Forest School Fun!

If you can, spend all morning, right up until lunchtime outside together – this is how our Friday mornings in school are normally spent and we all love it – children and adults included!

Make sure that you wrap up warm and take the essentials with you!

A drink and snack, plus any resources that you may need for our activity ideas!

We always begin our outside time with a chat and reflection.

Create an area where each week, when you go outside, you can sit

(it could be on a plastic bag, old garden furniture or even inside if you are finding it tricky to get out).

Ask your child to introduce themselves. We normally say:

‘My forest school name is…(the children make up any name at all) and I am looking forward to…’

Tell the children that Miss Sutton would like you to add a new line…

‘This week I have loved…’

Adults – you go first! You can model the sentence to your children, make up a great name and tell your child what you’ve enjoyed doing with them this week and what you are looking forward to.

This could be today, at the weekend or even next week!

After that, enjoy singing a song together!

Any song will be perfect! Choose your favourite pop song or nursery rhyme! Enjoy laughing together, listening to the different sounds outside and breathing in the fresh air!

Now…play!

Explain that they are going to have some time to play, like they do in forest school and that there are activities to do with you if they want to.

Don’t forget to stop for snack later on in the morning, before continuing with play!

We always find snack a great time to revisit chat and reflection.

Find the list of forest school ideas in the resources section.

Every Friday we will have a forest school morning.

If it works best for you to pick and choose parts of forest school to do inside and some out on a walk, then go for it! Please remember to do whatever works best for you and your child.

I hope you manage to get the chance to get outside with them. Team Hedgehogs find that it is a really important and special part of our weekly routine that we share with the children.