Forest School news- Spring Term

​With Year 3 last week we used the flint and steel to make tiny fires. It was definitely an exercise in resilience and perseverance!

The weather was damp and it took a long time to get the cotton wool to light. The children were given all the time they need to succeed, we were happy for them to try all afternoon if they wanted to. Often when we do this activity it takes a while for the children to relax and understand that there is no set time to succeed. They can adapt how they do it, they can ask friends for advice. Building resilience takes time and luckily at Forest School we can take all the time we need. 

As the afternoon went on it was great to see the children support each other, they sat together and gave advice, told their friends not to give up, keep going. 

Making little fires serves lots of purposes, the main one being teaching of fire safety. Before they begin, the children have to make sure they had all the safety gear they need. They must manage the area around their proposed fire,  they learn to have the confidence to tell people to move away if they are too close.

Once the fire is lit only they are in charge of it. They must many sure that no one comes near, touches it or takes their safety equipment. They are responsible for putting it out and making sure the site is safe after. 

Fire lighting was only only one small part of our afternoon! There was den building, swing making, mud cakes, Christmas tree camps and much more.