Our 'Forest School' journal - Stalmine Primary
OUR FOREST SCHOOL DIARY
June 2026
The children had to run to the correct tree when it was named, we’re starting to remember a few more tree names! The children then found lots of natural materials to make a picture for the stick frames we made last week. They look AMAZING! We finished with a yoga tree pose and talked about how this can help us feel grounded and still. Remember this yoga pose can be practised at home too C3!
May 2026
This week we focused on the Fire of London and put our learning into action by making a model of Pudding Lane. We tried out some firefighting efforts using water squirts and a fire hook, techniques that they would have used in 1666. It was easy to see the immediate destruction of the fire and how the wind fueled its spread. The children were all really sensible and they followed our fire safety rules while sat around the fire pit. Well done.
April 2026
March 2026
It was brilliant to see the children looking closely at the buds to see if they were next to each other or off set. We had a go at measuring the height of the trees using our stride. We walked away from the tree counting our steps, stopping when we could see the top of the tree looking back through our legs. We then multiplied our stride e.g.80cm by the number of steps e.g.10 then divided it by 100. The height of the tree would be 8m.
January 2026
Outdoor Learning & Forest school on Wednesdays here at Stalmine Primary for Class 4. This week we are looking at identifying common UK birds: their habitats, nesting and feeding patterns. We might just spot some around our grounds!!
November 2025
Today our focus has been On The Hunt! We learnt that the people in the Stone Age would make throwing spears to hunt animals with. We had a go at making our own spears using our whittling skills then we hunted down the bison! The children started to talk about their techniques for hunting such a large animal. We also had a go at making baskets using a weaving technique.
October 2025
The children have been desperate to eat the apples from the tree in Forest School so we have toasted them with sugar and cinnamon. They were very tasty! Everyone used a special kinderkitchen dog knife to practise their cutting skills. I was very impressed by how safely they used the knife and how sensible they were around the fire.
September 2025
Y1 & Y2 really enjoyed harvesting apples from the apple tree in Forest School and making 2D and 3D shapes using cocktail sticks and pieces of apple. Can you still remember some of the names of the shapes you made? We also used the apples to print with. Lots of children were surprised to see red and green makes brown! The observation station helped us think about all the objects which are made using wood from trees. It was a fabulous morning!
July 2025
This week you may have noticed that your child came home with a sticker to show that we have achieved six more challenges for the Green Tree Badge (a nationwide initiative by the Royal Forestry Society and Bags of Ethics that we are an ambassador school for.) Our six challenges involved hugging trees to work out how old they are, making bug hotels, planting seeds and bulbs, creating pieces of art using natural materials and we also completed two Gold Awards by setting up a compost and leaf mulch bay and raising money for our hedgehog homes. An amazing effort! Well done to all the children and supporting staff. It’s been wonderful learning outside with the children at Stalmine Primary School and I’m looking forward to what next year brings!
Well done all!
June 2025
Today we harvested the peas, which we planted in the autumn term, and because there are only a few we are going to dry them out and plant them next year! Year 4 also had to show lots of resilience to build a ‘Baker’s Tarpaulin Shelter’ in the rain! They have learnt how to slant tent pegs to make them more effective, how to hank a rope and how to fold a tarpaulin.
You can now help out at home with folding the bedsheets!
April 2025
The children enjoyed learning all about popcorn today! We planted some sweet corn seeds and enjoyed tasting some popcorn. Lots of children wanted to practice making sparks with the Fire Steel and lighting a cotton wool ball.
Afterwards there was time to explore Forest School and the Year 2 children wanted to find how dew is formed.
March 2025
Class 4 collected lots of natural materials to filter some dirty water. It was interesting to see the order in which the children put the materials in the bottle and which filter bottle worked the best. As part of our Fairtrade focus this helped the children realise that not everyone in the world has access to clean drinking water and by buying Fairtrade goods we can help farmers in other countries live a better life.
February 2025
After having a go at drawing some Anglo-Saxon jewellery, we used natural materials to make some. We did some twig ID to check the children still remember which plants we used? There were many different ways to make the jewellery using tools such as secateurs, plastic needles, scissors, a hole punch and even tent pegs!
All the children were very focused, creative and co-operative towards one another. It’s wonderful to bring their learning from the classroom outside.
January 2025
Wet and cold this week but it didn't deter us as Y5 & Y6 produced some amazing Forest Faces, using clay and natural materials. We have also harvested some willow, whittled off the bark and we plan to bake it on a fire to make charcoal that we can then draw with.
