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Good Morning Superstars!
Did the noisy busy whirling wind keep anyone else awake last night? Hope you're all keeping well and making the best of thigns. Today I've got an activity to support your wellbeing, see if you can get all the family to join in! It's good for everyone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stuZaKB9j7I Forest Bathing is an ancient Japanese art. Essentially it's what we're always doing at forest school, especially with sit spots. It doesn't have to be in the forest (though all the better in a wilder place), your garden is fine if you can't get out, but I can't encourage your families enough how benificial a simple trip up the road to a forest or beach will be, we are all so lucky here to live so close to beautiful nature. Simply choose a spot, you might want to lie down in your water proof trousers for a few mins, stare at the sky and the tree tops, meander about and try to let any thoughts in your mind to pass by like clouds so your mind is like calm water or the blue sky; empty, present and free. Engage all of your senses and take deep breaths. What do you hear, taste and smell!? What can you touch!? How does it all make you feel? Bathe in the majestic beauty of nature and creation. Imagine the big picture of the earth in our solar system and the entire universe. Thinking of the big picture like eagle does and connecting to nature can take our worries away and remind us, knowing the billions of years of evolution behind our beautiful planet, that all will be well, magic is all around us in this now moment! Please share your experiences and adventures in the comments below. The sun is out, birds are singing. Wrap up warm, it's a perfect day for some fresh air and forest bathing! How are you all in Week 2 of Hibernation?
I'm hoping each week will get easier, more fun and more relaxing. Did you know that today is the first New Moon of 2021!?! That means, technically, according to nature - it's the start of the new year! Or maybe do you think that sounds like it should be in Spring? Let me know your thoughts. For this weeks task I'd love you to make a poster about your New Moon hopes and dreams. It can say just a few simple words or be as detailed as you like! But think about what would help, your family, community, the world, to feel good. Is there anything you'd like to achieve? Things you'd like to do better? Adventures? The new moon is said to represent the begining of a new cycle, so it's a good time to set intentions or think about what you'd like to do in the near or distant future. The full moon is when things come into bloom or into their 'fullness,' and the dark moon is when it fades away again, a bit like winter time, before it all starts again with the New Moon and the cycle continues. Hi All!
Welcome back :-) Please read my letter under the school website tab "Our Classes - Forest School Class." (Or please read it to your child) I'll be uploading posts here every week with activities, thoughts and news. I hope you've had fun Christmas and Solstice celebrations, did anyone see the giant amazing rare Christmas star conjunction on the solstice when the stars of Jupiter and Saturn appeared to join and form one incredibly bright star!? Let me know!!! Amazing! I'm sorry you couldn't be back yet, but make the most of it! We can all be hibernating bears, animals, mice etc. What other hibernating animals can you think of? Which hibernating animal are you and why? Let me know in the comments! Sometimes I might feel like a ladybird, bumblebee, othertimes a bear, but mostly I've been feeling like an overwintering seed, ready to sprout in the spring and flower in the summer. I haven't been on this blog for a while and it was so fun just now looking back at all the beautiful flowers and vegetables we grew last year! I have a big treat coming your way soon in the form of many fun photos of your forest school adventures last term which I'll be uploading as soon as I can get over my technical hiccups! :-) In the mean time, your task for this week is to go on an adventure outside (where did you go, what was it like? Tell me in the comments.) On this adventure I'd like you to find yourself a VERY special smallish stick. You can forage along the way for lovely things to decorate your stick with. Collect any feathers or nice seeds, cones, anything natural and interesting or pretty you can find. You might find some colourful string, thread or wool to decorate it with. Make the stick nice and clean so it can be bought inside. This stick is a very special gift for your family to honour and respect. It is a talking stick! So - as you well know, the rules are, the person holding it is the only person allowed to talk at that time. Take an arranged time each day, eg at the start or end of a meal, when you're with your family, to pass the stick around the table or circle and each take it in turns to say something while you have the stick. Pick a theme like we do at forest school, it could be to do with what you're happy or sad about, a funny story to share, a dream, a worry, a story, something amazing about nature - YOU can be the creator and curator of the talking stick adventures. Have fun! Let me know your experiences in the comments, I'd love to hear! Send me pictures of your talking sticks or describe them. Can you even find out or work out what kind of wood yours is made of? You might even choose a particular tree and respectfully cut a talking stick, carefully with a parent and the right tool (only with their permission of course) what can you find out about that particular tree or wood? Can't wait to hear all your stories and experience and if anyone has any other great things to tell me or wonderful nature expereiences you've had over Christmas, then please do, you can use the comments box below. Have a good week! Stay safe and stay well, get fresh air and time in nature every day :-) We've had such fun every week harvesting veg and sweetpeas for the Village Larder. Have you all been enjoying the produce? We even managed to process the hugest amazing sack of calendula seeds for the whole community which I collected from a kind garden I work at. Hopefully you all saw the task on db primary, telling you all about them ... that they're a great companion plant, like a best friend to have in the garden & they have amazing medicinal properties too. They even make wonderful skin cream! I used to grow fields of them from seed for Weleda & make tinctures from it for their wonderful baby creams. You can make your own now too! We all hope you came to collect your own envelope of calendula seeds & maybe you even managed to give some to your friends. The seeds are so interesting how they come in 3 different shapes, all which grow the same plant! Let me know how you get on with growing yours! Remember you can sprinkle the flowers on your salads and food or baking. I LOVE the sweetpeas. Also thought you might find this picture of the lifecycle of a blackberry informative - have you spotted all the different phases on the bramble bushes!? If you start looking closely you'll be able to figure it out; the way they grow from flower to berry, it's amazing! & here's an incredible sky photo. What amazing things have you spotted in nature recently? Happy days. Can't believe it's the end of term! You've all been such brilliant superstars. Keep enjoying nature and the fresh air over the summer holidays, hope you can have some fun adventures. You've all done so well. Have fun & I look forward to seeing you next term! Let me know your nature names! X Hi Snape Superstars!
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