Term 2.1 Using tools in Forest school

Class: Garden Room Forest School Year: 2021 - 2022

In Forest school we teach the children how to use tools safely and this term we have been building on the tools used last term - mallets and hand drills - and have learned how to use the sheath knife to chop wood for the fire.
The safety rules have been explained to the children and reiterated each time we use the tools.
The tools are kept locked away in the tool box and only the Forest school leader is allowed to open the box and get a tool out. The box is locked again as soon as a tool is taken out and when finished with the tool is put back away and the box locked again.
When invited one child at a time can join the Forest school leader in the tool use area to have a turn using the tool. We both kneel down to use the tools. Any hands on a tool don’t need a glove but any ‘helper’ hands not holding a tool need a glove.

When it was their turn the each child joined the leader in the tool use area and had to use small movements of the mallet to hit the knife as it was held over the wood.
The wood they chopped was then used to help start the fire so we could cook our snack!