I should probably apologise. If your child has been coming home and making arrows from anything they can get their hands on and appropriating foods at dinner times for arrow making purposes, then apologies for any lost property and distracted children at the dinner table...
Read moreTeamwork Makes the Dream Work
Many hands make light work! 💪🏻
Happy New Year lovely parents and readers! I hope 2017 has started well for you all and I'd like to personally offer a warm welcome all of our new Den room families! I look forward to sharing all our Forest School adventures with you over the coming months. We've jumped back into the outdoor fun with plenty of work to keep our bodies warm and the site looking ship shape!
Read more"That's not a knife, THIS is a knife!"
If, when picking up your child from Nursery or Kindergarten, you were informed your 3yr old had been whittling with a fixed bladed bushcraft knife whilst sitting out in the cold, what would your immediate reaction be?
Read moreElfing Around
Christmas has arrived with full force this week, here in the Den. On Thursday (1st December) the children and parents arrived a little bemused, as there stood, way up high, a cheeky little Elf.
Read moreWillow Work
As the trees began to leave a beautiful golden carpet of leaves on site, it heralded the time to tend to the site for Winter. Brambles, raspberries, and trees are all for the chop to promote more manageable and stronger growth for the oncoming seasons.
Read moreJoin our 'Greenway Challenge'!!
At Free Rangers we like to go out and explore the local environment. Each of the rooms here enjoy walks along the Welton to Radstock Greenway when possible, as it is easily accessed by the footpath next to Free Rangers.
Read morePond Dipping
Pond dipping is easily my favourite Forest School activity, so I was very excited to be part of a few sessions last week. It is truly lovely to be sat by the water’s edge on a warm sunny day and admire the surroundings that our pond has to offer.
Read moreBuilding Blocks To Mark Making
At Free Rangers we value and celebrate mark making which is explored in all areas of play. Children often notice and marvel at the marks they make, looking at their footprints, using rakes and impliments to make marks in the sand, dragging them to make lines and curves.
Read moreAny sessions please?
When I Joined Free Rangers in August 2011 we had just 12 children on role and from that point our numbers have grown with children registered to join us for sometimes a year, or more, in advance. One of my roles at Free Rangers is managing the room and waiting lists term to term and as most of you are aware we do our lists termly,
Read moreHand & Feet Painting
Setting up the Den room before the children arrive is an important job, as it ensures activities are ready to be explored by the children throughout the day. Today I prepared a painting activity; I popped sheets of paper on our easels, poured paint into paint pots and had brushes at the ready, waiting for our children to get involved.
Read moreA Natural Canvas!
It has been really great to see so many children involved in mark making out in the paddock. Stereotypically, boys can often be reluctant to take part in mark making but this week many of our boys, and girls, have shown interest.
Read moreInCredible Edibles - Making Wild Tea
Bottoms Up!
Little pinkies out! Let's have a cuppa! Anyone fancy a brew? Our Forest Schoolers however haven't been drinking any old builders swill. We've been foraging for the freshest most delicious greenery in our paddock to make some delicious conceptions to sample!
Read moreMove. Think. Play. Like a Bug!
If I asked any of our Forest Schoolers which space they like to play in the most, I would know. It's simple really. It's the space that offers the most diverse options for play. Our Tree House gets an absolute hammering from the children, but then again so does the rest of the site...
Read moreFly Swot Painting!
We are always looking for new ways to encourage mark making so with a bug theme ‘Fly Swot’ painting seemed just the ticket. The Den children were offered fly swots dipped in paint and invited to swot the canvas. Some children took to it with greater enthusiasm and vigour than others!
Read moreSpring is here...
On Thursday 31st March many of the Free Rangers team took a day of their holiday to come in to the nursery and give the rooms a spring overhaul. The aim was to review resources and give the rooms a face lift! Orders for new resources have been placed and the staff and children are eagerly awaiting the arrival of toys and materials that will enhance the learning opportunities of the children that attend.
Read moreFrench lessons with Eric!
We had a brilliant treat this morning - Eric Floch (who is from Brittany) came in to give a group of pre schoolers a French lesson! We looked at a map of Brittany, and talked about who had been to France, and then we learnt some French words and phrases and the names of some colours and numbers in French.
Read moreBubble Puddle!
Picture a rainy, dull, late afternoon, a garden full of muddy puddles and a group of very excited children! The perfect concoction for fun in the Den! It was nearing 4 o'clock, the children were becoming a little tired after a long day of playing, and the sky was getting darker, however, this didn't stop us getting outside for the last 30 minutes to explore the huge puddle the rain had left behind.
Read moreWindy Weather!
At Free Rangers we like to embrace nature and the elements, and often change or add to our plans depending on the weather. For example, the recent cold snap has given us lots of opportunities to observe the change in the environment due to the weather by allowing us to observe the frost and icy patches in our garden.
Read moreA FLATPACK MASTER CLASS
Ed arrives in the Den room carrying, or rather dragging a large heavy box that has been lurking in the staff room for several days. Like Meercats little heads pop up from the home corner, craft area and various hidy holes within the Den room to ask the question, "What's that Ed?" Ed replied, "It's a new piece of equipment."
Read more‘Stay and Play’ in the Den
I would like to thank everyone who took the time out of their working hours and free time to come to our ‘stay and play’ session this December. It was lovely to meet so many parents and grandparents alongside their children and grandchildren exploring the nursery environment.
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