ICT MEETS FOREST SCHOOL

This year in Forest School I have found two pieces of equipment essential. The first is a waterproof camera. I have been using a Canon PowerShot D10. Simple to use, robust enough for the children to carry round the site and take pictures. The options with modes are great too with a video record function for added flexibility. Its tough waterproof case has meant I haven’t had to worry about all the rain either.

The second has been the iPad. I must admit I was really worried about using this outdoors but finding the Griffin Survivor Military Duty Case with Stand took away any worries. It has survived all the rain and the odd bump or too as well, great protection. The only drawbacks have been the flap over the camera which means the edge of a finger gets into the picture and back in the classroom while the charger will fit in the display cable won’t which means taking the case off  every time you want to connect to a projector.

This does not get in the way of the benefits as children have been able to record their learning, make movies and even Tweet as we are just in range of our wireless network.

Forest School Photo Art

   Click on this picture to view all work in the gallery.

To follow up the Environmental Art Day; Year 6 have been exploring abstract art as part of their Forest School lessons to support the Cornerstones Gallery project.

We talked about the way they could begin to look for shapes and form in natural objects and zoom in to select a small area of texture. We also began to consider colour as a way to convey the feeling of warmth or coolness in photos.

We are lucky enough to have an iPod per child for this session. Most children were already familiar with the camera function so we also introduced them to Snapseed, a free photo editing app, to allow them to experiment with editing their photo.

During the session most children asked questions to develop their skills but what was especially pleasing were the children who went and looked at things in different ways for themselves.

One found some reflections in bowls of water which had been left out to freeze by another class, others began to look up into the trees for the shapes in the interwoven branches.

During this time the weather was usually overcast, dull with a little snow on the ground but some children still found colour, or an odd patch of blue sky when it appeared and even a frozen footprint!

Catching up at Lakey Lane

Link to Lakey Lane Forest School Page

 

Ariel view of site

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Forest School at Lakey Lane and meet up with collegues in the consortium who also trained at the same time as myself.

It's always useful to see what is happening elsewhere and share ideas which can then give you an opportunity to reflect on your own practice.

Lakey Lane delivers Forest School to two year groups one from the infant phase and one from the junior phase. They have two qualified teachers and run a programme in cycles of six weeks to give every child an opportunity to attend lessons.

The site looks fantastic and has recently benefitted from the addition of a wood shed to help with storage.

A photo record had been kept which shows many of the exciting experiences the children had been getting up to.

All the schools in the consortium have taken a slightly different approach to delivering Forest School and as we continue to share our experiences I'll try to write more here.

Mini Shelter Building at Lakey Lane

Fire circle

The Snow

It's really exciting when it snows, especially when you're young. Last year we had hardly any to speak of and by the time we got outdoors in the morning it had all gone.


The first day with snow - not much really!

Usually snow means sit in your classroom it's wet play and just look at the outdoors but with Forest School it means 'fantatastic' we get to go out in it.

Almost a snowman

Here at Lyndon Green the children go out on a bi weekly cycle for their lessons and sadly the weather doesn't understand Equal Opportunities, so not lasting the full two weeks some missed out.

The snow gave the children a chance to see the outdoors in another way, there was a feeling that it would be cold but the outdoor thermometers told us that it was not as cold as some of the frosty mornings we had had in the sunshine, the snow just made it feel colder.

And then it really snowed

Planned activities were put to one side and the children explored how the snow could be used to create characters. It was very powdery and difficult to get it to stick together for most of the time and it was not until some of the moisture from the ground was absorbed that we could start to roll giant snowballs or make huge snowmen.

Snow Hedgehogs

Here are some of the things we did make and what fun we had.