Team Blackberries came together for a team in-house Forest School Training Session to prepare all settings ready to embrace our new Forest School ethos.
Toni, our Forest School lead (Wisbech) ran the session and provided all staff with lots of valuable information.
We looked at the ethos and the benefits of Forest school, about how it promotes child-led learning and develops children self-esteem and confidence. It also teaching children to be respectful to the world around them and the importance of nature.
We learnt how Forest school allows for further challenge and risks to be taken, to develop children’s understanding of keeping safe and how to assess risk for themselves in a controlled environment.
The team had a go a several activities that the children will take part in over the Autumn term, including den building and looking at the best types of dens to protect us from the rain.
We made clay sculptures of the natural things we can see around us and mad muddy faces on the trees, which helps children to understand that they are living things.
We then explored fire safety, and the rules around fire use, a safety circle is used whereby you must wait to be invited into the circle before coming in.
All settings are now looking forward to joining in the Forest sessions and we look forward to updating you on what happens each week.
