Our Reception children continue to enjoy their Forest School sessions each week. As the weather warms, the children have loved engaging with the pond. They learned how to pond dip safely and how to clear out the old leaves and duckweed so that they could see the tiny pond animals. They found shiny snails, wriggly leeches, protective mother water lice and lots of fast moving shrimp. Children have been using ID sheets to identify the invertebrates, many of which they can now name independently.

Each week the children enjoy spotting other wildlife that call the garden home. For example, they enjoyed spotting the tiny wren who came to the pond to drink. The children were amazed that she is so small and light that she could stand on the thin layer of duckweed and not sink into the water. The children enjoyed a sensory session with different garden herbs in the mud kitchen too: several children recognised the mint and most really liked the smell and feel of the soft sage leaves.