Forest School

Subject Lead: Ms S Burns

Forest School at The Ryde School (127.49KB)
Forest School School Development Plan (262.68KB)

Forest School Parent activities

Reception

Parents and carers joined the class for two fun, hands-on creative activities using recycled and sustainable natural materials which the children have started to become familiar with as part of Forest School sessions.

Activity 1: Nature-Inspired Calendars

Everyone used recycled card along with dried seed heads, petals, ferns and silver birch twigs to design their own unique calendar artwork. The results were beautiful and wonderfully creative.

Activity 2: Seasonal Willow Wreaths

For the second activity, pupils and parents worked with willow withies, harvested from the school grounds, to make their very own Christmas wreath. Ivy, holly, dogwood and rosehips gathered from around the school grounds were added, along with teasels, honesty springs and larch cones. A mix of wool, ribbons, pipe cleaners and beads were used to attach the natural decorations and and personalise each wreath.

It was a lovely session full of creativity. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Year 3

On Wednesday 26^th November 2025 parents and carers joined the class for a Forest school session.

The pupils were able to show parents their favourite activities as well as take part in a creative activity using harvested willow and evergreens from the school grounds to make a Christmas wreath.

Here are some photos of the session.

Year 5

On Thursday 4th December 2025 the Year 5 forest school parent activity planned to plant tree saplings and bulbs and create a willow fence around the wild flower meadow as part of the challenges for the classes Royal Forester award,. However, as the weather was so rainy they could not do what was planned. So instead they used some of their other forest school skills and interests indoors with a Christmas theme.

Below are some photos of their afternoon session: showing clay creations, wood work using palm and hand drills, decorating glass pots to represent a campfire along with all of these activities were a range of natural resources to include in their unique designs.

Outdoor and Adventurous Week 2024

Reception

Windmills / Pin Wheels

Using recycled paper, we created designs for our pinwheel.

We then chose a stick of willow harvested from the willow tunnel and carefully using a hammer and nail we fixed a bead and our designed paper onto the willow stick.

Year 2

Wood key rings

Using hazel or willow wood, we used sand paper to smooth surface. We then used the hand drill with a small diameter ‘bit’ to create a hole for the key ring fixing.

Finally, we used pens suitable for wood and decorated the key ring with our own designs.

Year 3

Wood necklaces/ medallions / spinners

Using birch wood cookies, we learned a safe technique to create a hole with a palm drill.

We used naturally dyed twine or wool to thread the necklaces/medallions and decorated them with unique designs and patterns.

Year 5

Bat Workshop

Roger, a volunteer with the Herts and Middx Bat Rescue Group, came to give us a workshop about Bats.

He showed us outlines of the sizes of different species of bats, the pipistrelle which are commonly found in the UK are much smaller compared to the largest species of bat, Fruit Bat, which live in South America and Africa.

We also learnt about what bats eat: mosquitoes and midges. He told us that there are some bats which live near to Hatfield Park as they are seen flying over to the river and lakes to get food. Roger bought in a pipistrelle bat which had to be rescued for us to see.

Woodland characters

A range of natural resources were provided, along with palm drills and a hand drill for creating holes in birch wood cookies, corks and sticks, in order to make our own woodland character for our animation project.

We used different methods to join the resources together and finally decorated our character with features.

Below are some of the characters we created.

Year 6

Fire lighting skills

After recalling the 3 points on a Fire Triangle (heat, fuel and oxygen) and a safety talk, the pupils learnt the ‘Respect’ kneeling position when lighting a fire to help keep them safe.

Different methods of lighting fires were discussed and the Fire Steel and strikers were demonstrated.

After teasing out their ball of cotton wool, they practiced a technique to create a spark which would then ignite the cotton wool.

This skill was new to many of the pupils and they showed perseverance in practicing the skill and were delighted when they managed to cause the flame on the cotton.

When the cotton wool was alight, they stood back to watch for when the fire was safely out.

