Forest Friday

Nests

Dalkey School Project N.S.

Session 3

Junior Infants

First Class

Inspire

The day before I sent the class a slide show of nests made by different birds in different locations. In class they discussed the materials in the nests that they recognised.

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I find this is a great way to inspire the children and give them time to think about possibilities and ideas before Forest Friday. They come talking about nests. I had two old nests for us to look at.

We looked the the materials in the nest. What was the difference between the outside materials and the inside materials? They found white long hairs in the inside. This nest came from my garden. I told how I clean the hairs from my comb during spring and leave them out for the nest building birds. The other nest had soft white stuff lining inside. What could it be? When I told them that it came from my friend’s farm where there are sheep they decided it was sheep’s wool. We used our thumb and pointer finger to see what it would be like if you only had a beak to pick up some materials on the ground. Imagine weaving a nest with just a beak. We wondered how long it would take. Do both parent birds make the nest together?

Off they ran to collect materials. We tried out sticks. Would we need bendy ones to make a circular nest? Sticks were put through a trial of whether they were bendy or snappy.

By the end of a term of Forest Fridays the children’s knowledge about the woodland is amazing. Their naming of plants, animals, fungi, birds and invertebrates is impressive but what really is impressive is their love and knowledge and excitement. I watched them pick up sticks from the forest floor and chatting to themselves saying “snappy” and “bendy”. After a while I noticed that they wanted bendy sticks so they didn’t pick up snappy ones. Their power of observation, knowing the twigs which were mainly larch and ash from they other twigs by starting with experimenting is a far greater knowledge than just naming plants.

Tasting, smelling, touching,hearing, imagining, making, wondering, noticing, observing, climbing, playing all feed into a deep understanding of the woodland.

Other materials were sought then. “Look, sticky weed could stick everything together.”

Then new ideas emerged. ” Can we play a game of sticky weed tag?”one child asked. So she explained to the others how the game is played. I love how child-led forest school is and that we have the time to include lots of ways of learning. It’s so good to see how she explained it and how the others asked questions.

Back we went to collecting nest materials as we walked up to our base.

Lots of dandelion seed heads were collected to line the nests and some found downy feathers. As we had so much sticky weed I suggested that it might be good to make wild tea with it this week.

Discoveries

Two children who were collecting materials further in the trees called me in to show me something amazing. “Look at these, what are they?” There was lots of hogweed growing and the children noticed that they had these lovely purple pods. Then we found one that had opened. The plant’s flower heads are enclosed in a pouch which gradually opens. The little bit of flower peeping out looks a little like broccoli. We will have a look next week to check them out. Someone else found buds with hairs on them that shone silver in the sun. There is so much magic to discover in the woods. From our last session they remembered how tasty the new leaves are on the beech trees.

As we reach our base there is a rush to see if there was a letter on grandmother tree. Hazel found it this week and Beatrix volunteered to read it.

Hi There!

I have been watching you during the past Fridays. I love watching the fun you have because you remind me of my family. I laid 15 eggs and out of that amount 10 have hatched.

I have my nest near grandmother tree so when my hungry chicks leave the nest they will have plenty of caterpillars to eat. My babies eat up to 100 caterpillars a day! That’s a lot of food.

You might hear them when I arrive with food to the nest they make an almost continuous cacophony of ‘tsee – tsee – tsee – tsee – tsee’.

Bye for now, I’m off to collect 100s of caterpillars,

Blue Tit

It was a lovely day to sit out on the rocks for break and listen to today’s story.

 Story – The magpie’s nest – How Do Birds Know How to Build Nests?

All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach them how to build

nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all at building nests. So she put all the

birds round her and began to show them how to do it. First of all she took some mud

and made a sort of round cake with it.

“Oh, that’s how it’s done,” said the thrush; and away it flew, and so that’s how thrushes build

their nests.

Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them round in the mud.

“Now I know all about it,” says the blackbird, and off he flew; and that’s how the

blackbirds make their nests to this very day.

Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.

“Oh that’s quite obvious,” said the wise owl, and away it flew; and owls have never

made better nests since.

After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them round the outside.

“The very thing!” said the sparrow, and off he went; so sparrows make rather slovenly

nests to this day.

Well, then Magpie took some feathers and stuff and lined the nest very comfortably with it.

