LOtC

What is our vision for Forest School at St Mary of the Angels?

• To nurture our children’s love of, and appreciation for, God’s creation
• To develop children’s understanding of stewardship
• To provide opportunities for children to develop and have fun in a safe and stimulating environment
• To facilitate children’s understanding of risk taking, choice making and ownership of their own learning

Learning Outside the Classroom

Learning outside the classroom is an integral part of life at St Mary's.  We place high value on enabling children to get outside and experience their learning in a natural environment.  Last year, Forest School was very popular with the children and this year we aim to build on the children's skills and develop their confidence in recognising the abilities they have.

Forest School is an inspirational learning journey, which offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in our woodland and natural outdoor environment.  In addition, we plan to expand our Forest School provision beyond our school site to local beauty spots - such as Rivacre Valley - and places of historical importance.  In doing so, we instantly add flesh to the bones of the creative curriculum which underpins everything we strive for here at St Mary's.

What to wear during winter sessions:

• Base layer – long sleeve t shirt (or old pyjama top).  You may want to double up in winter months.
• Mid layer – an old, warm jumper that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy
• Outer layer – a waterproof coat with a hood.
• Legs - tights, long johns, leggings, old pyjama bottoms and tracksuit trousers over the top.  Waterproof trousers if possible
• Footwear – old trainers, walking boots or wellies are perfect
• Extras - a warm, woolly hat, gloves, and scarf.

What to wear during summer sessions:

• Base layer – preferably a long-sleeved t-shirt although a short-sleeved t-shirt may suffice if the weather is hot
• Outer layer – a thin, waterproof jacket or coat
• Legs – long tracksuit bottoms are essential.  These help to avoid bites and stings during the summer months.
• Footwear – old trainers, walking boots or wellies are perfect
• Extras - a freshly filled water bottle, sun cream applied before school

Thursday 20th March 2025 - EYFS

EYFS enjoyed a fantastic Forest School session in the sunshine today! We started off by creating minibeast movements before making minibeast models using clay and natural materials. We enjoyed making lots of ladybirds and snails. We also built dens using wooden poles and material, developing our motor skills by hammering them in to the ground! We looked for minibeasts and signs of spring in our sensory garden, taking photos using our iPads, and we loved using the rope swing. We finished off by toasting marshmallows around the campfire and enjoyed our delicious hot chocolate too.

Thursday 13th March - Year 5

Year 5 had a brilliant time during their Forest School session in Rivacre Valley.  During the morning, they used aerial maps to locate different areas in their local nature reserve, before using IPads to identify flora and fauna that they spotted throughout the session.  The children also used their IPads to capture any signs of spring that they could see to create an artistic collage using zooms and filters.  To end the session, the children came back to school for a campfire in the Forest School area and toasted some marshmallows.

Thursday 17th February - Year 1

The sun was shining brightly for our Forest School session and we had such an amazing!.  We started by matching natural objects to nature cards.  After that we made a spinning top toy by sawing a log slice and decorating it.  We also learned how to tie a knot to make a log dog.  Some of our log dogs were very cheeky and noisy!  Finally, we set fire to paper houses to show how the Great Fire of London spread so easily.  

Thursday 13th February

The cold morning didn't stop us being creative outside today in Forest School.  Year 2 really enjoyed using natural materials and the outdoor environment to create individual and group pieces of art.   We used clay and items found in the nature area to create faces and we were inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy to create some beautiful patterns.   To finish the session we had a fire and toasted marshmallows.  We had lots of fun and look forward to our next session!

Thursday 7th February - Year 3

The misty fog and cold weather didn't hold us back today! Year 3 had a wonderful Forest School session with Jon, jam packed full of activities all linked to our topic of Roman Britain. We began by playing some trust-building games, before moving onto recapping a knot we would need for the session, square-lashing. Today our activities included: using hammer and nails to make Roman numerals, using a bow-saw to slice logs of wood to create Roman coins and using our square-lash knots to create a replica of an aqueduct. The children showed great perseverance in the cold conditions and we were lucky enough to finish off our session with a fire and toasted marshmallow.

Thursday 24th January - Year 5

The wet weather was no match for our zestful Year 5 during today's wet Forest School session.  We layered up and got outside for a fantastic morning learning all about the lives and beliefs of the Native American people.  We worked on several different activities, including wood cutting and fire lighting, tipi making and shaping willow to create dreamcatachers for our latest Design Technology project.  Back in class, we spent the afternoon weaving wool around our willow frames and decoraring our dreamcatchers with feathers, leaves and pine cones in an authentic way, similar to the designs used by the early Native American tribes.

Thursday 16th January 2025 - Year 6

Today, Year 6 took part in some Maya-inspired activities to help us with our new topic. We made Maya inspired pyramids using natural resources. We also used our knowledge of lighting fires so we can safely make our own using strikers to create a flame and sticks to keep the fire burning. A further activity that we all took part in was where we cut our own wooden discs to make our own Maya jewellery. 

Eddie & Bella

Today in Forest School , we were focusing on the ancient Maya. We cut out pieces of a Christmas tree to make jewellery. Also, we had to sand the wooden discs down to make them as smooth as possible. Next, we made a Maya settlement (Coba) with natural resources including: logs, sticks, leaves, rocks and grass. We tried to make it identical to the map of Coba that Jon gave us. We then got into groups of three and cut up wood until it was as thin as a matchstick, before using it to make fires. Once we finished the fires, Jon used the ashes to make a proper fire and to roast our marshmallows in.

George & Jacob P

Thursday 9th January 2025 - Reception

Reception had a wonderful time during our Forest School session this week. We were very active to keep ourselves warm and loved exploring the snowy environment, making crunchy footprints and drawing pictures on the ground using sticks and twigs! We looked for pictures of owls hidden in the Forest School area and worked with a partner to build a home for them using natural materials such as twigs and leaves. We really enjoyed our delicious hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows too. We had a lovely time and are already looking forward to our next session!

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