25 March 2025 – Building a Shelter / Den & Smores

Pamela from Forest Schools NI attended school this morning and worked with our Primary 3 pupils to introduce the rules of Forest Schools.
We worked on establishing boundaries, talked through the animals on the cards and discussed their homes. Children were then selected to place these around the boundary.
We then were introduced to the whistle. We learnt the rules of one whistle for ‘Stop’ and two whistles for ‘come back’ to the teacher. We practiced this in the open football field areas before then entering the Forest School setting.
The children were then instructed on how to handle their equipment and challenged with building a ‘shelter/den’ . The children were grouped into smaller groups and allowed to explore the forest to decide on a location and build. After break we reconvened the activity and each group had the opportunity to discuss what they did why they did it and to share good practice.
Our final activity saw us introduced to lighting a fire and cooking smores. The children were made aware of the rules of the fire and the square which the fire pit sits in. Children were instructed on how to safely handle their Toasting Forks and Marshmallows. Approach and use on both knees and then sent to an adult to prepare the smore.
We discussed how to extinguish the fire and used the full 5l of water to ensure the embers were out and the colander was cool before finishing the session with a vote of how we found the tasks today.