Final sessions of 2020
“It wasn’t a game actually, it was the most scary, most fun opportunity of my life, it is not a game it is real!”
What a year! The school returned in September having been closed for almost 6 months. A lot had changed in the children’s lives. The school decided to run Forest School for two days a week enabling four classes to participate.
We were very grateful to get further funding from Creative Ireland which allowed us to continue with second class for a further four weeks and give sixth class four weeks to explore what they learned from forest school. Sixth class are the first group to participate in Forest School every second year.
Sixth Class
Session 4
Filming
Last week had been extremely difficult for the sixth class. It was bitterly cold and many were not dressed for such a cold wind. There were a lot of starts and stops and they did their best to work together to make two films to instruct younger children how to play some forest school games. They got some footage and did well considering the weather. It was still very valuable as they were able to look back on their footage and evaluate it. They learned a lot. On Thursday before our Forest session they got into their groups to plan. As leaders we had to decide how to go ahead this week as it was to be the last. We decided to add another theme that they could chose if they wished as we feared that they might have lost heart on the filming they had already done. Also we thought they would get more done if they worked in pairs or groups of three.
An Eco Friendly Christmas
An Eco Friendly Christmas
Work in pairs or groups of three.
Make a film to show how the woods can provide us with materials to make and decorate a Christmas Tree.
- Land Art Christmas tree (build the tree shape on the ground)
- A star from willow
- Pinecone baubles
- Leaves and ivy vines to decorate the tree
- Ivy or willow wreaths
- Wood cookie decorations
Each pair films where to find their materials and shows how to make each decoration. Finally film each group decorating the tree.
Our group chose the Christmas theme. The weather was warmer, there was no wind, they had learned a lot from the previous weeks on what worked best, they were in smaller groups and it all came together so well. Everybody seems to feel challenged and stimulated. They were so inventive and humorous. There was a lot of craic.









Playing with reflection.





The final scene of the film. Creating a snow cloud over the Christmas tree by blowing flour.
Jenny’s Group
A Natural Christmas
Filming.







Next Thursday instead of preparing for Forest Friday the children will edit their films and on Friday they are having a Film Festival. I look forward to my invite.
Second Class
Session 13
This session was completely child led. The children arrived with a story of monsters and continued this game at base camp. The ideas developed as they made traps, cameras, weapons. They talked as they worked on ideas and these ideas morphed as they got passed on between children.













Recordings from the children
“We’re weaving a big net to get the Diplo Rat away, and this might be the last time we see each other.”
“I’m picking pine needles to hurt his eyes, maybe make him stop from seeing.” “He’s giant, so he can shape shift. Normally his tail is the size of that tree. He’s a cross from a dinosaur and a rat.”
Child, while drawing
“ I have all the cameras here, and these are the screens”
“ He’s a shape shifter, he changes his size. So if he sees dogman, (a man who has a dog head) he changes to a squirrel, as dogman get easily distracted.”
Me, at the end of the session as I walk down the hill beside a child,
“ That looked like a good game today?”
Child
“It wasn’t a game actually, it was the most scary, most fun opportunity of my life, it is not a game it is real!”