Forest School

I recently had the best training day, quite possibly ever, at work.
It involved, among other things, fire starting, knives, clay, getting personal with trees and cooking on an open fire.
My mind was alert all day.
I couldn't wait to get back outside from the tea breaks.
It was how I would love every day at work to be.
That is my dream.

Here are just some of the activities...

Go on a hunt for colours and textures using coloured Fimo tags and texture word cards.

Get working as a team to make a piece of collaborative natural art. 



Sit beneath the trees with an old CD. Watch the reflections of the canopy and sit in quietness, listening to the sounds around you.

Get close to a tree; hug it, look up at it, listen to it.

Write down every word that springs to mind.

Get poetic.

Grab a lump of clay and whatever nature provides. Make your own forest creature. Make it a den.

Whittle a hazel stick for damper bread - best cooked slowly away from the flames.

Best enjoyed with butter and jam.

I'm looking forward to repeating some of this with the little people.

x x x



This is the boy who can draw {Fine motor skills}

 

It's taken a while.
The mum in me initially panicked over his lack of pencil control, and fine and gross motor skills in general.
The teacher in me knew that children developed at different rates and to just chill out.
He would pick up a pencil at some point.
He would write his name at some point.
He would start to enjoy drawing at some point.
The latter has taken ages.
He spent most of his Reception year in school avoiding the writing table, avoiding the art area, avoiding anything creative.
Now he can't get enough of paper and pencil.

It was all down to time - children don't progress at the same rate.
The irony of how I view this now is not lost on me; now it is with my teacher head on that I stress over targets and watch the four year olds at school who are simply not ready to pick up a pencil but I feel pressurised to tick off a box - Thanks Mr. Gove for that.
However, the mum in me tells me to chill out and not worry.
Easier said than done.

Back to work with some Twinkl

I have done it.

I have gone full circle.

Since having my children I have returned to teaching part-time, resigned from teaching, been a SAHM, returned to work as a Teaching Assistant, upped my time to five days a week, taken on a day of teaching cover and now I have just got myself a part-time teaching job again. Phew!

Following much thought, and discussion with the hubs, we decided this made sense on many levels. Better for the children, better financially, better for my state of mind, all in all a better work/life balance.

Work/life balance is something I know loads of us struggle with and within the teaching profession it is a constant battle. The working week of a teacher can be crazy but there is help out there.

In the past I've spent many hours resourcing for my classroom displays, my lessons, my support groups, for home learning. The list is endless.

This takes time but now I have help at hand in the form of the lovely team at Twinkl - some of whom are actually teachers so add that special touch!