With the cooler wetter weather comes fast changes in our crops and flowers which were carefully planted and cared for by all of the children over the past two seasons. On Monday children picked the penultimate plump tomatoes, helped a spade lever out the world’s largest swede from its sweet spot in the bed, and the rest of the white petalled flowers were picked off the pepper plants to give them a chance to get a bit bigger.
Our Eco-Lead Katie, who has a great interest in permaculture, has really helped this area blossom, and in place of previous crops we are now introducing broad beans, wild garlic, turnips, and purple sprouting broccoli. This week Jemima and Katie also supported the children to plant dozens of daffodil bulbs. These needed to be buried 30cm deep which created a perfect moment for some incidental measuring and number talk, whilst the children persevered with their digging. We can’t wait to see these bloom next year!
Our wormery worms continue to fascinate everyone, both sessional and full-time children, who know we separate our veg and fruit scraps or leftovers to feed them or to nourish our compost bin. This helps the children practice their understanding of being kind and gentle to the creatures around us and sets them on their way to be future custodians of our planet.
At the forest this week, we’ve experienced all manner of other mini beasts, with eagle eyed children finding stink bugs, baby toads, millepedes, centipedes, slugs, snails, and a most unusual yellow ladybird with white spots that showed us her wings and flew gently away. Soon these ladybirds will begin to huddle together to hibernate, and we expect the children will enjoy discovering these clumps of creatures over the next few months. The stink bugs are great for making peaceful observations of legs, and other body parts as they steadily climb around our hands and arms and are a great introduction to children who may be wary of faster mini beasts tickling their hands!
Whilst bugs were climbing over and around children in one corner, children were demonstrating magnificent climbing skills of their own in another corner! Here, Dan has created a fantastic ladder bridge suspended and well supported between trees. With two “handrail” ropes and ever-present Educators, younger children have clearly increased their abilities in this area in really very little time, and older children are practically running across like ninja warriors! All in all, we are always impressed by these physical skills, especially as the winter clothing and boots get bigger and more to manage and consider…well done all you Little Forest Folk-ers… you rule!
We’re sure there will be plenty of climbing and discovery this weekend and we can’t wait to hear all about it soon!
Little Forest Folk
Wandsworth