Year 3 Stone Age Forest schoolers…

Year 3 have enjoyed a Forest school experience rooted in the past, as we experienced practical activities linked to their Stone Age ancestry and the big idea ‘Where did we come from?’  The children’s history learning was the starting point for planning this half term of work where the children developed their fire lighting technique with ferrous rods and steel and saw demonstration of fire lighting by friction, and with flint and fire steels.

Each week we returned to the idea that Stone Age people were careful observers of nature, and that in order to find food and protect themselves from the weather and animals, they needed to understand the plants and animals around them.  We mimicked some of these skills by learning more about the woodland plants around us; spotting and protecting the new Spring plants- daffodils, snowdrops, primroses and bluebells, and identifying the poisonous plants in our locality- Arum Maculatum.  The children spotted game trails and looked for further evidence of animals- poo, fur, feathers, feeding areas.  The children enjoyed a mapping activity and treasure hunt that relied on them identifying trees and plants in their environment.  We also looked at other ways to use plants, for fire lighting, and hollowing out elder twigs to make jewellery, practising our threading skills in the process.  We lopped willow and used slate and string to bind together small spears.

Finally, the children practised some clay construction making tiny pinch pots in the outdoor setting and finding ways to mark make on them using twigs and textures around them.

As always there was also plenty of opportunities for play in the Spring sunshine and April showers and the children enjoyed climbing, den building, role play games and continuing with their learning in a self directed way.  We always celebrate the end of Forest school with marshmallows, and this time the children toasted their own… yummy!

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