Exploring Forest School at The Ryde School

Reception Class sessions

Spring Term 2025

Reception class have continued their weekly sessions with opportunities to revisit favourite activities such as creating in the mud kitchen, bug hunts, and the hammock and also learning new skills in using tools e.g. hammers and mallets, in Hapa Zome and woodwork activities using recycled wood and bottle tops to create their own unique designs.

The pupils also explored The Dell woodland, adjacent to school, and helped with a litter pick during that session.

Photographs are taken each week of some of the different activities during Forest School and some are printed out for the class Forest School book to share back in the classroom. Below are some of the activities from the past term.

Autumn Term 2024

Reception class have established routines for getting ready to go outside to the ‘Wild Area’ on a Thursday afternoon where we have Forest School.

The children have learnt a short song to sing at the start of the journey around the school grounds to the Wild Area. Each week we stop to observe the cherry tree outside the music studio to look for seasonal changes and explore with our senses, for example what is the feel and texture of the bark and leaves, the colours and shapes we can see and listen for rustling of leaves in the wind.

The journey continues along the willow edged path and the children spend time collecting coloured autumn leaves and sycamore ‘helicopter seeds’ around the stage area. A visit to the pond area to look for frogs and other insects is a regular part of the journey around the school grounds.

When we reach the apple tree circle at the far side of the field, the children then all join in an action song ‘Kelele’ practising actions to move to when we feel cold.

The children continue their journey along the ‘hedge on the edge’ looking closely for plants or insects hiding in the hedgerow. We have seen spider webs, snails, blackberries and stinging nettles.

Each week when we arrive at the large trees in the Wild Area – we play our safety games of 1,2,3 where are you? and the Stop game. There are lots of different shaped leaves which have fallen off the large trees and acorns to collect during this time too. We have started to share with the children the names and features of trees and plants they see.

The children have learnt the boundaries of Forest School and have become familiar with playing safely with sticks and the equipment we have for them to use e.g. hammock, bug hunting, mud kitchen and the brushes and rakes are popular for collecting the fallen leaves, as well as creating potions and imaginary foods in the mud kitchen.

They have worked together to build dens and learnt how to toast marshmallows safely on the campfire.

Year 2 sessions

Spring term 2025

Year 2 have taken part in weekly forest school sessions.

During the term the pupils revisited favourite activities from past years – such as the mud kitchen, using clay to sculpt clay creatures, faces and objects as well as use recycled wood and bottle tops to design props for play whilst continuing to keep themselves safe in the outdoor environment when using equipment and tools (e.g. hammers, peelers, hand drills).

We have enjoyed activities including:

Den building
Campfire and toasting marshmallows with our grown ups in parent activity day
Bug hunts
Learning how to use a hand drill in woodwork

Below are a few photos showing our activities in the Forest School this term.

Year 3 sessions

Autumn term 2025

During Forest School sessions the children have chosen new and challenging activities to explore and engage with as well as revisiting those enjoyed in past years. The photos below show a selection of the range of activities during the term.

The children explore the seasons and help to keep the wild area safe as the leaves fall in the Autumn. The children have enjoyed using some of the larger tools – rakes and brushes to help clear the leaves from the field area where they play.

The pupils revisited activities they have done in previous years. They have also been developing their skills further especially in sculpting with clay using tools and found objects for their creations.

The class look forward to the campfires they have and are getting very good at toasting the marshmallows.

They continue to extend their knowledge of plants and animals in the school grounds and are getting very good at bird identification through using toy birds which make the bird song as well.

In woodwork they are learning how to use a hand drill safely, loppers for cutting willow withies along with hammer and nails.

The wet weather has allowed muddy puddles to develop in the wild area and have been places the children have chosen to play, creating their own potions and imaginary food in the mud kitchen area and using sticks to create props for play.

