This was the first time the Leicestershire Virtual School had organised Forest School activities for primary children. It had been such a hot few days, so it was lovely to be in the woods enjoying the shade of the trees.
We walked to the woodland, listening carefully to Cath, the Forest Schools Leader, who was explaining what we could expect.
All the children and carers tried hard to remember the three rules:
- Look after yourself
- Look after your friends
- Look after the woods
After collecting pieces of wool, we made friendship bracelets to remind ourselves of the new people we had met and the friends we had made.
The day was full of activities but at the same time, there was time to sit and be quiet, or to watch the flames dancing in the fire.
With our new friends, we made dens around the woodlands that would be our bases for the day. It was great to sit inside together and eat our lunch.
After lunch we had a choice of activities:
- cooking toast on the fire
- using the bow saw and hand drill to make a name badge
- using clay to make a boggle
- going on the rope obstacle course
- continuing to explore the woods
We all had a chance to have a go at doing something we had never done before – even the carers.
The toast on the fire was the best we had ever tasted and we had to concentrate really hard to use the bow saw.
At the end of session we all sat around the fire and reflected on what we had done that day.
The carers shared some comments with us:
"Both really enjoyed the activity and did things they hadn't done before, it was educational for them as well. It was a very positive impact on them and they want to do it again"
"Extremely well organised, well equipped. Very friendly staff and everything was well explained to all, adults and children alike. It was also good to meet some of the faces. Thank you all for a wonderful day!"
Thank you to Cath at Manor Farm, for helping us to have such a special day in the woods.