What happens during a session?
The staff will meet you and your child at the meeting area towards the back of the car park. The children will self register by finding their name on a wooden disc hanging in the tree. We will read stories, sing songs and remind the children of the safety rules whilst we wait for everyone to arrive. At 9.30am we will walk the children down to the woods. Any parents dropping off after 9.30am will need to walk their child down to the woods themselves.
On our arrival at the woods the children will hang up their bags and name tags on a coat hook. They then go off to play. There will be one or two activities set out for the children to take part in if they want to but the sessions tend to be very child led so we react to the children's interests on the day they attend. The children take ownership of their own learning although adults are on hand to extend their learning by asking open ended questions and facilitating where necessary.
During the morning session we will come together for a snack and drink. The children are encouraged to help prepare the snack and also wash up afterwards. They serve themselves too. This is a good time to reflect on what they have been busy doing during the morning. They can also decide what they would like to do for the rest of the session or during the afternoon.
At 11.35am we get the children ready for lunch by visiting the toilet and washing their hands. Depending on the weather and time of year we have lunch either around the fire circle or in the bell tent.
The afternoon sessions are similar to the morning sessions. If your child is feeling tired there will be quiet areas set up for them to rest - hammocks, picnic blankets and books and a bell tent in the winter. We will walk the children back up to the meeting area by 2.00pm. We have a short reflection time where each child is encouraged to talk about their experiences of the day before they are collected at 2.15pm.