January 2023

Dear families

We hope that you had a restful Christmas break. It seems so long ago already…

The trees are looking very bare now that we are in winter.  However, there are some bulbs already starting to appear, reassuring us that new life is preparing to brighten up our site.  As we head towards the beginning of spring (Imbolc), traditionally at the start of February, the signs of growth and green return. 

The children will be choosing their seeds to plant in the coming weeks.  We want to develop gardening skills this term, and enjoy the process of planting and harvesting some vegetables. We wait and see…..

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place from January 27-29^th and details of how to sign up can be found here : https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/      It’s free to join and we have signed up to take part at school.

Many thanks to those of you who have donated plants, willow, logs, christmas trees, and other natural resources for Forest School.  We really appreciate it.  Our water butt has now been installed.  This is a welcome addition to our space and we are grateful for the donation.

Please do get in touch (via school office) if you would like to know more about volunteering in your child’s session.

We would love to see your nature photographs – please email them to the school office, and if you do not want them shared on our website, please let us know.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2023

Mrs Laws and Miss Kogel

FOREST SCHOOL POEM FOR JANUARY

The Owl….

The owl saw the fox before the fox saw the owl,

With the soft and silent steps of his prowl,

The owl watched the night with round eyes of delight,

And her head swivelled round for the quietest sound.

She listened North, she listened South,

She listened East to the dawn’s bright mouth,

She listened West, to the sky, to the ground,

And her huge eyes took in the sights all around,

Her feathers so soft in her wings of Earth brown,

She can blend in with bark by the Ash tree’s crown,

And when she swishes warm feathers in flight,

Not a sound escapes in the moon’s glowing night,

She can hear the stars singing and watch the sky turn,

Be still as a tree trunk, hear beetles and worms,

Catch mice in her claws, swallow voles with her beak,

And eat tasty shrews with an unfortunate squeak!

She feels the Wild Wind in her heart and her wings,

And tingles with joy when the North star sings.

(© Jack @ Red Squirrel Resources)

Forest School Intent
 

At Drayton we want to provide every child with the opportunity to develop a real passion for the great outdoors, through play and hands on learning in our beautiful wooded environment. The activities undertaken in Forest School will also help support the healthy lifestyle ethos we have at Drayton school.

We want children to celebrate their local, natural environment and gain a closer connection with nature, whilst acquiring knowledge about their local habitat and how to look after and nurture it.

Our intention is to provide children with opportunities for collaboration and teamwork, problem-solving and appropriate risk-taking, whilst increasing resilience. Children will be able to embrace the physical and personal challenges that working outside can present.

It is our intention to give our pupils the time and space to develop holistically as individuals, whilst still learning to be part of our school community.

Forest School offers opportunities to complement the learning that takes place in the classroom.  Children can practically use their language and literacy skills alongside maths, science, PE and the arts.

               
Our Forest School pledge

We promise to: 
 

• Be kind to ourselves
   
• Be kind to each other
• 
  Be kind to nature