HOBs Bottom Forest School Camps

Here we are, taking some much needed time together over a little bit of brunch! We don't see each other nearly as much as we would like to as we're super busy during term time. Time though for a silly 'Victorian' pose!

Well, it's fair to say that we had A LOT of fun with the ice today- every tiny shard was discovered and explored and used in one way or another! Here are some pretty pictures before these spaces were discovered! #HOBsBottom #hobs #HOBS #winter #winteriscoming #winter2022 #wintergames #iceland #ice #icecube

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl668m0tRld/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Well, it's fair to say that we had A LOT of fun with the ice today- every tiny shard was discovered and explored and used in one way or another! Here are some pretty pictures before these spaces were discovered! #HOBsBottom #hobs #HOBS #winter #winteriscoming #winter2022 #wintergames #iceland #ice #icecube

We had some very poignant responses to Anti-Bullying week this week. The children chose their own ways to pass the message onto others whilst outside. This picture speaks volumes and we LOVE it!

Leaf Man was the inspiration for Early Years this week. We collected autumn leaves that caught our eyes and also thought about the type of Leaf People ours were. It's Anti-Bullying week this week so we were also thinking about how our Leaf People help others and make sure everyone is included.

LEST WE FORGET. Beautiful self led poppy leaf collage created by Kingfisher class pupils today!

Wowsers, what a day! We've met lots of new HOBs Mates, whittled wands, made potions, cuddled Tiger the goat, decorated pumpkins for our team challenge and drunk Beetle Juice with eyeballs!

Just making some food labels.....as you do....'ghost bogeys' will feature in our afternoon campfire snacks tomorrow- you have been warned .....!!

When your 11 year old pinches your phone to take pictures......she was so inspired by the autumn colours and scenes around her and she totally went for it! #HOBsBottom #hobs #forestschool #forestschoolleaderlife #autumn #autumncolours #fungi #leaves🍁 #river #boveytracey #devon

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkEcZGvNXx0/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

When your 11 year old pinches your phone to take pictures......she was so inspired by the autumn colours and scenes around her and she totally went for it! #HOBsBottom #hobs #forestschool #forestschoolleaderlife #autumn #autumncolours #fungi #leaves🍁 #river #boveytracey #devon

Beautiful wild art with Butterfly Class today! The children found autumn colours that made them think of fire as a safe reminder of the fire safety we've learnt about today!

Three years ago, I made the biggest leap of my working life- to leave the classroom. My learning space has changed and so has my outlook on life. Having the freedom to choose, to explore, to embrace and to celebrate our surroundings together with the children is the new adventure I seek.....AND I LOVE IT!

This week, the children have been using their surroundings to explore their creativity. Autumn's pallet has provided us with the most beautiful colours and materials and the possibilities have been endless. Here, we have a heart, a monkey, a bird, a funny face and (not quite yet) a snake!

Another busy week in schools! It's always so inspirational to see our environment through the eyes of the children- they love exploring the possibilities around them!

Anyone know what the official title for this is?? I bet you can't guess......

What an amazing few weeks we've had of term time so far; exploring minibeasts, nature sounds, autumn treasures, site management and bird life to name but a few! The children have loved exploring their sites and my mind boggles at the endless possibilities that they keep on developing!!

CREATIVITY! However the mood takes you- let your only limits be your imagination! Our children have the opportunity to be free with their choices and responses to the nature that they encounter on the site. There are no judgments and every achievement is embraced, supported where necessary and celebrated! 😍🤩🐞🎖🎨🎼🔨🔪🎉💚♻️ WHY NOT COME ALONG TO OUR HALF TERM CAMP TO UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVITY THIS OCTOBER?!

We had a wonderful time at the Weldmar Hospicecare Summer Fete today! Thankyou to the fabulous organisers for inviting us and we loved meeting so many keen participants! We hope you've raised lots of money for the brilliant work you do at Weldmar x

KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR HALF TERM CAMP NEWS......TONIGHT AT 7PM!!!🤪🥸🧐

Me and the ladies having a very important business meeting.....just finalising a date for this half term's holiday camps.....keep your eyes peeled for further details!

