is done with the knife still in the sheath, the people make an arc around themselves to check that they can’t injure anyone else with the knife before starting work.  Once ready with the stick tucked under the armpit of the hand holding the stick and holding well away from were the cutting was going to be done it was time to remove the sheath.  We always work away from the body concentrating on what we are doing at all times.  It is amazing how knife work bring the children to a almost Zen like state even if they were running around five minutes beforehand and then they calm down and start thinking everything through.

Because of the weather we could not cook our hot dogs and the hot chocolate would have been over flowing with rainwater before we had finished making it but we did get a fire going and we did toast marshmallows standing in the rain.  Maybe one of our projects next term will be building a shelter we can cook in and with a smaller group we will be doing a lot more tool work. 

Orange hand gang

We started with making a banner to put up in the Forest School site ready for the school fete on Saturday.  Most of us got busy with the clay, making hand prints on the cloth and our clothes and then the charcoal came out.  We are going to ask people to draw their own special tree on the banner on Saturday and the group today started adding some of their favourite things about FS to the banner.

We had a quite relaxed session with a very complicated game with teams called gummy bears and cola bottles going on which Kate and I did not really understand but it was great play.  The group worked well together coming up with different scenarios and including everyone who wanted to play.

Dipping in and out of the game, the children played on the rope ladder, built a den and of course played in the sand pit.  I worked on tree house with different individuals coming and having a go at sawing with the bow saw or tying pieces of wood to the frame and by the end of the session we had finished the floor and built a safety rail around the outside.  All it needs is a ladder and a roof, which we should of done by next week.

As part of the School fete we will be making wood cookie nametags so encouraging everyone to have a go with the bow saw and being creative in their decorating.

Next week is our last before the summer holidays so its cook out time.

Swearing and Sweating!

To start with, the ‘swearing’ is actually ‘swelling’ of one of our Year One Forest Schoolers who had a nasty reaction to something in the tall grass and after ten minutes of sneezing and eyes running he looked like he had done a round in the ring with someone much bigger than him.  He was rushed up to the school to wash his face and the Head took him home where he told his Mum that he had come home because he had started swearing (swelling) at Forest School.

After this excitement we got back to being too hot in the sun, so we all headed under the tarp shelter in the cool.  We started work on the floor of the tree house with the group taking it in turns to cut lengths of wood to go across the frame and then raft lashing them into place.  We are about halfway across now and next week we will put the rest of the floor down and start putting safety rails around.

We will be organising an appeal for the poor children of Holt who feel deprived because they don’t have a beach to hand!  It would appear that a group at Forest School only want to play in the sand pit and only coaxing them out with hot chocolate works.

We had our first game of thicket hide and seek this term this week and how much better is it now plants are growing up.  One girl managed to get within a couple of feet of the square by crawling through the long grass but the last man standing managed to run from one side of the site to the other within the 10 second moving time to hide in the willow den.

Next week more work on the tree house and a giant poster ready for the school fete.

Bribery and Corruption at Forest School

A welcome back to Helen who came back for a session today and a big thank you to her for going and buying new waterproof trousers which kept the rain away for the session.

Today we got straight down to knot work with most being able to remember how to tie a clove hitch.  We moved on to square lashing with good effort in some quarters but not so good trying in others.  Everyone went off to find two sticks to tie together while I got the fire going.  Then, under the shelter we started practicing the lashing.  Soon the kettle was boiled and we stopped for hot chocolate and biscuits.  In the fire bag were also some fun size bags of sweets, so once the cups were packed away the bribery began.  For everyone who undid their square lashing and retied it there would be a bag of sweets - to say efforts were doubled would be an understatement.  Interestingly the resulting wooden crosses became props in later games played by a group of the children.

With the square lashing mastered we took it to the tree house so we could put in the supporting beams for the floor.  We are using a tree as our anchoring support for the tree house and then two tripods which we attach two beams from the tree to and then a beam across the two tripods.  The beams are held in place using the square lashing so giving us a sound base for the floor.

We divided off into different groups to play tag and play in the sand and I showed one of the new boys how to use the bow saw so he could cut one of the beams for the floor.

Next week we will start cutting wood for the floor and will be returning to knots, as the floor will need to be fixed down.  Luckily the knot we will be using is a raft lashing which is a variation of the square lashing.  We will also be playing our first game of thicket this term and of course will be back at the FS beach (sand pit). 

Unemployed Forest School Leader!

Over half term I put in a sand/ mud pit in the FS site and whittled some digging sticks.  During circle time we unveiled the new digging pit after which the adults did a lot of observation (standing around) of play and feeling somewhat left out.  It was great to see children of mixed age groups playing and working together building a landscape for their story to unfold in.  At one time there was a group of eight working out the story that was developing in their new world. Characters were invented as well as appearing from TV, film and even books, and the group was made up of boys all telling a story and mark making. 

The FS site is growing up and grass that was once a mown playing field is now a jungle just right to play hide and seek and chase through.  It is interesting to see how the children become more and more protective of the site.  I over heard one boy telling off another for running through the hedge as it might damage the plants with the reply of ‘oh yeah’.

After snack time we started work on the tree house we started by reminding the old hands and taught the new hands the clove hitch, an important knot when starting and finishing lashings.  Once everyone had had a go at the clove hitch I demonstrated how to tie a tipi lashing which we are using for two of the supports for the tree house.  Prior to starting the tipi lashing the wood was cut to length by a couple of volunteers using the bow saw and the sawhorse.  Next week we will look at square lashing the support beams in readiness to raft lash the floor on at a later date.