JLS Early Education Specialist

Armed with just a trolley full of recyclable materials and a bag of popcorn kernels, it was brilliant to be back after school club! 🍿

The children's creativity was poppin' from cardboard box aeroplanes you could sit in, guitars with strings and an ingenious interactive pingball game.

Creativity at its finest with open ended materials and the permission to 'make whatever you want.'

Ever noticed how children can often bypass the expensive toy in favour of the cardboard box it came in? 📦

💡There is a reason for this.

Open-ended resources such as sticks, pebbles, mud, water, cardboard boxes and loose parts don't tell children what they should do with them. Instead, they invite children to imagine, create, experiment, problem-solve and explore.

🪄A stick can become a magic wand, a fishing rod, a spoon for mud pies or part of a den. A cardboard box can become a pirate ship, a cave, a shop or a home for woodland creatures.

Unlike many toys with a single purpose, natural and recycled materials offer endless possibilities. Children become the creators of their play rather than consumers of someone else's idea.

Sometimes the richest learning experiences really do come from the simplest things. 🌿

Fully funded forest school sessions by

👀 A large branch that has snapped at our Forest school site

This is why we have an adverse weather policy and sessions are cancelled in woodland areas when wind gusts exceed 35mph

Luckily this didn't happen during a session but you can see now why we do cancel when weather conditions deem it unsafe to do so!

It is also why I get here early to do a site check ✅

❓Who knew a pair of tongs and a tray of coloured pasta would be the biggest hit of our Forest School weekend? 🥢🍝

Those little squeezes, lifts and transfers are building the coordination children use for dressing, feeding, using tools and, later on, writing — all through play in the woods.

And whilst the pasta was a favourite, den building remains one of the best all-round activities for developing both gross and fine motor skills.

Children are carrying, lifting, pulling and pushing large sticks and tarps, whilst also twisting, pe***ng, tying and knotting. 💪🌿

👀 Check out the boss den at the end of our reel.

But really the best bit for me? The children just think they're having fun. ❤️

Back all day today for our weekend Forest school sessions.

If you fancy joining us there some places available on both sessions so please get in touch ☺️

📢 Public Appeal 📢

We are currently reviewing whether some of our services can continue over the weekend and would really appreciate your help in sharing the information about these events with families, professionals, and community networks who may benefit.

A final decision regarding the whether these services will continue over the weekend will be made by Thursday 4th June at 5pm.

This deadline is necessary to ensure we can give sufficient notice to partner organisations, facilitators, and families who have already made bookings.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and shared our work so far. Every share really does make a difference. 💚

👑🌿 The Kings and Queens of the Forest have returned this Monday after a two-week break!

The Royals are on a mission to make every Monday afternoon a little wilder, a little muddier, and a lot more magical.

Adorned with nature crowns fit for woodland royalty, loose parts people with big personalities, and possibly the most magnificent mud pies ever to grace a royal banquet table.

Long live the mud! 👑🤎🌿

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