Back to Cliveden

Today for forest school we returned to Cliveden for the first time in many weeks. The group had a fun-filled time rediscovering all that this site has to offer. Warm springtime temperatures brought back memories of our first experiences onsite back in the fall: running, rolling, and exploring all over Cliveden's grassy fields and wooded hideouts. We also had the pleasure to host and share our experience with a group of even younger children and their parents as they joined us to learn more about the forest school movement and how we run our program.

The children are introduced to hammers and nails.

Some of the kids build a sculpture from found materials. The stick on top works as a weather vane, changing direction to match the direction of the wind.

The kids take turns using the auger.

The kids play a game of tag.

The visitors arrive.

Some of the visitors take turns learning to use the tools.

The visitors jump right into the spirit of forest school, exploring and engaging with the natural world.

The idea of building a catapult emerges and the construction phase begins.

The design is modified along the way. Perhaps it's more of a ballista?

A set of keys is found buried in the ground.

A half-sawed log becomes a chair.

An expansive game of hide-and-go-seek brings some children to seek shelter under a blossom-covered tree.

Some of the group starts up a game of duck-duck-goose in the sun.

The kids discover the joy of running with a trap in the breeze.

The kids take turns being spun around by Dorian.

The spinning leads into... acro-yoga?

The kids discover all sorts of shapes they can make together with their bodies.

Some kids transition into piggy-back rides.

A game of limbo starts up.

A game of leapfrog follows.