We made a Christmas Tree

In the lead up to Christmas its great fun helping to prepare the little ones for the exciting things they will experience. I saw this idea on a Pinterest site and adapted it so the little ones could help to make the tree and then stick baubles and stars on it. They loved counting them and talking about the colours. It was a great opportunity for learning about taking turns too and then of course lots of celebrating their work afterwards by showing it off to parents and the big children after school too.

I made a wreath

Hear is a classic example of procrastination! I said to myself that I would fill in some of my Forest School portfolio but found myself in the garden foraging for suitable wreath making foliage. I used apple tree twig prunings to bend them into a circle shape, tied together with string and then threaded small pine tree branches and dried sedum flowers onto it. The smell was heavenly and it was then adorned with some wooden ornaments and icicles and stayed on the front door all Christmas. Felt quite proud of it actually! I can use it as part of my Forest School Training as I had to learn how to bend the wood and think about which resources to use so it will go into my reflective journal as a useful learning activity. 

Birthday celebrations

Everyone loves to be made a fuss of when it's their Birthday, especially if it's a 2nd Birthday and the first time you're really old enough to appreciate it! The children helped make the cake and then we played Musical Statues, Musical Bumps and 'Simon Says' and had a little disco! Great fun for all ages!

Making Leaf pictures

We went out in the garden to collect leaves and I showed the children how to put them in a pattern. This activity completely absorbed the children, they spent ages finding leaves, talking about the colours, sizes and shapes of the leaves. Im learning to step back more and allow the learning to take place, led by the children which is one of the fundamental ethos of Forest School. The children all chose their favourite leaves to bring inside and we made pictures out of them.

Messy fun

I think this was one of the first ever messy play activities I did as a childminder and it has remained a firm favourite. Nothing could be simpler- Corn flour and water and hands getting stuck in. Children (and grown ups!) of all ages love feeling the texture of this strange mixture and watching how it changes and moves. I do then have a film of white powder over everything for a while but it cleans up really easily so its really worth it!

Making Leaf piles

Any gardener knows how good leaf mulch is for gardens so every autumn we have fun collecting leaves in the garden. As well as the apple, plum, apricot trees and vine in the garden we have cherry and pear trees overhanging so there are a lot of leaves at this time of year! The children get to use tools such as a rake to help collect up the leaves, we put them into big tubs and then work together to carry them to the leaf pile near the compost. We talk about the noise the leaves make and  try to identify which trees the leaves came from. It's great for helping children to learn about the seasons. They also love looking into the compost bin to see how stinky it is and count all the worms!

Starting my forest school journey

I was lucky enough to run some forest school sessions with the lovely Emily from Tribe Tooting. Via Furzedown Primary school we offered some after-school taster sessions on a Friday for 6 weeks in the summer term. They were a great success, the children really engaged with it and it was wonderful to see how immersive it can be. They made foraged for and made clay, built shelters, played chasing games, climbed trees, built imaginary villages, made leaf leaf crowns, made a damn and of course got lovely and dirty. One of my biggest challenges from the first week of my course is learning how to tie various knots, lots of practice will be required I think!

My crown

I think you could say I'm really embracing the instructions at the start of my Forest School Practitioner training practical week (Be as childish as possible to get the most out of the training). I made the decision to undertake this training earlier in the year as I wanted a new challenge, to learn something new to offer my children and be inspired to change how I used the outdoors to plan learning experiences. I made this Ivy crown while we were exploring Ham Common woods to find different natural resources and learn how they can be used in forest school activities.

Outstanding again!

I'm delighted to say that finally, after a long overdue inspection ( almost 8 years since last one!) I have been awarded Outstanding again! She was a lovely inspector and very human, engaging well with the children and put me at ease.  But I did get a proper grilling about child development, my planning, safeguarding, risk assessments and had to give her example of my inspirational practice. She observed me with the children and went through all my paperwork with a fine tooth comb. Hugely relieved it's all over and that I've got the recognition for doing a great job. Hooray!

My daughters were so proud of me and wrote it on the doorstep!

Amazing School shows

Furzedown Primary school put on fantastic regular shows that the children all take part in. I am lucky enough to have 4 different year groups' shows to go and watch and I always bring the younger children with me so they can experience them too. In this one my daughter was taking part in a play about Australia which was the culmination of her topic this term. She looked so cute with a handbag, summer dress and hat as she acted out travelling across the outback. The babies love seeing the children they recognise and its a lovely chance for them to hear live music as there is always gorgeous singing and piano playing.

I like driving in my car!

This car is one of the most popular toys in the garden! This little one can now reach the floor and makes it known loudly that she wants someone to push her around, then giggles wildly. Children learn lots of skills while engaging with this activity; from learning to climb in, providing practice with left and right, balance and co-ordination, personal and social emotional development too as they have to learn to take turns and share. Of course we always talk about it being the big red and yellow car too so we are learning about colours and sizes at every opportunity.

Practising balance

My new little boy is just gaining confidence now and getting to know all the lovely toys and activities we have on offer. On this particular day we were out in the garden and I could see he was keen to try out the trike but feeling shy. I helped him on and he was happiest just sitting on it observing the others around him. This is a good way for him to feel safe and secure and gradually become more involved in activities as he becomes more confident. He did manage smiles though so I was very happy to see that!

Saying goodbye

We have had one little boy with us for one day a week since October and now it's time to say goodbye. Although he probably doesn't understand fully, the older children do so it's important for them that we have an opportunity to celebrate our friendships, make goodbye cards and take goodbye pictures to remind us of our friends. He will also be sent the picture so he can be reminded of our special times together.

Exploring ice

We went outside on this cold sunny day and discovered that ice had formed in the plant pot holders. The children were fascinated and touched it to feel how cold and slippery it was. They enjoyed dropping the pieces and watching them first shatter and then melt in the sun. It was also fun to draw with our fingers and make water marks on the wooden decking. A lovely unexpected discovery, lots of learning!

Swinging at the Rec

Despite the VERY windy weather it's always fun to get up to the Rec and enjoy the swings. I love making the children giggle as I tickle their feet, say Boo and sing songs! It's very fresh and windy as it's quite exposed but it provides plenty of opportunity to notice the seasons and I did have to stop some leaves being eaten! Rice cakes were a much more attractive option I think.