Educating Kings: Outdoor fun

It is Forest School day on a Wednesday. Miles was also very happy to be in the woods, with his sword of course!

Miles went off for a play with his friend at her house so I could stay with Caden and Freddie today. Caden joined the opening circle and had a drink. Plans were made for the session.

The children decided on what the themes would be, today it was fire building, tyre swing making and den building. Caden enthusiastically volunteered by raising his hand, for wood collecting for the fire. He found a log with some fungus on and identified it for me as Man's Ear. I have only known this as Jew's ear but I guess that might not be very politically correct these days.

Some girls found a birds egg. A sure sign of Spring if ever there was one. It was a beautiful shade of blue with speckles. One of the Mum's said she thought it might be a thrush's egg but we weren't too sure. The kids all had a good look at it.

Here is Caden collecting wood. We collected loads!

Fire building.

He asked Julie, the leader, if they could play 123 Hide and Seek! She was really great with him and played four rounds, I learned something today about watching the way she was so very child-led in her playing of games with him. I liked it. Caden liked it too, he got a lot out of playing hide and seek and being able to call the shots!

Showing me where we will hide.

Lots of the other children had decided to have a snack, Freddie shared his popcorn with everyone around a sawn off tree trunk. They had found some chalk and devised a procedure whereby any children wishing to join had to 'sign in'. Caden and I went to see what they were doing, they invited him to join them and we wrote a C down on the log for him. Then he was allowed to join in. He was still working out the kids so he hung back a little but he did listen in.

Then he found the tyre swing a group of girls had made from some spare rope and an old tyre and had a good old swing about on it.

Another girl came to join him and he had the idea for her to swing and him to pull her, they took it in turns to pull each other about on the tyre after this.

On the way home we passed through Cheddington. We had about an hour over lunch so I stopped at the playground. It is one they have always asked to stop and play at when I have driven through and I never have. They really had a good play here together.

The weather brightened up in the afternoon so we took the opportunity to set up their little tikes log cabin and the garden furniture before their friends arrived for Wednesday afternoon playtime and movie night.

Here they are drawing pictures on the patio with chunky chalks.

Then they asked to paint animals so they got the animal toys and brought them out, I got the paints on the palette ready and they all got stuck in with painting them. Masterpieces will be shown in a further post with any luck!