Forest School
At Knavesmire we love to investigate, explore, experiment and create.
Forest school allows children to enjoy the natural world within a safe and supportive environment, guided by qualified staff, whilst giving them opportunity to experience unfamiliar challenges and take controlled risks. The sessions take place in all weathers and are flexible in order to make the most of the learning potential that nature offers at any one time.
Every year group has the opportunity to experience forest school several times throughout the year. We base our Forest School activities around principles of building confidence, boosting self-esteem and encouraging an appreciation of the natural environment.
Forest School activities are designed to complement the Big Idea. Children engage in a variety of fun and challenging tasks outside, which range from going on mini-beast hunts and collecting natural objects to fire-lighting, using tools and shelter building. These activities are successful at developing children’s physical and co-ordination skills as well as their social skills as they learn to work together and express themselves individually.
Huge congratulations to Christine Banham for winning a ‘Special Recognition Award’ in the Little Vikings Awards 2022.
Christine is our Forest School Lead Practitioner and works really hard to plan and deliver exciting fruitful projects to the pupils throughout our school.
Despite this award celebrating what’s going on in York, it shows what a superstar Christine is!
What have we been cooking?
The children love to cook outdoors and these are some of our recent recipes. Always remember to keep safe around an open fire. Have a bucket of water nearby, maintain a safe distance, use tongs to remove hot food and make sure children are supervised at all times.
Baked Apples
Ingredients:
- Small to medium apple (or slice a large apple in half)
- Knob of butter
- A few Raisins
- 2 – 4 chocolate buttons
Core a small apple and fill the inside with the butter, raisins and chocolate.
Wrap the apple securely in tinfoil and place in the base of a fire. Cook until the apple feels soft.
Variations: you can choose anything you like as a filling! We love blackberries or cinnamon sugar.
No fire? Just cook in the oven instead
Damper bread
Ingredients:
- 250g flour
- 150ml water
- Pinch of salt
- Flavourings (optional)
- Mix the flour, sugar and salt together and gradually add the water to make a smooth dough.
- Add any flavourings and knead the dough well on a clean surface.
- Find a long, clean, fresh stick and use a potato peeler to remove the bark from one end to make it clean
- Roll the dough into a sausage shape and wrap it around the clean end of the stick
- Hold the stick over the fire and after a few minutes the dough will cook into delicious bread
Flavouring options:
- For a sweet bread add a teaspoon of sugar to the flour
- Add grated cheese for cheese twists
- Add herbs, spices or olives for a delicious Mediterranean flavour
- Spread the cooked bread with jam or chocolate spread
Check out our article in The York Press!
Useful links:
What is forest school? An article by the Forest School Association: https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/
Activities to try at home: https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-kids/games-and-activities/activities/
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2020/03/kids-nature-activities-self-isolation/