Photo by Chris Whatley on Unsplash
What’s happening this month with THL?
Our Easter holiday workshops are starting next week — we have lots of fun and adventure planned so if you have not yet registered please do head over to our website and do so right away. Here are the dates we still have space…
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the 30th, 31st and 1st — a 3 day workshop led by Sam
Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th — a 2 day workshop led by Sylvie
Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th — a 2 day workshop lea by Sylvie
If any of those dates work for you please do head over to the booking page of our website and register. We would love to see you in the woods.
Next Term
Keep an eye on the booking page of our website for all of our exciting sessions starting this summer term and for the tried and tested favourites too.
Tuesdays (10:30-2:30) in Crane Park with Amanda J
Wednesdays (10-3) in Ham Common Woods with Sam
May half term sessions will be added to the booking page soon so do check back if you are planning ahead.
What we are reading this month
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
A beautiful, simple story that follows a seed’s journey through the seasons—perfect for noticing the tiny changes happening outdoors right now.
Why we love it at Forest School:
Introduces life cycles in a gentle, visual way
Encourages children to look closely at what’s growing around them
Sparks conversations about resilience and change
You can buy it here.
What we are foraging for this month
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
This lovely little flower is edible as are its leaves. The flowers can make a salad more beautiful and the leaves, according to eatweeds.co.uk have a reportedly spicy taste with slight anise aroma — sounds yummy! Always remember not to over harvest as these early bloomers are important for our bees. 🐝
Eat weeds have some interesting information about primroses for you.
The Edible Flower Garden have a recipe for Primrose Curd which sounds delicious!
What we are making this month
Pressed flowers
As more and more flowers begin to bloom and new spring leaves appear on the trees and plants it is the perfect time of year to gently collect a few and press them to preserves them and use them for future projects. You do not need a fancy flower press to be successful.
Little Pine Learners have a great page all about making a DIY flower press as do Made for Moms.
If you give this one a go we would love to see the results!
Can you spot me this month?
Frog and toad tadpoles
Photo by Patti Black on Unsplash
I have nostalgic memories of being a child on the west coast of Canada and catching tadpoles in an ice cream bucket. We would diligently care for them and watch on with awe as they magically grew legs and turned into the tiniest of frogs, at which point we would return them to their nursery pond to continue on with their natural life. Although I wouldn’t advocate for removing them from their natural environment now, I would recommend heading to your local pond to see if you can spot them swimming about. We do have laying toads and frogs in the Ham Common Woods although many make their way to Richmond Park to spawn. Do head into the woods or the park and see if you can spot them.
If you manage to spot one or even get a photo we would love to know about it. 🐸