Forest School

Forest School has been the usual hive of activity, with extra efforts under way to prepare for the fabulous Winter Solstice event.

Our amazingly energetic and super motivated Educational Support staff member; Ashlee has been leading a team of tiny landscaping warriors to clear the weeds out of the wetland garden and restore it to its former glory for the beautiful frogs and insects to enjoy again. It is situated right next to the bonfire so when you come to the Winter Solstice event, please check it out and admire your children’s very hard work. 

We have also put in mammoth amounts of grunt-work putting hay biscuits all around the entire area under the rope swing and YET MORE soft-fall bark to cover it. Signs are being made to show everyone where to line up and we’ve devised a nifty system to more easily be able to hook up and remove the rope swing each time we use it. Rupert from grade six enlisted the help of a band of capable diggers to create steps nearby the swing area to encourage people to walk around, rather than under the next person swinging. Your children are coming up with more and more inventive ways to stay safe whilst having fun and exploring in Forest School.

We love to build things in Forest School and several groups of students have been working on a little tree-house structure near the rope swing. Any building material laying around is fair game and if you can get enough pals to help, you can haul off your treasure to keep the dream alive, as pictured here.

The climbing tree behind the chook yard has gotten even more popular, especially with Foundation students so we have replenished and fortified the soft-fall under there as well. I have been telling the students to only climb as high as their own height but one very astute little person pointed out to me last week that they climb all the way to the top of the school “spider’s web” in the playground outside After Care and I had to concede that maybe it was okay to go a BIT higher up the pine tree….whilst running for the wheelbarrow to get EVEN MORE soft-fall.

As usual, the muddy play has been a big feature of the last couple of weeks and the Foundation students made the most magnificent mud cake out of sand and mud and selected pieces of magnificent foliage to decorate. They insisted I try a bite but unfortunately I was full so I had to save my piece for later on!

Ginny