“That suits me,” cried the starling, and off it flew; and very comfortable nests have starlings.

So it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build nests, but none of 

them waited to the end. 

And that is why different birds build their nests differently.

The children couldn’t wait to get going with their nest building. When we ran out of sticky weed some children wanted more but couldn’t find any growing in out base. I reminded them about the two nests I showed them at the beginning and how they came from different places and each bird used what was in the area. So we look around the base for another material that was long enough to weave with. There was plenty of long ivy strands and they were delighted with it when I showed how they could weave it in a circle.

What did you notice today? What are you grateful for from this session? Most of the children chose to draw their responses.

First Class

This group really wanted rope bridges and hammocks today. Our two sixth class assistants put up two hammocks while lots of the children helped me put up a rope bridge. I really needed good strong people to do tug of war to tighten our ropes. There are very strong children in this class and after a few tries we got our rope bridge ready for climbing.

Two boys chose to start building nests while the others queued up for turns on the bridge and hammocks. When they had experienced this some children began finding more nest building materials to add to the ones that they had collected on the way to our base.

Drying out grass.

Sit Spot

Some children like to sit quietly in their sitting spot and others find this difficult. I find that it helps to give them the option to draw. I noticed that one boy sat in a den where he couldn’t be seen and I could hear him tapping out the sound a blue tit was making. Later I asked him what was the sound he was making. He said he could hear a bird and he tried copying it by tapping with his pencil. How amazing!

Drawing responses.

Forest Friday

What lives in the Old Tree

Dalkey School Project NS

Session 2

Friday 2th April

Junior infants 8.30 – 11.00

First class 11.30 – 2.00

Junior Infants

This week it was great to see how much junior infants remembered from last week. In our Welcome circle they were able to say the three Golden Rules for forest school. Keep yourself safe and happy, keep each other safe and happy and keep nature safe and happy. They asked about tree climbing. They are allowed to climb as high as they can reach with their hand while standing on the ground. They need to keep themselves safe so there are some things that they might need to check. Is the ground clear of rocks underneath, are the branches strong enough to hold your weight, check that the wood is not rotten.

They also remembered our crow call.

They were very excited about what tea we might make this week. As we looked across the field there were trees of lovely white flowers. We went over to check if they were cherry blossom. They were and there was plenty of them so we knew there would still be many cherries for the bird in autumn.

Some children decided to take some blossom to Grandmother tree.

On our way up to our base we found other plants that are edible. We tasted the delicious samaras seeds from the wych elm, and the children pretended that they were deer and nibbled on the new beech leaves.

We stopped to look at a tree that was rotting. How can we tell that is it’s rotting? There was lots of Bracket fungus growing on it. The children noticed that people had scratched letters and mark in it. This is called Artist’s fungus, so we can guess why. They also noticed lots of little holes in the trunk where the bark had fallen away, and shiny slime that went up the tree as far as we could see.

Last week we had a problem with dogs eating the children’s lunches so this week we decided to go out on a secret area away form people and their dogs. It was perfect to sit and see all of Dublin bay while eating lunch and listening to this weeks story.

Story – The Old Tree

The tree had grown in the forest all her long life. But there were lots of younger trees there now. They made her feel very old indeed.

‘Nobody cares about an old tree like me,’ she said. ‘I’m no use to anyone any more. I’ve got an old, knotty trunk, twisted branches and I have an ache in my fork,’ she sighed.

At the fork in her trunk, where two great branches met, rainwater had collected over the years. It soaked through the bark and made the wood soft and damp.

Then, one wild and rainy night, there was a loud crack and the branch snapped right off. ‘Oh dear,’ she said. But at least the pain of holding up the heavy branch with soft, old wood was gone. Now there was just a great scar of bare wood and the beginnings of a hole.

The fungus kept growing and, as it grew, the wood became softer and started to rot. ‘No one is going to want a rotten old tree like me,’ she sighed.

 But the beetles did. Beetles like nice, soft wood. ‘Over here!’ cried a beetle. ‘Is it soft? Is it damp?’ asked another. It was. The crumbling, damp wood was the perfect place to lay their eggs. When the young beetle grubs hatched, they ate the dead, damp wood, and made little tunnels as they burrowed through it.

It was time to fly away. They always returned to lay more grubs.

