Freeman CommunityPrimary School

Cherry Class had their first fire in Forest School. They learnt the safety rules and how to toast a marshmallow. The s'mores were a huge success and there were lots of sticky faces afterwards. The children also enjoyed a caterpillar hunt and found a tree covered in sacks of tiny ermine caterpillars. Hopefully, after half-term the caterpillars will be larger and wriggling more.

Year 5 and 6 children had a fabulous afternoon competing in the Quadkids athletic competition on Tuesday. They ran 600m, sprinted 75m, threw a vortex, the standing long jump and a team relay. Every child showed determination and excellent teamwork qualities. Team 1 finished 3rd and Team 2 in 6th place.

Year 1 had a magical afternoon in Forest School, as a fairy door and bridge appeared. Some children searched for clues and found a few hidden in the forest. The children enjoyed a Scavenger Hunt finding feathers, leaves and flowers. Bark and leaf rubbings were made and the rope swing was very popular.

Cherry Tree were full of excitement to begin their first Forest School session. The class learnt how we take care of the forest and shared their Forest names they had chosen. We had Sparrowhawk, Oak Tree, Bluebell, Grasshopper and Buttercup to name a few. Children enjoyed a rabbit action story, made pet dogs and bows with sticks and wool, and some children went on a bear hunt. Several climbed the tree, and a few were excellent teachers, showing others where to put their hands and feet to be successful. The class named one tree Daddy's moustache, and centipedes were discovered under the logs on a bug hunt.

Last week, Willow Class were pleased to see the trees in leaf after Easter. The team challenge was to make a stretcher to carry a casualty, using their problem-solving and co-operation skills. Each group did amazingly well. Wildflower seeds were sown around the edge of the forest to encourage insects and children helped transport wood chippings to Acorn Class. A frog made an appearance to the delight of the children in the log circle.

Happy Easter everyone!

This week, Willow Class enjoyed some Easter activities in Forest School. They enjoyed an egg hunt, hiding treats for their partner and rolled tyres like eggs. There were several team building games and strategy, and tactics were used in each. Some wonderful fair play was shown and collaborative skills developed. The ducks are still in the forest and the pussy willow is a treat to see.

Last week, Year 5 cooked and enjoyed scrumptious cheesy dreams on the fire pit and learnt how to use a fire strike to start a fire naturally. The cheesy dreams were rated 10/10 and seconds were devoured. Children built a swing chair and created an obstacle course, which were enjoyed by everyone.

Say hello to our new Rights' Champions, who wrote superb application forms and were selected to join the Rights Steering Group.

Some brilliant photos from our UV Dodgeball workshop last Friday the children were absolutely glowing with excitement!