Forest After School! (January -March 2023)

Session 9 (30 March 2023)

We had lovely weather for the final session of our forest after school! Easter is coming, so some of the children decorated their eggs, and tried using natural dye made from red cabbage or onion peels. We left the eggs in the dye and checked the colors at the end of the session. The eggs were dyed blue and yellow!

It is a great season for foraging some edible plants from the forest. We would pick only the plants which are abundant in the area. Even if they are abundant, they might be a very important food source for other animals, so we just pick a few. So the children picked some nettles and wild garlic / three cornered leeks. They helped chop the nettles using scissors, and mixed them with olive oil, pine nuts and salts. We tried tasting with crackers - some liked it and some didn't!

Others enjoyed egg hunting using a cardboard egg. It was a fun activity both hiding it and finding it.

It has been a great term. The children experienced being in the forest when it was still dark at the beginning of this term. They witnessed the days getting longer and longer, and found new buds, shoots, flowers and new leaves coming out and growing each week. Now finally, they felt, using all their senses, the emergence of spring.

Session 8 (23 March 2023)

We started with spring nature scavenger hunt. The children looked for different bird songs, baby sticky weeds, new shoots, red flowers of larch tree, violet and "something spring" etc. We found a big fallen tree on the ground, which was covered by lots of ivy. We walked along the fallen tree and the children were surprised by the size of the tree. Even it is uprooted, it still continues to spread buds from the branches of top of tree. It was amazing to observe. It was very windy at the pine forest. The children enjoyed putting up swings, making their own swings, putting up a hammock and hide and seek!

The second group tried making some animals using origami and decorated their dens. Origami is a traditional children's art form in Japan, and you can create anything from a piece of paper using some techniques and imaginations. The children use fine motor skills and concentrations to produce some shapes. Some children enjoyed wondering around the woods, and picking nettle for making nettle tea. They found an interesting shape on the larch tree. The forest was full of imaginations and wonders.

Session 7 (16 March 2023)

It was a mild spring day for the 7th week of our forest after school. We looked for leprechauns hidden in the woods on the way to the our basecamp. One of the children told us that the leprechauns live under the ground, but might come out a day before the St. Patrick's Day. As their clothes are green, we looked for somewhere green such as dandelion leaves, moss, three corners leeks, duffels leaves, ivy etc.

We went to a pine forest today - as it was lovely and sunny up there. The children enjoyed climbing trees, picking up nettles, playing "Eagle Eye" (hide and seek). At the end of the session, we lied down and looked up at the sky and shared what we noticed and enjoyed today.

The children in the second group had a great fun with playing in the mud - jumping in puddles, digging. Some made fishing rods and tried fishing! Others made their name signs. At the end of the session, we shared poems, songs, and what we enjoyed today.

Session 6 (2 March 2023)

The sky was grey for the 6th week of our forest after school. We went back to see the signs of spring we found last week, and checked if anything changed! Some of the children found that

some baby leaves were growing, and new green leaves of larch trees and elder trees were coming out.

On the way to the basecamp, the children enjoyed rock climbing with a rope. The grandmother tree introduced a Japanese tree spirit called “Kodama”, and some of the children made kodama, or a cat and a mouse or decorations for fairy houses using clay!

Some other children from the later session made "soil dumplings" (called “Tsuchi Dango” in Japanese) - making small bowls with clay, and enclosing seeds of native wild flowers with some soil, sealing it and covering it with soil, and they can plant it in their gardens. By doing this activity, they learnt that growing wild flowers in garden would protect bees!

Others enjoyed exploring, shaving the tree logs, making their special dens more special! We are looking forward to having some more sunshine...!!

Session 5 (23 February 2023)

Even if the sky was grey on our 5th week of Forest School, we found lots of signs of spring in the woods! The children were handed a cardboard with "I found my spring!", and they got a sticker when they found a “spring”. They found so many signs of springs on the way up to our basecamp - purple, yellow & white crocuses, duffidels, new leaves of hazel trees, new buds of beech trees, baby leaves of three-cornered Leek, and some mysterious baby leaves! It was a great way to open up the children's senses and awareness.

At the basecamp, the children started their own play - some of them started to make monkey bars and a swing using ropes. It was great teamwork and they seemed to enjoy their trial and error. The other group of children were making dens. It was great to see that the younger children started to make bonds and play together.

