Helena Broadbent
is an extremely experienced Forest School Teacher who practises in Delamere Forest. I am so grateful to Helena for coming on board and I cannot begin to tell you how brilliant she is, but the activities that Helena pulls from her extremely experienced head are amazing. You need to come and join us to fully appreciate.
Neil Commins my loyal and enthusiastic partner in all things. Neil is a trained childminder and incredibly inventive practitioner. This is a little game that he invented called 'running down the hill really fast' it was probably the best game ever!
Melanie Commins and Biscuit the dog
I have now finished the Forest School course that I was on and handed in the portfolio (extremely satisfying to finally finish it!). As with any course I feel that it has aided to my deeper understanding and recognition of the child and how to make the most of their time with me.
Over the past few months since September we have taken a different approach to our regular Forest School meetings. Creating a monthly event that is open to the community, but regularly practising on a weekly basis.
Helena has also come on board. That has been an amazing change. The activities are now pure forest school and we are setting up in the forest school way. It is now a monthly class which has helped me out, as the weekly group although wonderful, was wiping me out for the rest of the week, and not helping with the childminding.
Other changes that happened Helena brings her daughter, I bring my puppy and all the children that we mind. this could not be done without Neil's extra safe pair of hands and all that attend and add that extra pair of eyes or hands when you need them.
Forest school is a community in itself, bringing people together with a similar interest. It has been great as we have seen the facilities and opportunities for Forest School grow throughout the schools in Marple. Children are moving through the early years with access to what we have one in Etherow Park and onto school. I feel that we can safely say that Forest School has arrived in Marple.
On my weekly excursions with Neil I have found that the children have become increasingly adventurous. They are so able with their ability to walk quite long distances and focus when it comes to making and doing. They have really enjoyed cooking things from fish fingers (which we did in the BBQ area of Lyme park and homemade pumpkin soup in the woods.)
Hopefully we can continue to bring a little bit of Forest School to Etherow Park and we are back on Monday 12th December with our rudolph activity heres a picture of what it could look like!
http://pin.it/1jzgub4
So hoping to see you then I will sign off now
Take care
Mel
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