We were only able to have one Saturday in school this term, so we made sure we made the very most of it.
Year 8 played mixed netball and hockey. You must look at the photos below because the fun of the sessions is clear to see. You can also spot Year 6 playing mixed football and Year 5 boys playing rugby.
Year 6 pupils could also opt to do an art session or to go canoeing with Mr Knight on our lake. Afterwards, Mr Knight told us: “We had a brilliant session on the lake and the two-hour slot gave us the scope to paddle a bit further. The children had nearly all paddled with me before and they were super-efficient at getting ready! Once on the water, we took a look at the inlet tunnels before paddling to the far end where we were able to see the water flowing out of the lake. Back ashore, we stowed the canoes and equipment before rounding the session off with a very welcome cup of hot chocolate!”
One Year 6 pupil told us: "It was so much fun. We saw a bird that looked like it was walking on water and when we reached the end of the lake we went ashore and explored."
In the Boundaries, Mr Barker joined Year 4 pupils for their Forest School session.
Mrs Smith, a Forest School Leader, said: “Everyone who joined me and my team in the woods learnt how to make mini fires safely using firesteels. The challenge was to keep their fires going long enough to roast a marshmallow.”
How they made the fire came with a rather unusual explanation! Mrs Smith tells all: “I told the children that troll bogies are one of the best ways to light a fire for the first time! So, their first challenge was to find troll bogies, which trolls extract from their noses using sticks and leave leaning against trees in the woods. They returned with their find (aka Vaseline on a stick) and combined it with a fairy blanket (cotton wool) and placed it in the clam shell. They learnt how to kneel safely next to their fire and create sparks using a firesteel.
“Forest School is all about getting down the children’s level, and showing that it is not always straight forward, you don’t always find things easy, but that’s fine. In Saturday’s session, even those children who were apprehensive at the start, managed to light their fire successfully by the end."
Mr Barker worked with a pupil to get the mini fire going. He commented: "It was harder than I expected to use the firesteel and I was nearly successful!"
Alongside the fire lighting, Mrs Smith set up trust games in the woods. She strung rope through the woods the children had to follow the rope in pairs, with one child blindfolded and the second guiding their friend safely through the wood.
Mrs Smith added: “Throughout their adventures, they applied the three rules of forest school: keeping yourself safe, keeping others safe, and keeping the environment safe.
“Forest School is proven to lower cortisol levels and raise endorphins. Saturday's Forest School definitely gave the children a wonderful feel good factor.”
We look forward to the Summer Term and all the Saturday adventures to come.
