Forest School

Highfield’s Forest School area has been really taking shape over the last few months. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity from parents, family members and the wider community. So many people have given up their time, effort and resources, in making our willow dome and tunnel, our shelter, fire circle posts and storage shed. We have had volunteers help out with the tree and sapling planting too.

In February our Forest area started to be developed. Our fence was put in place and then we began the sapling planting. The saplings were donated from treeappeal.com and all the children in Foundation stage were involved in the planting. It was hard work but they enjoyed being involved in the process.

April was the month that we saw our shelter and shed being built and the larger trees were planted. We also introduced the children to the area.

Within her training as a Forest School Leader, Miss Robinson runs full Forest School sessions with the children that last all morning, in all weathers. The sessions have started with a group of children from EYFS. We always talk about how we stay safe in forest school. The children now know how to stay safe and have demonstrated this enough for us to be able to light a fire and subsequently cook on it. So far we have cooked popcorn and hot dogs! 

Being in this environment over the last few weeks has led to more collaborative learning, taking account of each other’s needs, and learning new skills. We have made knots, built dens, identified plants, made stick men and mobiles, helped to light the fire, so we could cook, and we have played lots of games. It will be nice to see the developments over the next few months.

If you think you could help develop our Forest School area in anyway, please contact the school office.