Many more creatures came to live on her. The slugs and snails and woodlice loved the damp wood, the spiders and harvestmen loved all the crevices.

Maybe life is not so lonely after all.

When we got back to our base the children were so excited to find a letter in grandmother tree.

Hi children,

I see you’re back. You must have enjoyed last week.

Have you noticed my beautiful silvery glittering trail?

I’ll tell you something funny. They call me a gastropod. I mean ‘A Gastropod!’

Do you know what that means- ‘stomach foot’? That’s because my body is like one long foot with a mouth on one end.

But my foot is very special because I have a gland on the front of it, which produces slime. This is my secret power; it helps me stick to whatever surface and is easy to slide up and down grandmother tree. Also it makes it easy to slide into my shell to protect me from the sun.

You might guess who I am?

Have a great day.

The children rushed back to grandmother tree to check as they said they were sure that they had seen the secret power of a snail.

I said that I had jars, magnifying glasses and paper if anyone would like it. Everyone was enthusiastic to go on a bug hunt as we had seen so many signs of bugs today.

The stories and letters are a lovely way to inspire the children.

One child who I had in my group last year, comes with Junior Infants as she is so interested and talented in making things from nature. I brought her a book on Andy Goldsworthy. Here she is making constructions.

First Class

Collecting cherry blossom for tea.

Weaving in daisies into a leaf with holes for a present for Grandmother Tree.

Noticing the bluebells in our base have a lot more flowers

Out sixth class assistant sets up a cafe serving cherry blossom tea. He plays the part brilliantly asking the children to pay in leaves and giving back leaf change.

The first class are also inspired by the letter from grandmother tree and the story and set out seeking invertebrates with jars and magnifying glasses. One child’s father had taught him to light a fire with a dried leaf and a magnifying glass. He came and ask me could he show the others. We discussed fire and risk and woodlands how we could do this safely. Together we looked as he showed us. Already I can see how he understood how important it was to involve an adult, how to do it safely and how to communicate this to his peers.

Unfortunately my phone ran out of battery to take more photographs of their work.

We finished with a sit spot.

Forest Friday

Session 1

19th April.

Junior Infants

The aim of the first session with junior infants is to introduce them to our Forest Fridays. We get to know each other, we look at how we keep ourselves safe and happy, keep each other safe and happy and nature safe and happy.

We do all this through games and activities.

Journey up to our Base.

We stop along the way to wonder about what we see. We try ringing bluebells to see can we hear the bells. Some children could hear a little sound others couldn’t hear anything. This is not surprising as often humans can’t hear the bells but the fairies can. They use the bluebells to call a meeting. We must not disturb the bluebells as the fairies would not be pleased and also they are a protected plant.

We got to know the Lords and Ladies. Look, their leaves look like elves ears! We don’t touch these either. Many creatures love these but they are poisonous for humans.

Feeling how soft and furry the new ferns are before they unfold their spiral buds.

“I wonder who ate this?”

“There is a lot of this leaf eaten.”

Our Base

We walked together and decided on the perimeter of the base and put up red ribbons to remind us of the boundaries.

Grandmother Tree

Like us trees live in communities.  They are connected by threads of fungus, which link them together. In the tree community, the oldest tree supports the younger trees with this underground web of connection.

I wonder which tree is the Grandmother Tree in our base?

With roots that reach deeper and further, and with her crown way up high in the forest canopy accessing the sunlight, this tree, is called the “grandmother tree”. She provides her descendants and relatives with key nutrients and other resources that they cannot reach themselves.

The grandmother tree also sends warning signals about approaching threats, such as parasites or insects that younger trees have not encountered yet.

The oldest tree that serves this role can be connected to hundreds of trees at once, increasing the survival of seedlings and the health of the community.

When these large old trees are dying, their final act of care is to send key nutrients and other resources to the other trees via the fungal networks.

We found the grandmother tree in our base. She is very wide with lots of branches off her main trunk.

Wild Teas

The children loved the idea that they could make their own tea from plants in the forest. They were all sure that they loved the taste but they were all adventurous and observed the colour of the tea, smelt it and gave it a taste.

Activity

Make a creature for the grandmother tree.

The children found all the parts that they needed to make their creature within the base. This is where they begin to observe the plants, sticks and seeds in the woodland and learn about properties of plants. Through activities, tea making, wondering, stories they gain a very rich knowledge of the woodland.

