This week we were learning about and with the elder tree. Most of the berries were gone but we explored other parts of the tree – mainly its leaves and its wood. We noticed that there’s a lot of elder trees on our way to basecamp.

Elder leaves

Elder tree song (tune of Baa baa black sheep)

Elder elder have you got a cure

Yes mother yes mother three or more

Flowers for a fever, 

Berries for a cough,

Leaves to keep the mosquitos off

Remember me, I’m a fairy tree

So please take good care of me.

We rubbed elder leaves on our skin to help keep biting insets off like in the song.

Elder wood

We explored elder wood and discovered that the inside of the branch is soft and spongy, almost like a marshmallow. Some children pushed the soft centre out to create beads for a necklace, while others used the branches to make fairy swings. Others chose to work with clay, creating their own imaginative designs and ideas.

Forest School gives children the freedom to explore, experiment and follow their own ideas using natural, found objects. It provides opportunities for children to express their creativity in their own unique way, encouraging curiosity, imagination and a sense of wonder as they discover what they can create from the world around them.

Leaf miner treasure hunt

We introduced the children to leaf miners in the summer term when there weren’t very many on the leaves. Now there are loads and the children are excited to find them.

Other discoveries

Led by the children, using observation and curiosity, we are constantly tapping into wonder and awe at all we find in nature.