Here at Free Rangers we believe that the great outdoors provides the children with high stimulating experiences, and gives them a great opportunity to develop their learning further. The Forest School ethos underpins all that we do here at Free Rangers.
Read moreThese are the sharp teeth...
Well what an amazing and exciting week we had had in the Burrow; and this is just how the adults felt! It has been great to allow the children to start their experience of using a bow saw and a hand drill!
Read moreA week in the woods
A few of you may be aware that I wasn’t in last week, unfortunately I wasn’t led on a sunbed all week I was in fact doing something a lot more exciting! I spent the week at All Hallows Prep School starting my Level 3 forest school training.
Read moreHocus Pocus
This week has been the first of the term, meaning new children in the Burrow and Warren children moving down into our room. The age difference has been noticeable, with these children not showing much attention span and easily being distracted!
Read moreSPLISH SPLASH SPLOSH
It rained and rained and rained some more. What a better way to start the week, than to get the waterproofs and wellies on and go on a search for the biggest muddiest puddles on site, and of course after themajor pour down on the weekend this is exactly what we found. Gigantic muddy puddles.
Read moreSmooth smoothies
It’s that time of year again when the blackberry bushes are in full swing and everyone in the area of Welton (including all the staff and children at Free Rangers!) are out to pick them! Last week and over the past few days when we have been venturing out on Forest School we have noticed some Blackberry bushes around the farm, paddock and orchard.
Read morePick and Mix Forest School
Where do you think we should play today? Over the Hills and Far Away!
Last week's Forest School has consisted of a variety of different activities. The theme was exploring our surroundings. On Monday, we were fortunate enough to be able to go out on an adventure!
Read moreTo the Fort and Beyond
This week we have been quiet again due to children being on holiday, so our forest school sessions have been low allowing us to make a few trips along the Greenway!
Read moreThey came. They conquered.
Forest School: Igniting fires of curiosity to inspire children to explore, play and thrive outside.
Free Rangers once again opened it's doors to what can be only be described as a HORDE of children to come and play, learn and thrive at Free Rangers Forest School Holiday Club. It not only proved to be the busiest Holiday Club we've ever run, but also the most fun!
Read morePond Dip
“When we cook shrimps they turn into prawns…” One of the children said whilst pointing at a picture of a fresh water shrimp. This is just one of the many great quotes from Forest School this week. This week’s Forest School was Pond Dipping!
Read moreCroc O'Clock
Last Thursday 16th July we welcomed some new friends to Free Rangers for the morning. The Croc Experience came to visit with some exciting creatures that challenged our children (and some parents) to push aside any fears and enjoy these amazing animals.
Read moreArrrrrrr, let’s find us some treasure my hearties
This week we have continued our pirate theme but taken it outside into the paddock on Forest School, I made the children a pirate ship (the fort) with lots of pirate bunting and a big pirate flag!
Read moreForest School Fun!
As many of you know at Free Rangers we love to do a range of Forest School activities with every age of children, this varies throughout the rooms (as we wouldn’t recommend fire lighting with the babies!) In the Nest we love to take part in Forest School activities whether it be going for a lovely long walk along the greenway to see the horses and chickens or filling up the tuft spot with soil and letting the children mark make in it.
Read moreWhat can we build?
This week in the Burrows Forest School sessions we have been focusing on construction and looking at what we can build, using bricks, wooden blocks and plastic milk crates. Before we started our session we spoke about our safety when it comes to building, what might happen if we build it too high, where a safe place would be to push over a tower?
Read moreLearning about Fire Lighting and toasting marshmallows!
This week the toddlers really have shown us how well and how long they can sit and concentrate on one activity, they have made us super proud and it’s so lovely to think we have helped make them who they are today!
Read moreCharcoal Mark Making
Hello everyone. We’ve been exploring using natural materials this week, talking about what we can draw and looking at what we’ve made with our marks. A few weeks ago we explored making fires using our fire steel and cotton wool, so to continue with our fire theme we’ve decided to mark making using charcoal.
Read moreStories from Beneath the Apple Tree
The mystery! The intrigue!
Picture the scene: a gaggle of giggly preschoolers sit attentively under the shade of our bowing apple tree. The sun streaks through the leaves leaving dappled sun spots on the ground, as the children create collective stories from a mismatch of natural resources. Not bad.
Read moreForest School at Free Rangers
We've made a Forest School video to highlight why we at Free Rangers think Forest School is such an important activity for us to share with your children.
Read moreFire Steel
This week we have been able to allow the Burrow children do an activity that they have never done before, this has given the children enthusiasm and confidence to do things that might not have crossed their mind yet! We have been very privileged this week to have Lou out on Forest School with us (Lou is Forest School trained which I will be starting in September, how exciting!!), and what have we been doing… lighting fires!!!
Read moreThe Three Little Pigs & Esteban The T-Rex
These past two weeks of Forest School have seen the children take to building: both through the assembly of structures and the construction of stories. And what a fascinating two weeks it's truly been.
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