They could use a small piece of natural clay to put all the parts of their creature together. Some had time to play with their creature on the grandmother.

Options

There is time to choose free play, activities or chilling out in a hammock.

First Class

It’s always a treat to observe how classes who have been to Forest Fridays engage with the environment. I find that my main job is remind them of the structure, provide opportunities, and be a timekeeper.

Each child was given a “ticket”, which was a leaf or flower that is available along the route to base camp. On their walk to the base they looked for “matching tickets” along the way.

Collecting gorse for wild tea.

Conor found a letter on grandmother tree. The children took turns to red it.

Hello Children,

Welcome back to the forest!  It is wonderful to see you all again. Like the young trees in my forest, you have grown taller, stronger and wiser in the last year.

My question for you today is… what makes us plants grow?

Did you notice how the plants all around the forest have grown new leaves? Not so long ago in winter, the ground was bare. Now, it is a carpet of green.

The sun, our dear friend, has woken up the forest from its winter sleep. As spring comes, the sun stays in the sky for longer and we have more sunlight.

Us plants use that lovely sun to make food in our leaves. Our leaves are like food-making machines that need sun, water and air. We use that food to grow tall and strong.

You humans can also enjoy this food by picking our leaves to eat!

Have fun in the forest!

Yours kindly,

Grandmother Tree

Hut building, making creatures and bug hunts. The children choose what they want to do. They are so experienced. It’s so interesting to observe them working and communicating with each other.

Sit Spot

Forest Friday

Dalkey School Project N.S.

Session 5

Forest school is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than a one-off or infrequent visits.

This week’s Forest School principle we explored with sixth class; Forest school is a long-term process of regular sessions, rather than a one-off or infrequent visits.

The children recalled memories of their sessions since senior infants and why it has been good to have forest school regularly. One child said that being in small groups, ten children in a group, and a different group each year gave her an opportunity to make new friends and get to know other children better over her primary school years. The other pluses expressed were that they explored different base camps each year with different leaders and through different seasons.

This is the final session with sixth class before their role as assistants to the junior infants and first class children. This has been very successful last year. It gives sixth class the opportunity to use their knowledge and abilities of care for others and the environment.

This year’s base camp in spring.

Sixth Class

Putting up a swing.

The children chose a good tree with a strong branch. There was a large granite boulder which they decided wasn’t safe and needed to be removed. It’d very good to see them work together and use their combined strength to move it. Beth got the rope over the branch in the first throw.

Working together to move a boulder.

Learning knots

Over the branch in one throw.

Testing the swing

Fun on the swing.

Free Play.

Giving children time to play in private spaces.

Sit Spot.

A time and space to relax and use all their senses in a woodland setting.

Fourth Class

Collecting cherry blossom and tasting wild tea.

Collaboration

The children are so used to working together and finding ways to share the burdens. Here they have found a way to carry a heavy bag up to base camp and to tighten a rope bridge.

There are lots of choices. Free play, creativity, skill building, chilling out in hammocks.

Forest Friday, Dalkey School Project NS

Session 4

Resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

Each week we have been exploring the key principles of Forest School with the sixth class as part of their training to becoming Forest School assistants in the summer term for junior infants and first class.

This week’s principle: Forest school aims to promote the holistic development or all those involved, foresting resilient, confident, independent and creative learners.

Also we recapped the other principles: woodland setting and appropriate risks.

Observing changes, watching new spring growth.

How do we know which plants are the young new shoots. We looked at the different colours and textures on the bramble leaves. Many of the old leaves had holes. Something finds them tasty. Initially the children were worried about getting thorns by touching the new bramble leaves and were surprised at how soft and furry they felt. We gathered them and made bramble leaf tea.

Creating activities.

The children learnt to put up hammocks and rope bridges.

They created a wonderful adventurous base where they had choices to play on the ropes, relax in the hammocks, make friendship bracelets ( which they need no help and organise this themselves) and have free play while two at a time used knives to continue their bow and arrow making from last week if they wished.

During break we talked about Forest School and what holistic development means.

