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FOREST SCHOOL BLOG

Sit quietly in your garden, at the park, or even at the seaside... what can you see? What can you hear? The birds can see you, I wonder if you can see them…


Winter is a wonderful time of year to get to know our feathered friends, and it’s also an opportunity to give them a helping hand. This month in Forest School we’ve been talking about the birds: what they look like, what they sound like, where they live and why they find winter so challenging. The children have also taken part in the Ruby Robin Award, an initiative run by the charity Songbird Survival, which teaches children about songbirds and encourages them to help them in the colder months. To gain their award the children have learnt more about UK songbirds such as robins, goldfinches and blue tits; they have made bird feeders using lard and bird feed; they have completed the RSPB Big Schools Birdwatch; and practiced their fine motor skills by colouring some of our native birds in their correct colours and building nests in the woods for our resident nest tester Rob Rob. It is magical to see such young children thinking about how to care for native wildlife so please do ask them about what they've been getting up to. You could also download the free Merlin app to help you investigate which birds are singing to you in your own garden.


Here are some of our favourite books about birds:

  • Little Robin Red Vest, Jan Fearnley

  • Busy Day for Birds, Lucy Cousins

  • The Go Away Bird, Julia Donaldson

  • This is Owl, Libby Walden

  • The Flight of the Snow Goose, Deborah King

  • Owl Babies, Martin Waddell

  • Peep Inside a Bird’s Nest, Anna Millbourne/Usbourne


Noses go red,

Fingers turn blue,

But we're ready for winter,

I wonder, are you?


It seems like Autumn has flown by and already we are readying ourselves for the coldest months. We are incredibly passionate about the importance of outdoor play and engaging children with the world around them.  The children who attend regularly are developing fantastic knowledge, curiosity and care for the natural world as well as enjoying their time in the woods, learning to use tools and having snacks around the firepit. 


To keep children happy and healthy while outdoors in the colder months we recommend the following kit:


  • Gloves or mittens - waterproof, snow mittens are the best option and can be bought fairly cheaply online, from ebay etc.

  • A woolly hat - without a bobble makes it easier for them to put their hood up in the rain.

  • A waterproof coat and waterproof trousers - ski jackets/salopettes are perfect for keeping warm and dry and can often be found second hand in local charity shops.

  • Extra thick, long socks.

  • Warm layers - avoid denim, fleece and wool give great core warmth as do thermal base layers.

  • Waterproof wellies or snow boots - avoid ankle-length boots as the puddle jumpers are getting very wet feet!

  • A named carrier bag to bring home wet/dirty clothes.


We also strongly advise modelling positive attitudes towards winter weather and the adventures it brings. You can model this for your child by wrapping up warm, packing a flask of warm drink and heading out in your wellies. Talk to your child about the winter sights which you can see - can you spot a bird's nest amongst the winter tree branches, is there frost on the grass, or perhaps ice in the puddles.



As the weather starts to chill, the children have turned their attention to the ways in which nature slows down. The trees lose their leaves ready to rest and store their energy for new growth in Spring, but what are the animals doing?


In Forest School we play close attention to our animal neighbours: we know that the Squirrel has been burying acorns in the long grass and have found last year's forgotten larder as new oaks begin to sprout; we know that the birds are trying to gain fat and are building up their nests to get them through the cold weather; we've even found amphibians hiding away in our log pile. But the group we never see are our nighttime visitors, the nocturnal animals, who busy around after dark, snuffling and digging to unearth their favourite suppers.


Many of these - hedgehogs, bats, frogs and toads for example - are also hibernators, so to help them snuggle up for the winter the Butterfly children have been building Homes for Hibernators. Using hammers, nails and timber off cuts the children have built bat houses and hedgehog hotels to be housed in the Forest School Woodland.


Also this month the children have been paying their respects and making poppy-coloured god's eyes to mark Armistice Day.



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