If you go down to the woods today..

Wednesday mornings at Watatunga are getting even more exciting next month with the launch of the Trees To Meet You Forest School. Following the end of the school Summer Holidays, we are all looking for fun activities and adventures to enjoy with our children, and the Forest School at Watatunga promises to be just the thing.

The fabulous Jackie Patnell will be running two sessions a day on Wednesday mornings with a chance for children to play, sing, learn and bathe in the wonder of nature, all for just £8.

Jackie has worked in primary schools for around ten years, with the majority of the decade in Early Years. She loves working with children and has spent the last five years exploring and studying the most effective ways that children learn. She has found that children develop best when they are happy, stress free and are choosing which way to take their learning themselves rather than those decisions being made for them by an adult. She follows the work of Anna Ephgrave and has attended many of her courses that explore a “Planning in the Moment” style of teaching. She has personally seen the positive effects that exploring, learning and simply being outdoors has on children’s development, wellbeing and self-confidence, and this is why she has chosen to leave the classroom behind and bring her experience to outdoors permanently. 

Her sessions will see your child singing, dancing, listening and joining in with stories and using those stories to influence the activities on offer. There will be a continuous provision element as is used in pre-school and Reception environments but using the forest as its influence. Independence will be a key objective, with children being encouraged to explore their environment, discover and use tools, create keepsakes that they can take ownership of, and, above all, get really muddy!