Forest school

Last week continued as it started - playing every day with the kids that live up and down our row of houses.  It was lovely.  We went swimming with Jarvis and his dad, and all the kids really enjoyed it.  One of the best school holiday weeks we've had, as everyone was around and in the mood to hang out with each other.

Monday we had a quiet one.  The car was booked into Kwik Fit so we dropped it off and walked home.  Yesterday Caden and Miles came over.

Today was the first session of forest school.  It's for 6+ so Meg stayed at home with my mum.  Fred and Betsy weren't impressed for the first hour - there was lots of talking and information about the rules.  A couple of the parents told me the first session isn't representative of the rest in the 6 week block.  I told Fed and Betsy this but they weren't convinced.  There was no fire this week (a big draw).

However, one of the mums asked if they wanted to go and dig for old bits of Victorian pottery and glass.  Fred reluctantly agreed and Betsy wanted to be with Fred, so they went into the woods where there is essentially a Victorian rubbish dump.  And they came rushing out a few minutes later, glowing with excitement!  They'd found some pottery shards.  Then they came back with an intact medicine bottle!  And a beautiful white pot.  It was fantastic.  There are so many shards in different colours and patterns, and one of the future activities will be to make a group mosaic.

Next week we'll have a fire, and can bring things to cook on it (we'll bring bagels I expect).  There'll be knives and loppers, and there are plans to make a tyre swing and a catapult.  Fred and Betsy were pretty enthusiastic about it by the end.

Blue skies!

The biggest earthworm I've ever seen.

 Old medicine bottle.

Running to the Victorian rubbish dump through the mud.

Betsy brought her coconut shell piggy bank and made it a nest.