I put it to them that next year in secondary school the staff debate about starting a forest school. Some staff are very interested but others are doubtful so they ask the children who have been to forest school about it. How does it develop the physical, social, cognitive, linguistic, emotional and spiritual aspects of the learner? It was interesting to hear how aware they are of all the different ways that they are learning in forest school. They talked about climbing, running using their bodies, being put in a small group not in your friend circle, learning by making things and observing, learning lots of new words in the stories and nature names, being tired, frustrated, sad, happy and learning to be resilient. Sit spot giving them time to listen and feel the natural world. I am so delighted that these children have learnt the important things for their future.

Fourth Class

Noah arrived with oak gall ink that he made during the week from the oak galls everyone helped him collect last week. He also made a quill from a beautiful feather he had at home. Forest School links right into the children’s lives.

This class also created a lovely base to play in and continued their bow and arrow making.

Archery

Forest Friday. Dalkey School Project Session 3

Opportunity to Take Risks

Session 3

Sixth class

It was great to have a fine Friday and be back in the woodland. Sixth class continued their training to be Forest Friday assistants by exploring this week’s forest school key principle.

Opportunity to take risks: Forest school offers learners the opportunity to take supported risks appropriate to the environment and to themselves.

So they looked at the risk both for themselves and for future groups that they will be with in the Summer term. These will be Junior Infants and First Class.

On the way up to our base they tried more difficult terrain. They said this way up is good for them but that junior classes might not have enough experience. They also looked up for broken branches that are stuck up in the trees that could fall.

Up at our base I describe an imaginary group of junior infants. One child is nervous of getting lost, another has never been on rough ground before and hasn’t got good balance and a child who is so excited about being in the forest and may forget to listen to the group leader and run off. I asked them to decide what boundaries would they put for this group.

They were great at discussing where the boundaries should be and why. They are going to make very responsible assistants.

Skill Building

It is so good for this age group to feel that they have the skills to put up ropes and hammocks and test them. Today they used the timber hitch to put up their own hammocks.

Meet a Tree

Learning to guide and trust

The guide takes their blindfolded partner on a long adventurous route to a tree and gives them time to explore their tree by feeling and smelling and whatever way they want to get to know it. Then they guide them back to where they began and the blindfolded person has to find their tree. The then swap roles.

Taking a break and listening to the Story – CESAIRE – The Mythical First Person in Ireland

Skills

Making arrows

This week each child made an arrow.

Knife work

We had two children at a time whittling a point on one side of a straight stick and a v-shaped grove called a ‘nock’ in the other end of the arrow. They learnt how to whittle safely and how important it is to have strict rules for using knives.

They chose coloured wool to bind the arrows so that they will be able to identify their own.

Fourth Class

Making Arrows

Request

One child asked during the first week if we could find oak galls as he wants to make his own ink. We took a long route back to an area where we knew there are oak trees and he was so pleased to find oak galls on one.We all helped collect them and he filled a pocket in hid bag.

Forest Friday Dalkey School Project, session 2

Session 2

Weather and Skill building

Weather

We had a last minute change of plan as there was a yellow weather warning early this morning. It was a surprise to wake up to snow. So we decided to give the children choices to work with different materials in the classroom and to have a short time to explore the weather.

I worked with 6th class first and then with 4th class. It was very interesting to see children in the classroom. I observed a different side of them. Also I only work with 10 children in my group but I have had others over their primary school years and I really enjoyed time with them.

The children really wanted to get out in the snow, as did the FS adults. Some children were suitable clothes and others hadn’t so we had a short time exploring snow.

Sixth Class

Fourth Class

Back in the classroom

Oak gall Ink

We looked at slides of the early Doodlers who used oak gall ink.

The Scribes.

The Early Writers, Drawers and Doodlers.

The Life of Scribes.

 Copying text and illustrating manuscripts was the job of monks. It was something to do around the monastery, other than planting vegetables, preparing food, cleaning, and praying. Writing and painting represented labour and discipline; decorating manuscripts kept the hands from devilish idleness. Monks sometimes complained about the drudgery by doodling in the margins of their projects.

Using twigs and oak gall to make marks

Sixth Class

Fourth Class

Clay with twig tools

Sixth and Fourth class

Looking at a book of invertebrates.

Weaving

Making card looms and weaving

This was so sociable. It was like a knitting circle. The children gathered in pairs and circles chatting once they got in to the rhythm of weaving. They took home their work and those that were finished took their looms home to continue. One child is going on a plane journey so she is going to bring hers and one for her cousin who is travelling with her. What a good idea!

