Week 10 (24 November 2022)
On the last day of forest school, we had cold and windy day. The children were introduced the ogham calendar and their birthday trees. It was a birthday of one of the children, so we sang happy birthday and counted one to her age "7" in different languages, English, Japanese, Spanish and Irish.
Some of them enjoyed making their necklaces, by whittling sticks and wrote their ogham signs and names. Others went to the pine forests and played “eagle eye” game (hide and seek) or building dens. Others invented a fun game using ropes and one of the children’s favorite teddies. We always amazed by their creativity and imaginations.
At the end of the session, we sat in the rocks and had a quiet moment, by looking at almost bare trees moving. At the end, we shared our favorite things to do during the forest school.
Forest school gives the children opportunities to explore their curiosities and creativity, and nature give a space for their imaginative plays. The children enjoyed being witches, fairies, foxes, eagles, or whatever they were interested in at times. Trees, winds, leaves, uneven ground, and the wildness give them stimulation, and without noticing, they make connection to nature.
Throughout the sessions, the children have been feeling the air getting colder, the sun getting lower, the trees changing colors and the leaves getting thinner. And they have been learning mammals, birds, insects, birds and all the living creatures are adapting to survive during the winter.
I hope that they feel a little closer to nature and are aware that plants and different creatures live in different rhythms and cycles to humans, yet we are all interconnected with each other. I hope that the children will remember how much fun they could have in an environment where there was nothing but nature and their friends, and how creative they could be using natural materials. I hope that they will remember the sensation of using all of their senses, bodies and imaginations. These experiences could help them to develop empathy, self belief and resilience, and empower them to make nature, other people and themselves happy.
Week 9 (17 November 2022)
It was a cold winter day, but the children played very well!
Today’s theme was birds, and some of them enjoyed making their own birds on sticks.
One of the children made a big bat mummy and a baby bat, and others made a “dragon” on a stick as well. The other children tried using a peeler to make their stick nice and smooth. They learnt how to use the tool safely. It was great to see their creativity kicked in!
Some children enjoyed making pine cone bird feeders. They went up to the pine forest, and picked up some pine cones, put a string around them, and applied lard on it, and dipped it into the birds’ seeds. They also cut apples and put through them on to the string, and put rowan berries. As the foods are scarce in the winter, it is more likely that the birds come to the bird feeders.
Others enjoyed making the big spider webs again. Some others enjoyed climbing up the trees!
Week 8 (10 November 2022)
It was a lovely mild day for the 8th session of our forest school. This week, the children received letters from animals (fox, badger, squirrel, or hedgehog) and enjoyed making the animal homes - some made big ones as a team, and some made little ones by their own. Some made the doors, the beds, the tables and little cups. Some collected food, and made the animal friends using clay.
Others loved exploring at the pine forests and enjoyed tree climbing, or chasing games.
One of the children found a worm when he was digging and we moved them to safe places.
At the end of the session, we had a quiet time on the rocks and listened to the wind blowing the leaves.
Week 7 (27 October 2022)
It was a lovely day for the 7th week of our after school. We had Halloween theme this week.
Today’s nature tickets were something you would find in a haunted forest. The children tried finding scary faces on the trees, witch's finger nails, monsters’ feet, secret doors to the other world, or leaf ghosts on the way to the basecamp. They observed the forest with a different perspective and noticed many spooky features in the forest.
At the basecamp, the guardian tree wrote them a letter about Halloween and Celtic New Year. We threw out some ideas related to the theme too. Some children made witch’s brooms using a big stick and pine needles. We also made spider’s webs by putting some ropes onto the trees, and eventually some children wanted to make their own webs and it became a massive spider webs in the forest!
Then many of the children enjoyed playing zombie tag game, and there were lots if zombies wondering around in the forest.
At the end of the session, we had a quiet time and listened to the spooky wind blowing. We shared what we noticed and what we enjoyed the most in the end.
