Wellbeing Wednesday – Forest School

Pupils in our Forest School sessions today loved the opportunity to play in nature as part of our work across school on children’s mental health.  To start the sessions, we discussed why nature and being outdoors can improve mental health. There were some excellent discussions and opinions shared within the group. Next, children were able to choose from a range of activities which included relaxing in hammocks, sit spotting, playing with mud, using loose parts to play games, make a magic wand using sticks and ribbon, building dens and creating artwork using natural materials. There were some fantastic wands made as well as a great den which had a fireplace, secret trap door and a security system! All these activities promoted a range of skills including communication, co-operation, resilience and creativity. At the end 0f the session, we sat back down and discussed how each activity made us feel and what effect it had on our mental wellbeing and mindset.