The girls and I were invited to join Wild Rumpus for a trip to The Spellbound Forest at the weekend. Created by the team behind the Just So Festival, The Spellbound Forest weaved it’s magic through Delamere Forest in Cheshire, bringing to life four English fairy tales  with a mixture of story telling, theatre, music, dance, . . . → Read More: Forest school: story telling]]>

The girls and I were invited to join Wild Rumpus for a trip to The Spellbound Forest at the weekend. Created by the team behind the Just So Festival, The Spellbound Forest weaved it’s magic through Delamere Forest in Cheshire, bringing to life four English fairy tales  with a mixture of story telling, theatre, music, dance, woodland crafts and toy making. The event was like a forest school on a grand scale, full of inspiration and ideas to bring back and adapt to keep the outdoor story telling alive at home.

Forest school ideas from The Spellbound Forest

Go outdoors!

So your outdoor setting might not be quite as magnificent as a huge forest, but there mere fact that the children are stepping outside brings new elements to their play and learning: fresh air, closeness to nature and the excitement of being some where different.

Bring the inside outdoors

Whatever play stations you create inside can work outside too, perhaps with a little adaptation. The Spellbound Forest had a dressmakers, a dressing up ball and a feast outdoors, full of interesting props for the children to explore. The kids were excited to find unexpected and quirky objects ready for them to play with. What elements of your indoor role play could you transfer outdoors?

Imagine

What aspects from your favourite stories could you recreate outdoors so the children can become the characters from the tales themselves and let their imaginations soar? Give them pebbles and breadcrumbs to be Hansel and Gretel. A red cloak and a basket of provisions to be Red Riding Hood. Build a boat from crates or even a washing basket for The Owl and the Pussycat.

Add surprises

What could you include in your garden or playground or woodland area to give the children a surprise? An unexpected spectacle to get them wondering and talking? Even a tiny outdoor space can be made magical with a few added touches to re-invent the outdoor space each week. For children a little reluctant to venture outdoors it gives them a incentive to head out and explore, to find this week’s hidden treasures.

Use what you have

The Spellbound Forest team are masters at using the natural spaces and props the woodland provides. Just the right clearing next to a path was transformed into a dining room, and the overhanging trunk of a tree became a horse. Audit your outdoor space, look at your garden with fresh eyes and see what your setting offers. And if you can’t see the possibilities – ask the children.

Play with scale

Create a breathtaking spectacle in your forest school area by making the most of the physical space. Play with size and create surprises. In a tiny space one huge prop can make a big impression, or go to the other end of the scale an create a tiny fairy garden.

Add words

Make your forest school area a print rich environment. Include quotes and snippets from the stories you are reading. Take literacy outdoors and provide blackboards, chalks, clipboards and pencils so the children can make their mark too.

Involve the children

The Spellbound Forest gave the children so many hands on opportunities to join in the story telling – helping to make Tattercoat’s ball gown, using willow and twig wands to cut through overgrown paths, making hobby horses from sticks from the forest floor so they could ride off to the Grand Ball. It’s good to listen to stories but even better to be part of the tale itself.

Consider the possibilities

What could you do in your outdoor space to fire the children’s imaginations? What quirky touches could you add? Borrow some inspiration from The Spellbound Forest and bring forest school elements to your setting.

More ideas from the Just So Festival:

:: a pixie post office

:: exciting outdoor play spaces

:: take your art outside

:: tree gargoyles

Details of this year’s Just So Festival

How do you go about talking to children about cancer? When someone in the family is facing cancer and you are dealing with a painful range of emotions yourself it can be hard to know how best to involve your children. Do you shield them from the situation or be open with them and show your . . . → Read More: Talking to children about cancer]]>

How do you go about talking to children about cancer? When someone in the family is facing cancer and you are dealing with a painful range of emotions yourself it can be hard to know how best to involve your children. Do you shield them from the situation or be open with them and show your own upset?

A teacher at my daughters’ school died recently. She was a much loved and respected member of the school community and had been teaching the very youngest class in the school. The children were just four and five years old and the teaching staff made the decision to involve them, and the rest of the children at the school, in a very thoughtful process of understanding what had happened to their teacher. The whole school was involved in creating a very personal and joyful remembrance of their teacher, combining stories, poems, pictures and memories,  which I believe gave them all the opportunity to learn many lessons about love and caring, grief and remembrance as well as coming together as a community to support each other and think about what is important in life.