Week 6 (20 October 2022)
The woods were damp after the heavy rainfalls in the previous day. There were lots of fallen leaves and branches on the forest ground. On the way to the basecamp, the children were handed the tickets with a hole of a natural object (t.g. Mushrooms, Moss, Trees with 3 different colors etc. ), and they had to find them. They noticed there were lots of mushrooms on the forest ground, and some of them were huge!!
At the basecamp, the children enjoyed their free play. This week, some of the children started treasure hunting, and many of them joined eventually. They drew their own maps, and other children or adults need to read the map and find their treasures!! They used the keys as logs with many branches, rocks, or the "nail salon" they created in the woods. Through this play, they observed their surroundings, used their spacial awareness and team work!
The other children were busy raking the forest ground, to make a perfectly clean "nail salon". They decorated the salon with leaves with strings. There were children who loved fox and rabbit game, and running around the woods. Or some others enjoyed jumping on a pile of leaves. The children gathered the leaves into a pile, and one by one, they jumped over it.
Playing with fallen leaves is one the best things children can do at this time of the year. They use all their senses and their whole body, feeling the crunchiness of leaves under their hands and feet. There were differences in the physical abilities and confidence level among the children, and each child tried different ways of jumping based on their own judgment. For example, children who had more confidence jumped over the pile, whereas another child who had less confidence jumped gently onto the pile of leaves.
Week 5 (13 October 2022)
We had a lovely autumn day for the 5th session of our forest school. Today’s nature tickets were color papers. Each child was handed out two small pieces of colored paper and they had to find the matching colors on the forest floor. There were more leaves on the ground than there had been the previous week, and it was easy for the children who had brown colors, and their nature basket was full of leaves. Through this, the children noticed the different color variations in the leaves even within the same species.
At the basecamp, lots of the children were initially interested in doing the clay leaf prints but then after a while they all started doing their own free play. We really enjoyed watching and listening to them in their little groups.
A group of the children were making play over by the guardian trees, swimming, horse riding, all sorts of different things happening!
Two children were sitting by the pine trees chatting for a while and playing. A couple others were building fairy homes by the tree!
It was so nice to observe and watch them all, they all seemed really happy!
Week 4 (6 October 2022)
It was lovely and mild on the fourth Forest School. The children were handed in conkers, acorns, sycamore wings or beech nuts, and they had to find the match on the way to the basecamp.
At the basecamp, the children were engaging with the basecamp site and nature, and directing themselves in play which was great to watch.
They seem to be finding little groups themselves. The explorers, rakers, planters and growers. The two or three under the tree. The few running through the secret path. There were climbers, the witches, and scavenger hunters. Some found their lovely horse (a bending tree) too. There were also soap makers and cloth washers (using conkers).
We now have Liz Mac Mahon as one of our team members, who is a very experienced forest school leader, an artist, and has lots of wisdom, knowledge and a kind heart.
Week 3 (29 September 2022)
We had a lovely weather for our third day of forest after school. Before moving to the “basecamp”, the children were told to close their eyes, and were handed a natural object (e.g. oak leaves and acorns, beech leaves and beech nuts, horse chestnuts leaves and chestnuts, ash leaves, or sycamore leaves).
The children were encouraged to find the same leaves or cones as they were handed on the way, and when they found them, look up and see if they can find the mother trees. Through this activity, the children made close observations of the leaves they were handed, and tried to differentiate the leaves they found on the ground and up in the trees.
We always try to encourage children to make observations or feel or smell nature first rather than than telling what it is. This develops their curiosity and their senses, and eventually they get to know the trees and plants accompanied by memories and senses.
At the base camp, we gathered and reminded ourselves the forest golden rules. Then, we found a letter and presents from a guardian tree! The presents were full of pine cones and larch cones. The children were excited and some of them wanted to write letters back, or give presents back to the guardian tree. Some children made lovely creatures using clay and natural objects which they were given by the guardian tree, or collected on the way to the basecamp. Other children made cards sticking leaves, moss, or cones.