Sixth class

Fourth Class

Trying out other types of weaving

Forest Friday, Dalkey School Project Session 1

Back to our Woodland.

Session 1

8.30 – 11.00 Sixth class

11. 40 – 2.00 Fourth class.

Familiarity

Sixth Class

KEY PRINCIPLES OF FOREST SCHOOL

Sixth class are very interested in developing their participation in Forest School. They have learnt a lot over their primary school years, so our plan over the next  five sessions is that sixth class will explore how they can be assistants for the Junior Infants and first class during their sessions in the summer term.

Each week we will look one of the Key Principles of Forest School.

This week’s principle: Woodland setting

Forest school takes place in a woodland or natural environment to support the development of a relationship between the learner and the natural world.

On our journey to base camp we reconnect to the woodland setting by stopping and observing. We looked for signs of winter moving into spring time. The children were able to identify many plants from their first leaves. They also remembered which ones were good to use for wild tea. Already there are lots of new leaves.

Elder

Blackthorn

Bramble

However they did not recognise Lords and Ladies. We looked at how similar they look to wild garlic when they are just coming above the ground. This gave us time to talk about how important it to have knowledge and how to ask the adult before tasting a plant. Lords and Ladies are very poisonous for people and wild garlic is delicious. So we looked again very carefully. The wild garlic wasn’t in that area to compare it but we examined the leaf and found it has an elf ear lobe shape when it’s a bit bigger. Also it doesn’t have a garlic smell.

What else do we  need to be aware of? What about the impact of us in the woodland. How can we protect the ecology. When we got to our site we found lots of new bluebell leaves. We talked about how stepping on the leaves kills the plant so they took that into account when they created the boundaries. They wanted a large area for their site so together we looked at where the boundaries should be taking hazards and ecology into account.

Taking a break

As it was a chilly but sunny day we went out on the rocks for break.

They decided to make gorse flower tea as we were surrounded by the coconut smelling flowers. The children took over the making of the tea. We look at hazards – pouring very hot water on the flowers and how to be safe.

I read a story of how Brigid protected nature and animals while the children drank their tea and they pointed out places they recognised.

 The children requested activities that they wanted to do for themselves and to be familiar enough to teach junior infants or first class.

• Nordic weaving
• Clay
• Brigid crosses
• Hammocks

Fourth Class

Fourth class were so at home reconnecting with the woodland. When I pointed the hazel with catkins across the field they ran towards it to look for the tiny flower with no prompting. They have such a sense of awe for nature.

They are so familiar with Forest Friday that they are quick to choose what they want to do. My job is mainly about time keeping. We say that Forest time is like no other time . It goes so much faster and if I didn’t set an alarm on my phone we might be up there all day.

“What tea will we make?” one child asks. Someone suggests blackberry. “Could we make blackberry tea?” I ask. “Did we see any? What plant do blackberries grow on?” I loved listening to the children working out what plants has the blackberry as its fruit and when they fruit might be on the plant. Having worked out a time – they suggested August, and one of the children delightedly said that is his birthday. We then went through birthday months of the children and they decided what wild tea they could have for their birthday. They made gorse flower tea as we were surrounded by gorse.

During our final circle we talked about what were grateful for during the day and what we look forward to next week.

Forest Friday

Session 6

Friday 13th October

Our focus animal this week was deer.

As usual the children watched a slide show about the the breeds of deer in Ireland, Sika, Fallow in Phoenix Park and our native Red Deer mostly in Killarney National Park.

When they arrived they played a game of ‘Sleeping Fawn.’

They also learnt about oak gall wasps by looking at a PowerPoint and a David Attenborough film.

Next week the children have invited their parents to come to Forest school. We discussed how the children would be the leaders for this session. Where would they lead their parents? What would they like to show them? What games would they choose?

Senior Infants

On the way up to base the children pointed out all they noticed and how things have changed.

Look at all the colours on these leaves

Moon Poo

A friendly slug

Look it’s a rabbit

The children find a note from deer on the grandmother tree.

DEER, (ha-ha, I always spell it that way) children,

I met Jay who was up in my favourite Old Oak in Wicklow where I like to spend my evenings grazing peacefully beneath it. Jay was back from that hill I can see close to the sea. She had a message for me. I was so excited – “for ME!” I said.

