One of the hardest skills to master in Forest School is fire lighting, but as you can see the exhilaration of success is infectious and worth the effort!

Because the safety of our children is paramount we always begin fire skill training with learning the fire triangle. Here we have Mrs Murray demonstrating and then the children making their own.

This was followed by learning to use a Dragon’s Sneeze (flint rod) to make sparks and then, if they wanted to, actually light cotton wool and Dragon Snot in a scallop shell over the fire circle.

Another focus for Year 6 this term is to master a selection of knots that they can use to erect dens and swings. This week was the Clove Hitch, please encourage your children to show you!

Other activities they chose were swing building, sign making, natural paint, drilling, and sword play.

And as always we return the site to nature before we leave and everyone gets stuck into the clearing away, learning to coil rope properly and folding up the tarps.