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Year 4 - Forest School Fun!

Week 1

We started off our first 'Thrive in the Forest' session by playing a range of games including The Wolf Game & Birds Nest. After that, we made natural firework art inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy. We enjoyed some free play time in the forest, allowing us to explore the environment. To finish our first session we had a group fire, toasted marshmallows to create s'mores and had a cup of hot chocolate! 

Week 2

We started off our  'Thrive in the Forest' session by playing a range of games including The Wolf Game & Birds Nest. After that, we took part in a mini box challenge. We had to hunt for 6 mini items that would fit into a box. we then discussed if the items were natural or manmade. We also created miniature woodland homes, using natural resources from the forest. To finish our first session we had hot chocolate and learnt a camp song - Spaghetti Meatball!

Week 3

As usual we started off our third 'Thrive in the Forest' session by playing a range of games. After that, we prepared our pitta pockets! We used ham and cheese to fill pitta breads and wrapped them in foil ready to toast on the fire later on. We also learnt the shoe lace knot, which was quite tricky for some children! Towards the end of the session we sat round the fire to toast our pitta parcels, whilst they cooked we sang songs and chatted about our morning. Once the pitta pockets were ready, we tucked in!

Week 4 

This week during our 'Thrive in the Forest' session we introduced the mud kitchen! We all thoroughly enjoyed playing and creating in this area of the forest. After that, we made pine cone bird feeders, using peanut butter and bird seed. We enjoyed some free play time in the forest, allowing us to explore and socialise. To finish our first session we learnt how to create a tripod knot, ready for week 5's activities!

Week 5

We started off our  'Thrive in the Forest' session by playing a range of games including The Seasons Game. During the session we put last weeks skill to use by using our tripod knot to create our very own tipi's!  As usual, we enjoyed some free play time in the forest, allowing us to explore the environment and socialise. We learnt another valuable skill this week in the form of lighting a fire using a flint and steel. All of the children managed to light their own fire using this method! Well done team Jazz! 

Week 6 - Our Final Session!

To end our Thrive in the Forest sessions, we spent the whole day out in the forest - survival style! We prepared chocolate bananas ready to cook later on in the day. We built dens in groups using our tripod knot. We also learnt how to use a Kelly Kettle to make ourselves a cup of hot chocolate! At lunch time, we cooked on the open fire and ate outside. Throughout the day we had free play, including time in the mud kitchen! To round of the day we had a camp song around the fire and discussed our favourite activities and experiences from our 'Thrive in the Forest' sessions!