The latter group received a letter from the guardian tree. In the latter, the guardian tree told them that this is the time for magpies to start to build their nests. They learnt that they build their nests in pairs - males collect materials and bring them to females. So some of them tried building their nests using glass, mud and clay. One of the children started to build a nest in her way - trying to connect sticks using twines. Others went back to their den. The older children gave the younger one some jobs to maintain their den system. We no longer needed the head toarchs when we left the basecamp!

Session 4 (9 February 2023)

We had a lovely session for our fourth forest school. We found more signs of spring in the woods. The shoots of crocus came out from the forest ground, and buds of hazel trees and oak trees were coming out.

The children found a big den at our meeting point, so everyone tried getting in. As it was so fun, some of them wanted to make one for them at their base camp. On the way to the base camp, we found a big log which could be used for their den, so tried to pull it up by tying the rope around it, but it was too heavy! It was a good try though.

At the base camp, some of us played hide and seek, by camouflaging themselves. This game gives the children opportunity to be part of nature and be quiet and listen to the surroundings.

One of the children were really good at hiding. We heard small a voice, but couldn’t see anybody! The children were covered by leaves and hid very well. It was so fun to look for them too.

The second group of children managed to pull up a big log and brought it into our base camp. some of us tried putting up a den. Some other children wanted to build a special sanctuary for lots of animals.

Some of the children enjoyed treasure hunting by hiding an orange into a forest, and drew a map. It was a great way to explore and make an observation on the site carefully. One of the children wanted to cut a log by using her special hummer! It was great to see all the children were so engaged with their own play.

The children wanted to have a closing circle and hot chocolate at their sanctuary, so we all went and sit there. The day was getting even longer and we hardly needed head torches anymore, which was a bit disappointing!

Session 3 (2 February 2023)

The sky was grey for our 3rd week of forest school. This week, our theme was Imbolg - the beginning of spring in Ireland. Despite the cold, the signs of spring were there. As we walked to our base camp we looked out for signs of spring, we had a bud identifier sheet and some of the children found buds on an elder tree and matched them to the sheet.

Once we arrived at base camp the children settled in and while they had a snack, we shared a story about Brigid. Brigid is known in Ireland as both a Celtic Goddess and Saint Brigid. We all shared stories of what we know about Brigid. She was known to be fiercely kind and generous, a protector of women and nature, the patron of healing, of smith craft and of poetry, and her cloak opens to pull us into safety, to protect us, but also to let us to new life (Massey, 2021).

One of the activities we offered this week was to make Brigid dolls out of rushes and to make a special cloak of protection that is said to bring many blessings. The children drew nature designs on their cloths and attached the red cloaks full of super powers to their dolls.

Others enjoyed building their castles, climbing trees, planting acorns, befriending a robin.

Spontaneity & flowing with what is happening in the present moment is a big part of forest school. One of the children suggested that they wanted to have a race, which then developed into 3 legged races & a blind folded walking race with direction from the other children. Lots of laughter was had.

At the end of the session, we noticed the day got slightly longer than the last week. We had a little moment of silent, and we made a poem - each child brought a line.

"As we gathered we heard the sound of wind

Sounds of wind

A bird singing

Birds singing

Trees were swaying

I smelt hot chocolate

I tasted marshmallows

I saw white, blue and pink in the sky

I heard a fairy

And what would we do"

We were so grateful to spend time in the woods in this special time of the year.

Session 2 (26 January 2023)

We had great fun at our 2nd week of Winter Forest After School!

This week, we introduced mud paint - the children collected a bit of soil from the forest ground and mixed it with water, and painted rocks and tree barks using paint brushes. Then the children started to have more fun doing hand prints, leaf paints, and painting their faces!

Some children enjoyed gathering fallen leaves using rakes, or making nature signs with a cardboard. One of the children came up with a great idea himself that he wanted to make a nature sign. He carefully selected what he wanted to add by walking around camp and picking up what he found interesting. Some of the nature items he knew the names of already and others he learnt today. He was very happy and proud of himself. Others enjoyed playing with ropes, climbing the trees, or peeling a stick to make it sharpen.

Everyone was busy with their own little projects – there was so much to do in the woods, without anything but nature and very simple tools. When they get used to their surroundings, they follow their own instincts and start to create their own play.

