Our new Forest school classroom !

We are very proud and excited to announce our new Forest school indoor classroom at our Tadpoles building in lovely Carlisle Park! All the children, of all ages, whether term time or all year round will be able to visit the building and take part in the activities in this unique Forest school environment indoors and of course outdoors in the park itself.

The children love to design and build their own dens and shelters using camouflage fabrics, tarpaulins, pegs twigs and logs. They may go pond dipping, whitle with vegetable peelers and hunt for bugs.

The children also love to look for footprints, make traps, bark rub, play hide and seek and monitor the weather. They can explore the undergrowth and trees in the park, and record the seasons.

They use natural materials to create unique artwork, including mobiles.

As you an see even the youngest children can benefit from this amazing environment. The children are able to explore using the senses of sight, sound, touch and hearing. They are able to find natural objects that provoke curiosity, and share their excitement with others!

We look forward to sharing their experiences with you over the coming weeks and months.

Mushy peas and campfires!

The children have had brilliant forest school adventures this week. They built their own den in the woods as you can see. Douglas decided a campfire was needed , and so they collected lots of twigs and sticks, which they rubbed onto a large branch. ‘We are making a fire! Here come the sparkles!’ said Leo. The children discovered a bridge which they stomped over. ‘Who’s that walking over my bridge?’ Matilda said in a deep gruff voice! They ventured further into the woods to discover stepping stones over the stream and Damon counted them as he went across. A large heron appeared and the children were fascinated watching the bird look for fish . ‘ Let’s help the heron find food ‘ Leo suggested, and after a discussion they made their own fishing rods to help catch some fish! How thoughtful!

The babies have explored a new park today loved climbing and hiding there as you can see. Eve has a go at climbing on the ant and cheered and shouted ‘Whoosh!’ as she jumped off with the help of a member of staff. The sandpit was huge and James was so excited and rolled about on top, feeling the sand run through his fingers. They have also made their own photo frames, sticking pasta, leaves and other materials to decorate them. Hlenhaze decided to taste the pasta, and Joshua managed to get string stuck to his fingers and began waving his hands about to release the sticky mixture!

Bear Hunt!

This week the children have been going on a Bear Hunt! Our Yoga teacher kindly read the story and the children listened beautifully. They then acted out the story looking for the bear having adventures along the way. They later planned and built a giant den to hide in and worked so well as a team , using fantastic communication skills. ‘ We need a window’ observed Sienna who made one using the wooden blocks and dutifully kept a vigil to look for the bear. Wilder found a large cylinder ‘ Wow! A chimney!’ he said, and Zac found a large piece of wood which he thought would be a great front door. Elara decided to use the sandpit cover as a flooring material. ‘ This will crackle and we can hear if the bear comes!’ she told her friends. What a clever idea!

The babies and toddlers have explored potatoes in a variety of ways, including digging in the sand to find them! Zach shouted ‘Ta-dah!’ as he found one hidden and William smiled and showed his to his friends. They have also printed with them and had a lovely trip to Bushy Park where they had some tasty potato waffles during their picnic, which Emily found particularly appetising! Afterwards they had an energetic run about , and throwing and catching balls, and a relaxing story time ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’. They growled along with the story and moved among ‘ the long wavy grass’. Back at the nursery the story continued. Eve threw cornflour in the air as the snowstorm and Emily squished the soggy wet cardboard which felt just like wet mud. Great fun!

Woodland adventures and musical painting!

The children had an amazing time at fantastic Strawberry Fields play area in Fulwell. They climbed wooden poles and posts and threw Pooh sticks into the stream. Joshua was very helpful and showed his friends how to throw their stick the furthest ' You throw it like this!' he said holding his arm back. They discovered a giant spider's web 'I'm a big big spider and I catch flies!' announced Douglas. The Fat Controller was there next to a train. ' The controller will tell us which way to go. Let's ask where the beach is!. All aboard the train!' shouted Ray.

The babies joined the older children for the train ride and even had a turn to drive it. The giant green spider was the next part of the adventure, ' We need to hold his ears so we don't fall off ' said Alex.  The children found a wooden owl and Oliver suggested they all make owl ice cream as in the Gruffalo story. ' Can we come back again soon?' wondered a very excietd Matlida - and yes we will!

The babies have also enjoyed musical painting! They were able to paint freely to music, with some eating the paint as much as painting with it! Emily on the other hand preferred to dance and dance before sitting down to paint. Painting was followed with bubbles which is always well received as you can see!

Obstacle courses and soapy mud!

The children designed their own obstacle course this week and decided the materials and best position for the most fun and challenge! They carried tyres together, and built up blocks and balancing beams and even positioned the cargo net to crawl underneath. Matilda practiced for a while and said' I am super fast!' I am really fast; watch me crawl under the net!' and so a very competitive edge to the proceedings! When areas fell down or collapsed, the children worked very hard to repair or redesign them ' This will make it stronger!' observed Alex. 

The babies have had great fun playing with and exploring the texture of the sticky mix. They added water to the shredded paper and soap, and mixed it and swished it around in their hands. The owl flew into the mud and back out again scattering the mud mixture everywhere as he hooted about the room! He landed on William's head briefly, causing him to laugh and laugh, and so the other little ones joined giggling and shrieking with the fun. 

This was followed by a very relaxing massage session with scented oils later in the day which was very soothing for the babies and the staff!