Author: jennyf74

• 

🌺🌸SOO we’ve had a sneaky peak at Spring but Winter hasn’t gone yet. SUCH a beautiful morning with the mist hanging low and the crunchy ground beneath our feet. IT was hard to see too far ahead of us and it felt like a mystical veil hung between our worlds. Magical Nature 💚🌸🌺

🌳🌲🌳I am delighted to let you know that I am now an approved practitioner with The Therapeutic Forest having completed the course ‘Certificate in Therapeutic Skills for Outdoor Leaders’.🌳🌲🌳💚

🌳🌲🌳So … what does it mean to be an Approved Practitioner? It doesn’t mean that I am a therapist in any way shape or form BUT it does mean that I have been given the training and information to build up my own toolkits when supporting and meeting the needs of children in my school working life and as a Forest School leader 😊💚🌲🌳

🌲🌳What next? 🤔😊🌳🌲

🌳🌲🌳I love the feel AND the texture of this simple mobile I made yesterday using some bark we have found on our walks … such beautiful patterns. IT might not last very long BUT is a treat to the senses to touch. 💚🌳🌲

🌳🌲🌳SLOWING down with a phone in hand … seems to contradict itself when talking about NATURE CONNECTION but using your camera can draw the eye in …. take in colour and detail that you may not have SEEN before. YESTERDAY I scrambled in the hedgerow to find some sneaky Snowdrops all hiding and the colour of the MOSS was vivid – no filter 💚😊. 🌳🌲

🌺🌸WHEN we think of mindful activities we MAY think of quiet corners and sitting still BUT mindfulness activities can be more active the trick is to just BE present, to BE open and accepting and to BE kind and gentle 🌺🌸🌺

😊 😔 😠 😦 MAKING emotion faces with my youngest today to use at school. Validating children’s feelings even when you can’t change the situation helps to make them feel understood and builds trust – but first we have to teach them. 😊😔😦😠

😊THOSE of you that know me will know I’m just a BIT of a geek (my phone never made the drawer!), one course just seems to raise more interest and LEAD to another … SOOO (for my interest & personal development) I’ve just finished a short course on Coping with Changes: social-emotional learning through play (FutureLearn) … looking at ADVERSITY and CHALLENGE and HOW these may affect a child, RECOGNISING the signs of distress in children and the PROMOTIVE and PROTECTIVE factors that can be put in place … 😊

😊THERE was a LOT of content from early years to 4-9 years and up with some great self care strategies for the adults too – as how WE feel projects to the children in our care 😊

💚Emotion coaching here I come! 💚

💚🌳💚🌲READ The Giving Tree today as part of our PSHE – there are a few interpretations of this book BUT I lean towards the unconditional love one ❤️. Feeling grateful for SO much at the moment and thinking of you ALL. I hope that half term offers the chance for some down time and rest. MY phone will be going in a drawer … see you in just over a week 😊💚😊🌲🌳

🌳🌲💚TAKING the children to the Spinney this week thru the MAGIC gateway to find a stick that called to them … so impressed that I didn’t need to remind them to drag a stick longer than their arm. LOTS of fun running through the trees in the Winter sunshine and walking backwards to wave at our shadows☀️💚🌳🌲

🌳🌲IN class we had wool, beads and tin lids to make an instrument. NO such thing as JUST a stick 💚🌳🌲

🌳💚HAVING fun this evening with my youngest making these lovely ice baubles …. SUPER SIMPLE …. a cake/ muffin tray with some leaves OR berries, a dash of water to cover the LOT and some string in a LOOP. POP in the freezer for an hour or so and there you go! BEAUTIFUL to look at, FUN to explore and GREAT to watch MELT 🌳💚

💚😊🐦SOO my work at school over the last couple of weeks has focused a LOT on our feathered friends with the RSPB Bird Watch coming up. THIS week we are looking at making simple bird feeders and finding ourselves a SIT SPOT at a window or wrapped up all warm and suggly outside. I have gone for the simple cereal bird feeder as I wanted to make sure it might be something we ALL had – so I’m using some string and a small handful of Cheerios (NOT chocolate coated tho).💚🐦💚

🌳💚🐦THREAD then on and then HANG these off a branch a few days before so the birds can find your house then hopefully you can spend 15-20 mins or longer if you can having a watch at Nature quite literally flying by 💚🐦🌳🌲

🐦🌳💚MY art suggestion this week is to make a bird picture using natural materials from the garden or using items from your home to make a cardboard tube owl for those who can’t access the outdoors at the moment… 🐦💚

💚🐦 🦉 I shall post pictures …. FOR the owl you will need some cardboard tubes. The body is the size of a toilet roll, flatten it down and then cut a smile off the top (see picture 🦉) and this helps form the shape. The card you have cut off are the wings. YOU can use any printed paper to decorate and then add detail 🦉🐦😊🌲💚

🌳🌳🌳💚THERE is no such thing as JUST a stick and at this time of year there are LOTS of sticktastic activities that YOU could get up to …. 🌳🌳

🌲 🌲🌳🌳THIS week at school we made some magical creations using a stick and a sock … SOME made cats, there were unicorns, dogs and horses all being created …. 🌳🌲🌳💚

🌳🌲🌳🌳SO find a stick on your travels OR a garden cane OR if you can’t get out and about at the moment a broom or mop handle OR even a little wooden spoon for a mini magical creature …. find an ODD sock, bet there are LOADS in your laundry pile, stuff it with other socks or paper and ADD some feathers – I used buttons for the eyes, a Pom Pom for the nose, leaves for ears abs twigs for some whiskers … IT was tricky sticking it all on the sock so I used sellotape…. 🌳💚🌲🌳🌲

🌳🌲What can YOU make? 😊💚🌳🌲