Groups of children have worked together to use the tarpaulins, pegs and clamps to join on branches to create their own dens for play and keeping dry when it has rained during a session.

On the last session we visited The Dell (the wooded area adjacent to the school). The pupils enjoyed exploring the area and we also did a litter pick to tidy up the area too.

Autumn term 2024

The children explore different ways of moving and the sensations that result – in the hammock, low level climbing of the trees, and learning new games which the whole class can join in using their house teams for ‘Capture the flags’ game.

The class look forward to the campfires we have and are getting very good at toasting the marshmallows. They enjoyed showing Mr Paice how to safely move around the fire area.

They continue to extend their knowledge of plants and animals in the school grounds and are getting very good at bird identification through using toy birds which make the bird song as well.

The children have enjoyed using some of the larger tools – rakes and brushes to help clear the leaves from the field area where they play.

In woodwork, learning how to use a hand drill safely, peelers along with hammer and nails.

They have been further developing their skills especially in sculpting with clay using tools and found objects for their creations.

The wet weather has allowed muddy puddles to develop in the wild area and have been places the children have chosen to play, as well as creating their own potions and imaginary food in the mud kitchen area.

Groups of children have worked together to use the tarpaulins, pegs and clamps to join on branches to create their own dens for play and keeping dry when it has rained during a session.

Year 4 sessions

Autumn term 2024

Year 4 have taken part in weekly forest school sessions.

During the term the pupils revisited favourite activities from past years – such as the mud kitchen, using clay to sculpt clay creatures, faces and objects as well as used recycled wood and bottle tops to design props for play whilst continuing to keep themselves safe in the outdoor environment when using equipment and tools (e.g. hammers, peelers, hand drills).

We have enjoyed activities including:

Den building
Campfire and toasting marshmallows
Bug hunts

Below are a few photos showing our activities in the Wild area

Year 5 sessions

Autumn term 2026

As part of their weekly forest school sessions the pupils have been working towards their Junior Forester Award with six challenges over the term alongside Forest School activities.

The challenges have included:

identifying risks in the outdoor area and knowing actions to reduce the risk (control measures)
identifying six trees/shrubs in the school grounds
in groups, pupils chose an invertebrate to learn about and create a habitat in the school grounds, using natural objects e.g. wood, sticks, soil, leaves
the pupils planted tree saplings and spring flowers for early pollinators to increase the biodiversity and encourage pollinators in the school grounds
The class showed a visitor, a Park ranger from Hatfield House, around the school grounds and asked him questions about his work.
They also designed and created labels out of wood for their invertebrate habitats.

See photos of the challenges below

They received their certificates for the Junior Forester Award following a parent workshop on Maths.

During the term the pupils also revisited favourite activities from past years – such as the mud kitchen, sculpting with clay, as well as using recycled wood to design props for play whilst continuing to keep themselves safe in the outdoor environment when using equipment and tools (e.g. hammers, peelers, hand drills). Learning how to put up different types of tent and creating their own dens too. Below are a few photos showing our activities in the Forest School this term.

The pupils were also able to share some of their Forest School skills with clay and tools during a parents activity session before Christmas.

Spring term 2025

As part of their weekly forest school sessions the pupils have been working towards their Royal Forester Award with six challenges over the term alongside Forest School activities.

The challenges have included identifying risks in the outdoor area and knowing actions to reduce the risk (control measures), along with identifying six trees/shrubs and making a label for them out of wood. Pupils also chose an invertebrate to learn about and created a booklet about them or 3D models. To increase the biodiversity and encourage pollinators to the school grounds the pupils planted tree saplings and created a wildflower area in the school grounds.

During the term the pupils also revisited favourite activities from past years – such as the mud kitchen, using clay to sculpt with clay, as well as use recycled wood to design props for play whilst continuing to keep themselves safe in the outdoor environment when using equipment and tools (e.g. hammers, peelers, hand drills).

Below are a few photos showing our activities in the Forest School this term.