Forest School Year 4 Newsletter Week 1 2019

Year 4: Week 1
Native American’s

On a chilly morning we
took a look at the site
to see what had
changed since the
children’s last visit.
The children noticed the
Beech trees that Year 3
had planted last year. Dr
Collins pointed out that a
Beech leaf has jagged
edges and very strong and
alternate regular veins.
Someone had
removed the
Rhododendron
bushes during the
Christmas holiday.
It made the site
feel more open.

Dr Collins introduced the children to two games that Native
Americans used to help their children prepare to be warriors
or just a bit more co-ordinated.
The scream game has become a
firm favourite. You take a breath
and run while screaming until you
run out of air. It shows how you
manage your air capacity.
Sean ran further than
anyone else!
He was officially amazing!
You can see the difference between the children. Interestingly
with practise they all improved, running further. This explains why
it was such a good game to prepare for growing into a warrior.

The second game involved moving two balls
sewn at each end of a long sock. This game
needed co-ordination.
We all had a go, it was quite a
challenge and difficult not to
laugh, as it was so different to
normal football.

There is a Native American story about an old man who asks his
relatives to break one stick, which is easy and then to break a
bundle of sticks, which is impossible. The meaning is that we are
stronger when we work together than when we are on our own.
Next, we introduced the idea of a talking stick, where only the
person holding the stick can talk. Native Americans also encouraged
active listening, where you look at the person who is talking. In a
potentially dangerous situation it was important that children learned
how to listen for life saving information.

Next we had a warming cup of Ribena. Native American’s could
have picked a blackcurrant similar to that used to make Ribena.
The children then practised being safe around the fire. The Marsh
Mallow plant was taken to North America, so it is possible that
Native Americans would have eaten marshmallows.

We re-visited our craft
skills and made a feather
decoration for our hair.
Native Americans were
believed that there was
power in long hair that
connected them to Mother
Nature.

We finished the session building a shelter.
The children worked really well together.