Having seen myself how sharing with children what is happening and giving them ways to be involved in the circumstances has helped my own daughters, I am very pleased to be able to tell you about a special book which I think is a valuable resource for families facing cancer. It is called Small Hands Creating Hope and has been created by MaryAnne of Mama Smiles. MaryAnne was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 22 months and is this year celebrating 30 years of being cancer free. She has brought together over 40 bloggers to produce Small Hands Creating Hope to offer resources to other families facing cancer and to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The book is fantastic! It is full of ideas that children can use – if they are a patient themselves or if a member of their family is sick. It offers ideas and tutorials for all sorts of art and craft projects, and art and story therapy. The projects have been tried, tested and created with children and include ideas to lift spirits and bring joy to hospital rooms as well as thoughtful ways to give thanks and remember.

(Here’s a peak of the project the girls and I contributed to the project)

Get your own copy of Small Hands Creating Hope

Please support this fundraising campaign. Make a donation and get your own copy of the book Small Hands Creating Hope.

The ebook version of this book is being sent out to anyone who donates at least $15 to the American Cancer society. An email with the download link, as well as a second link that allows you to purchase a hard copy of the book for an additional $10.52 will be sent once your donation is received. The button below will take you directly to the team page at the American Cancer Society, where you can make your donation:

If you donate but do not receive this email for any reason, or if you have trouble with the download, email smallhandsproject at gmail dot com.

This project is supported by the following bloggers, who are offering sneak peaks of their projects as well as hosting several giveaways to win the materials needed to complete individual projects – so be sure to check out the links each day .

14 May Mama Smiles
15 May Artsy Craftsy Mom and Rainbows Within Reach
16 May B. Inspired, Mama!
17 May Rainy Day Mum and Imagination Soup
18 May Inspiration Laboratories
19 May Experimenting Mom
20 May Mama Mia’s Heart2Heart
21 May NurtureStore
22 May Living Montessori Now
23 May Mess for Less
24 May Having Fun at Home and CraftoArt
25 May Outlaw Mom
26 May Angelique Felix and Sense of Wonder
27 May Sun Hats & Wellie Boots
28 May Duck Duck Octopus
29 May Smiling like Sunshine
30 May Mommy with Selective Memory
31 May One Perfect Day
1 June The Educators’ Spin On It
2 June Kids Stuff World
3 June Rainy Day Mum
4 June Teach Preschool
5 June Dirt and Boogers
6 June Creative Connections for Kids and The Golden Gleam
7 June Montessori Tidbits
8 June Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
9 June The Iowa Farmer’s Wife
10 June Scribble Doodle and Draw
11 June Learn with Play
12 June Kitchen Counter Chronicles
13 June CRAYON Freckles
14 June Glittering Muffins
15 June Wise Owl Factory
16 June Crafty Maa
18 June Lessons Learnt Journal
20 June Growing a Jeweled Rose
21 June Growing Play
23 June JDaniel4′s Mom

Thank you for supporting Small Hands Creating Hope.

If you’d like to have a copy of the weekly play planner delivered straight to your e-mail in box, just pop your e-mail address in the box below. The planner will arrive on a Sunday, ready and waiting with a week’s worth of play ideas . . . → Read More: Drawing on the kitchen table and Lego math]]>

Receive your own copy of the Play Planner

If you’d like to have a copy of the weekly play planner delivered straight to your e-mail in box, just pop your e-mail address in the box below. The planner will arrive on a Sunday, ready and waiting with a week’s worth of play ideas for the week ahead.

Monday’s child is…

drawing all over the kitchen table

Tuesday’s child is…

hunting for colours, texture and hidden shapes outside

Wednesday’s child is…

playing lego math games

 Thursday’s child is…

caterpillar crazy (over at Baby BornFree Mum and Dad)

 Friday’s child is…

watching potatoes grow under ground (over at Quirky Momma Kids Activities Blog)

  Saturday’s child is…

making marvellous medicine (thanks Make Do and Friend over at Imagination Soup)

 Sunday’s child is…

making play dough imprints (thanks Learn with Play @ home)

Join us on Facebook or on Pinterest for more fun ideas

This week we’ve been watching our caterpillars grow and grow and grow. We might have butterflies this time next week!

What have been you been doing with your kids this week? Share and idea with us.

What have you been playing this week?