December 2024
The children have impressed me with their knowledge and their kindness towards themselves, each other and the environment. We started the morning by learning how to find the age of a tree (circumference divided by outward growth in a year) and learning how important the ivy is, that grows on trees, to birds and insects. Lots of children wanted to try finger knitting and making a Nature Eye.
November 2024
At Forest School this week we have been learning about tree seed dispersal but before we went to visit the trees in the school grounds we had to guess the tree seed in the feely bag! It’s always lovely to see the children’s faces once they’ve worked out which seed it is! I was very impressed today with how the children used the identification charts to work out the names of the trees and how they thought carefully about how the trees disperse their seeds.
September 2024
The children in C2 made Bee Bricks from a mixture of sand, mud and straw. Once the bricks have dried, a little, we will put holes in the side so that any solitary female bees can nest and any new bees have a place to hibernate in their cocoons. The children loved making them! Lots of children enjoyed looking for minibeasts.
September 2024
At Forest School this week we have enjoyed harvesting the apples and making ‘Gruffalo crumble!’ The children learnt to use a fork to steady the apple while they were using a peeler. They enjoyed eating the fruits of their labour too!
July 2024
Congratulations to all our pupils we have been awarded 'Green Tree Ambassador' status
.PNG)
The Green Tree Badge has been created by the Royal Forestry Society and Bags of Ethics. Our eldest pupils completed 8 environmental activities through the winter and spring term which helped us gain this recognition alongside all the super work completed by both class2 and class 3. It has helped the children understand the wider environment and our connection with it.
Well done to Mrs Smith and supporting staff to help this happen.
July 2024
Our focus at Forest School this week for Class 3 has been all about trees. The children had to try and find all 10 pictures of tree leaves and name the tree they belong to. This was quite tricky so we used a field study guide to help us name them. The children have also made a fortune teller to share their knowledge with family and friends!
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
June 2024
Class 3 went back to the end of the Stone Age when people started to farm and we made some damper bread using flour and yoghurt. While the bread was cooking we practised our fire starting skills and we made butter by shaking double cream in a jar. It was great fun and most of the children enjoyed eating the bread and butter at the end!
.PNG)
.PNG)
May 2024
This week C2 made a Mandala out of natural materials. They also made a Mandala with our bodies. As the children laid down they practised their belly breathing which many of the children found very relaxing. Using only our hands and flour we made a final piece of artwork. It’s been wonderful learning outside with Class 2 this half term .
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
.PNG)
May 2024
Year 1 created a DandeLION. Year 2 practised tying a knot before playing the knot relay race. Practised their fire lighting skills with the dragon sneezer. They were also able to use knots to make a quoit and then use the quoit to hit a target.
April 2024
The children had to find pictures of hidden plants and try to learn their names. We enjoyed smelling the wild garlic from the environmental garden. The children enjoyed looking at the different shapes of seeds before we scattered them, some looked like little paintbrushes! We also planted radish, courgette and wild strawberry seeds. The children also enjoyed looking at potato tubers and getting muddy while planting them! Pupils enjoyed trying the nettle tea - it was wonderful seeing the children try it!
April 2024
Class 2 discussed creatures that will be coming out of hibernation at this time of year. Lots of children enjoyed looking for minibeasts and making bug hotels out of an old plastic bottle filled with sticks and fir cones. A few children enjoyed learning how to make a tepee and playing with it in the small world area, where lots of dinosaurs were having an adventure! Lots of children enjoyed the mud kitchen and they were encouraged to name their creations and try to make them symmetrical.
Nail Art - March 2024
The children have been very creative today; thinking about the length of nails they wanted to use and the positioning of the nails. Even the way in which they wrapped the wool has produced a different effect. Fantastic, well done!
.PNG)
.PNG)
Bird Feeders - February 2024
Shelter building - February 2024
The children practised a clove hitch and a round turn with two half hitches before they went ahead and built a shelter. Using a few knots, lots of team work and problem solving skills they made some fantastic free-standing shelters!
Bird Boxes - January 2024
The robin nest box is now finished and we have also started to make a bird table. It was great to see the children using hammers and saws carefully. We played a couple of new games today Heads & Tails was great fun!
Bird table and trees January 2024
Our focus this week was ‘Trees’. We had fun working out which tree seeds were in the feely bags and looking for photos of leaves and naming the tree they came from. We learnt how to measure the height of a tree by measuring our stride in cm, walking away from the tree, counting our steps, and stop when we can see the top of the tree looking back through our legs! Multiply our stride by the number of steps and divide by 100. Lots of children successfully did this. Some Year 5 children learnt how to hold a nail with a peg before hammering, this helps to keep our fingers safe!! The bird table is coming along!