In Forest School, we show the examples of what we can do using natural objects, but never force children to do the same thing. Rather, we encourage the children’s imagination flow. There are no right and wrong, and the children are never judged by what they create. We are always amazed by their imaginations and creativity.
One of the children came to me with an excitement and said “I found a tunnel!” So we went to see it. There was a big hole under the bush, and looks like some animals made it, and possibly use it as shelter. We tried to check how deep it was, very carefully and gently. We felt the wildlife close to us.
Some children enjoyed being on hammocks, and rope bridges. Some others needed to run and so started fox and rabbit game. This week we also introduced making bow and arrow, and the children needed to find long and bendy sticks to make good bows, and strong and straight stick for the arrows. One of the children changed bow into a musical instrument.
Some children also enjoyed making binoculars using toilet roles. Through this binoculars, they can see the world differently, and they are able to focus on what they are watching and notice something different. Some children tried bug-eyed binoculars, with this, they could experience some of the insects world, which had lots of eyes. Some of the children went up to the pine forest to pick up some pine needles, and tried pine needle tea.
Free play is so important for the children to explore their interests and curiosity, and express their feelings. The atmosphere and the mood in the woods are different each day, and the children seem to pick suitable play on that day. In the same way, the mood of each child is also different each day, and nature seems to be able to provide a suitable space for everyone.
Week 2 (22nd September)
It was a rainy session on the second day of our forest school. All the children were well prepared with waterproof jackets and trousers. We talked about the animals and creatures, who love rain on the way to the Killiney Hill – the children came up with slugs, snails, frogs, spiders and water buffaloes. We also found mushrooms and cones.
At the base camp, the children had snacks under the tarp, and reminded ourselves about the golden rules. When it rains, the woods look so different. The smell of earth and trees are so vivid, and everything surrounding us is wet and muddy.
Some of the children were not bothered by the rain, and they went straight into their play. Some of them loved digging, or raking leaves, others were interested in collecting rain water from the tarp. Some of the children started bug hunting, and then the others joined. They had magnifying glasses on their hands, and found slugs, tiny spiders, snails and worms under the rocks, fallen leaves, at the foot of trees etc. They also made bug hotels using branches, twigs and fallen leaves. One of the children found a big snail, and there was water tiny puddle at the small hole at the root of a tree. He said this was a home for the snail, and the pond is his swimming pool!
The other children enjoyed making fairy doors, and they found a tree which their fairy might live, and placed the door at the foot of the tree. Another child loved sliding down a small hill, and enjoyed being muddy.
Forest School gives the children opportunities to enjoy all weathers, and it is a great way to build their resilience.
Week 1 (15th September 2022)
It was a lovely day on the first day of our forest school.
On the way to the Killiney hill from the school, we found elder berries, so picked few up for making a nature tea. We shared an important rule that “never put things in the forest on your mouth unless adults says OK!”.
An autumn fairy (made by clay) welcomed children when we entered the Killiney Hill gate, and introduced all the presents from trees on the woodland ground. So the children picked up cones, leaves, sticks and berries and put them in baskets.
At the basecamp, we shared forest golden rules “Keep your self safe and happy, keep each other safe and happy, and keep nature safe and happy”, and “there is no right and wrong in the forest school, so have a fun!”
Then we walked around the boundaries to know where the children can go. These rules are so important in the forest school that the children have a sense of personal responsibility to keep themselves and others safe in the natural environment. Also it is a great way to create an environment where children take care of each other and they have authorities to protect their surrounding nature.
Then we had the time for free play. Some of the children tried making name discs using hand drills. We prepared birch tree discs which is relatively easy to make a hole, but it was challenging for some of them. We always teach the children the correct way of using the tools. Some others enjoyed rope bridges, or making fairies or magic wands using natural clay. Some other children loved explored the area and climbed up the hill.
Children’s play was so organic and dynamic. Every child found something fun to do. Play is a great way to support their healthy development – they explore their imaginations, creativity, and curiosities. They learn from each other, and challenge their their comfort zone.
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