At the end of the session, we enjoyed hot chocolate, while we were sharing what we were grateful for today’s forest school. We read a story book, which was based in Ukrainian folklore, written in Japanese (translated into English when it was read of course)!

In the later session, the older children enjoyed the winter scavenger hunt. They needed to go around the basecamp and look for things. They couldn’t find robin and animal tracks easily, so the children became robins themselves, and made animal tracks using mud paint on the rock.

This week at the later session we also made a plant oil, tasted dandelion leaves and made a herbal tea. Before the making started the group closed their eyes, we passed around the plants to smell and and each child described what they were smelling (sometimes it was nothing!), some of the children knew by the smell what plant it was (mainly daisies and roses which have a strong sweet smell).

Everyone helped chop up pine needles, add in the other plants and pour in the olive oil. Its lovely to see how important it is for kids that they all get to contribute and be part of the making process. We used plants Rebecca had previously foraged & dried out: pine needles, yarrow, rose, daisies, dandelion leaves, chamomile flowers, elder flowers & a sprinkle of magical hawthorn fairy flowers.

When we had finished adding the oil we secured the lid on the jar and passed it around the circle, everyone shook it and put a wish and a kind word into the herbal oil.

It will take a few weeks to steep and be ready. Once it is ready it will need to be strained to remove the plant matter, we’ll then add beeswax and make a balm. Because forest school is a long term programme we will be able to identify most of the plants we used as they come into bloom in spring & summer and make fresh tea from them. So the learning and nature journey continues on!

At the end of the later session, we gathered in cirlce at dusk to drink hot chocolate. A couple of the children shared Irish songs which they sang for the group and we sang along. Yuuki also shared and sang a beautiful Japanese song. To finish the session we shared a special quiet moment at dusk. Everyone sat still in silence and listed to the sounds – some of children thought they heard an owl.. We imagined the animals which started to wake up when the sun went down. Engaging in all of their senses, the children felt the wildness. We hope that they will remember this sensation.

Session 1 (19th January 2023)

For the first session of our school in winter time, we had a little bit of sunshine with cold air!

We gathered in a circle and introduced ourselves with our favorite animals and their movements. Even if it is cold, children love spending time in the woods. The woodland looks so different from any other season. The trees are bare, the ground is frozen, and the air is cold and fresh and you feel the warmth of your body and breath. Spending time in the woods all year around gives children the sense of nature's cycle and the turning of the seasons, different sensations and a resilient and healthy body. Our aim is to give the children opportunities to experience this. We believe that nature is so important for their healthy development. Once our bodies were warmed up, we moved to our base camp, where we will spend the rest of our Forest School this term. When we arrived, we shared the forest golden rules (keep ourselves, each other, and nature safe and happy). Also we set clear boundaries where the children can spend time freely and safely. It is very important to give the children the sense of responsibility to keep everyone, including themselves safe in the natural environment. Then we found a letter from a grandmother tree. She knew all the children’s names, which were told by the fairies. We asked the children if they had seen the fairies, and lots of them said "yes!" "I have seen them in my garden!" "I can see them now!" So we looked around our basecamp to see if we could find any fairy homes, and some of the children enjoyed making fairy doors. Some other children started digging holes on the ground and trying to find something interesting. Some of them wanted to make fairy homes in the ground, Because it is "nice and cozy down there!" Some of the children loved investigating what’s in the soil and found the dead barks and big rocks hidden underneath the ground. Some others tried helping put up the rope swings on a tree. The important Ethos Forest School is child-led play. So we would introduce the activities each week, but if the children have ideas, we let them lead the sessions. There are no right and wrong as long as they are keeping the golden rules. So that the children can make their own trial and error, and they will gain their confidence in their judgment, and self belief. In the natural environment, children use their imaginations and creativity to make spontaneous fun.

At the end of the sessions, we had marshmallows and hot chocolate. The warmth and sweetness were incredible when you were spending time in the cold air. We shared what we were grateful for from our Forest School while we were sharing sweets. In the later session, some children enjoyed weaving using sticks and wool. One of the children suggested we see the sunset, so some of us went to a great view spot, where we could overlook the sea, Dalkey Island and Bray head. The sky was orange, pink and light blue and it was so beautiful. The children gazed at the sea, the sky and the trains going by, and it was so calming. By the end of the later session, it was dark so that our visibility vests and head coaches were shining in the woods, and it was a great adventure.