“Please write to the Forest School children who meet up on the far away hill and tell them about yourself.”

I’m a doe, a deer, a female deer. I am also called a hind. I hang out with the other hinds but at the moment the stags are fighting over us. Ug! I hate it, I keep out of the way as the noise they make and the clash of their antlers scares me. However when the fight is all over the strongest stag will join us and then it’s fun.

I have lost my beautiful spotty summer coat and now I’m in my rather dull brown, but cosy winter coat for winter. If you are in the hills and woods in Wicklow keep an eye out for me. You’ll be very clever to spot us as we are shy and well camouflaged.

I don’t get to meet grandmother tree as the roads are too busy between here and there but grandmother often keeps in touch through Jay.

From Doe, who is far – a long a way to go!

Can we find any oak galls?

Making oak gall ink.

It needs lots of work to break up the marble galls

We added hot water

The water is already changing to a lovely brown

Making shapes with blobs.
Blob– what a lovely word. It sounds like it is. This is an onomatopoeic word.
Let’s try our ink.
Use something to blob a small bit of ink to your card. You will only need a little
bit so you could put it on with a stick or a feather.
Try blowing your blob.
Does it change shape?
Can you see anything in the shape? This is a bit like cloud watching where
sometimes you see a fish, a monster, a ship in the cloud shapes.
Maybe it’s just a lovely shape?
Would you like to use your stick or feather to change the shape?
Maybe if you see part of something you could complete it.
You could work in pairs. When you’ve made your blob you could swap blobs and
find a shape in your partner’s blob.

Waterfall

A Misty day in the Woods

Snail

In Space

Fireworks

TNT Explosion

Fish

A Bigger TNT Explosion

A Black Tree

Black Chair

Happy Face

Exhibition

Second Class

Finding oak galls

Finding a cluster of oak galls. There are holes in all of them.

Listening to the story of Sadhbh & Oisín.

We have many stories in Ireland of shape shifters.  Shapeshifting is integral to Irish myth, most commonly with women who transform into creatures like swans, ravens, cranes, flies, eels, hares, horses, cows and deer.  Shapeshifting, means an ability to see the world from another’s perspective.

The are loving the idea of shapeshifting. This influences how they play.

Blobs

A bird

A ballerina and a grasshopper

A dragon

A tornado. I used a feather, a stick, a pine needle, and the wind.

Forest Friday

6th October

Focus Mammal

Badger

As usual the children were sent a PowerPoint about badgers on Thursday.

These are the questions asked at the end of the slide show.

Do you think there are badgers on Killiney Hill?

Where are the areas that people can’t reach easily?

Would these be good places for a sett?

Is there enough food for badgers?

Where would you look for paw prints?

I know already you have found some badger food.

We will be doing a survey of the worms, insects, slugs and invertebrates on Friday.

Here is some badger food you have already found.

Senior Infants

When we met at the car park we played a food chain chasing game with a badger in in. They decided that there other characters should be a worm and earth.

On our way up to our base the children take their time as they find exciting things to share.

“Look at this, its very prickly on the our side but smooth on the inside.”

“Every leaf has different colours.”

” I put wood sorrel on the belly button plant to make this.”

The children found a letter from Brigid Badger in the Grandmother tree.

Reading the letter during break time.

Heeeelllooooo,

Ouch! My eyes are blinded. Grandmother told me about you. I have never seen you. I do smell you especially on a Friday night.

If fact I don’t see much, I’m better at smelling than seeing. But I’m doing my best to write to you, as the sun is rising this morning. When I’m very hungry I come here, as there is usually a lot of delicious food. I’m not sure if there is any left but I’d really appreciate if you checked. Could you show Grandmother some drawings of my favourite food, please?

She can let me know if it’s worth my while sniffing around here tonight.

From  Brigid Badger

Looking and recording badger food

Showing drawings and telling Grandmother tree about their findings.

Second Class

Standing under a walnut tree watching a grey squirrel eating walnuts. The children are catching the nuts and shells as he drops them.

“Look this acorn has already sprouted.” At this stage the children are teaching each other. They come up with such observational skills and everyone wants to share their finds.

Searching for invertebrates.