Happy New Year

The beginning of this year sparkled into life with frosty mornings, white-dusted grass, low-hanging mist, crisp air and a new job!

Having spent six years building Chartham Forest School up from basic provision to 3 developed sites, becoming training hosts, and providing sessions for the community, it was time to move on. So here I am at Parkside in Canterbury, a mere 30 minutes away, an weirdly, despite being much more of a city school, it's a place with much more actual woodland! 

The school is ready to build their own reputation, and it's not from scratch. There was a very good FSL in place up until Summer 2025. The gap over the next 6 months took a toll, like any garden left untended, the result is a lot of tidying!

So here we are, a fortnight into a new Forest School journey! The weather has thrown everything at us. Luckily, this corner of Kent missed the outskirts of the winds Storm Goretti battered the Channel and South West with, and the snow that has landed frequently hasn't reached us as a dusting or a crippling blanket!

The temperature was below zero when I set up in the morning, and it did struggle a couple of times to pull it's way up a bit, the ground was solid at times, but by home time, it was feeling much milder. 

I love all seasons, and while weather influences what activities we offer, it doesn't limit them. Slightly milder weather is always welcome, but iciness brings it's own learning opportunities that we can make the most of!

The youngest children who attend can struggle to stay warm, despite appropriate clothing and moving around. Small bodies emit heat rapidly and once feeling cold they quickly become upset. Keeping them occupied with activities that don't require being seated or remaining still certainly helps, but they do love a puddle and once even slightly damp, they feel even colder! 

Biologically, most Reception-age children haven't yet developed a way to regulate their temperatures effectively, so the freedom to end the session when the class starts to struggle is important. 
They do not realise that they dictate the length of a session, but the staff present watched carefully and we constantly re-evaluated the status quo. 

Then the rain came, which mixed with the thaw, and the mud quickly passed clumpy dampness into the kind of sludge that resembles a decent chocolate mousse!

Playing with mud is a really varied experience! From Mud Kitchens, to art sculptures, through digging trenches, to squelching with your fingers! A free resource that we all should exploit!

Mud is a sensory experience, whether directly with skin contact, feeling texture and temperature, or by using tools to dig, scoop, and scrape. It reduces stress and strengthens immunity, therefore boosting both physical and mental health.

It encourages independent learning skills, such as imagination, problem solving, planning, experimenting, and investigating. 

It often involves teamwork, communication, cooperation, and social skills. Moving around it requires balance, strengthens muscles, challenges dexterity, and demands had/eye coordination. It can spark creativity and create a lot of joy! It always seems like a resource that will never run out!

As they say, the mud will wash off, but the memories will last a life time.

Having mud suits to wear is a definite bonus. They are not warm, but they do really help to keep the wearer dry. A decent hoodie and warm trousers underneath are useful, and not guaranteed to remain entirely mud free, but it does stop the worry some children have over getting mucky. They are as essential as wellies in keeping the explorer comfortable!

Cleaning them off and drying them out is an entirely different matter...!

In Forest School I will always aim to work WITH the elements; weather and season. I will take my cue from the children's interests and discussion with them. I try hard to do outside activities that cannot be done indoors! Our amazing space is wasted if I don't tailor what I provide to the space and environment available, the opportunity to develop nature connection, offer experiences and opportunities a classroom could never support, and encourage the children to independently explore their own interests.

So that's it, two weeks gone already! Term 3 is gathering pace. If you'd like to follow the journey we are on, it would be great to have you along for the ride!