NO FIRES THIS SUMMER!🚒🌞 🔥 We made the decision, very early on, that we weren't going to do any fire making or have any open fires on site this summer. These pictures demonstrate why! This summer was one of the hottest on record and there have been substantial forest fires in Dorset alone this year. The children and families who came to camp this summer all appreciated this move and, as you can see, there was still plenty of fun to be had in camp! So, as much fun as a roasted marshmallow or other campfire treats may be at Forest School, we will never compromise children's or nature's safety!

AND THAT'S A WRAP! The last of our Summer Camps was today and we were VERY busy at HOB's! Thankyou to all the wonderful families who have visited us over the last 2 weeks- what a blast! Please keep your eyes peeled for details of our October Half term dates! In the meantime, the team are proud to be attending Weldmar Hospicecare Summer Fete on the 10th September so see you there for some fab Forest Fun! 🐞😍

Today was super relaxed in camp. We whittled, hammocked and foraged. We enjoyed taking in the beauty of our natural surroundings.

Another crazy fun filled day today! We had lots if first time visitors today who jumped straight into camp like they had been with us for ages! We had a visit from 'Tiger' the pygmy goat (sorry if parents get requests for pet goats now!) we made tree guardians in the woods and rainbow kebabs for our afternoon snack! 🐞🍊🍓🫐🍡🐐 See you next week for more HOBs adventures!

We had spiders 🕷 and snails 🐌 galore on site today! Rain did not stop play as we explored and discovered some incredible specimens! We wove nail snails and created collage critters and cupcake critters- the tastiest types!

It's the personal touches that we pride ourselves on here at HOB's! It's so exciting to set up camp for the summer and tonight we're baking cupcakes to be decorated!

WE LOVE TREES!
Whether it's building with them, hugging them, swinging from them, climbing them or just simply chilling out under their branches- we love how they make us feel and all the opportunities that they give us!

Hello there! We'd like to try and reach a wider audience and have a shameless bid to spread the word that we are awesome- hehe! With that in mind, we'd love to lay down the gauntlet of a liking and sharing challenge! All you need to do is: 1) Make sure you follow us on Facebook or Instagram. 2)Comment on this post with the name of one thing; FLORA or FAUNA that you simply LOVE connecting with in nature and why! 3) Tag at least 3 friends who simply MUST KNOW about our Forest School camps here in Dorset! We'll randomly draw a name who will win a free place on one of our Forest School Camps! This challenge is open for a whole WEEK!! Ready.....Steady....GO!!
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It doesn't matter how old you are; den building is so much fun! This is my Dad who has very easily slipped back into being a boy scout again! 🐞🌳

We still have availability on BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY- 29th August. Come and join us if you haven't before- there's a whole wealth of fun to be had!

Just recovering from a fantastic weekend at Camp Bestival Dorset ! Gathering lots more ideas and inspiration for future camps and treating myself to some new kit for fire striking! I can highly recommend Outback2basics for their incredible knowledge and demonstration of our Stone Age ancestors and their reliance on the land. So many of those primal skills that we have lost in the modern age but embrace at Forest School! I could have quite happily spent the day on my own in the Spinney Hollow and in Slow Motion, playing with mud and wood!

Fun with Diddy gardens! So simple to create and the creativity is endless. Sit back and see who comes to visit!

FOOOOOOD! Group preparation, cooking and eating are a big part of our camps here. We always stop for a campfire snack in the afternoon and it gives us the opportunity to reflect on the day that we've had together. The children are (mostly!) willing to try out new recipes on the campfire and our experiences range from a simple 'smores right up to plum cobbler and foraging elderflowers for our own fritters and cordial. Whatever the weather, this activity brings everyone together for a re-fuelling and reflection, our experiences and confidence in working with fire has increased and the enjoyment is obvious! 🍳🥘🍿🍡🌸🧯🔥👩‍🍳🧑‍🍳