3rd-9th August
This week I have started researching for my next assignment which is all about woodland conservation. All the work I have done before will feed into this assignment especially coppicing. It will be interesting to think more about the site and how I can develop it further for conservation and I have also found a really good web site Sylva Foundation https://sylva.org.uk/suite-myforest-education which has special tools to help you map and record the flora and fauna on the site. I am giving myself a bit more time to do this assignment as it is really important that I have some more family time so I will be taking a bit of a breather. I would like to complete Unit 1 by the end of the summer holidays and that is manageable as there is only one more assignment after this one left. I also would also like to come to a decision about the name of my Forest School before the end of the Summer holidays. It was good to write another essay last week after a break from this style of recording but I would like to use other format this week to capture my learning about conservation. I am still considering how to do this.
9th-23rd August
I have decided to present my next assignment as a report. I felt it would be useful for me to try out as many presentation formats as possible as then I can gain more experience. I have been away on a family holiday for the past week which was amazing but I did manage to do some reading while I was away which will all filter into this report. I have to admit that I am not finding this assignment as easy to get into as others but now I am back I will have a go at completing Unit 1. I have managed to design and come up with a Forest School name and I have gone with canopy.
I would also like to contact some local coppice groups and see if I can go along and watch and learn more about the skills involved in this woodland management technique but I am aware that coppicing does not usually take place until the winter when the sap in down in the trees. I can always add to the assignment later but I thought this would be a good and interesting thing to do.
23rd-30th August
I have found it hard writing this assignment but remarkably interesting at the same time. Finding out more about the history and geology of Chandler’s Ford and the surrounding area has entailed a lot of research but through doing this I now feel a deeper connection and understanding of the area. During the past week I have gone out and explored the local nature reserves and have seen first-hand the woodlands in the area. I have gained a better understanding of why the trees were planted in the Forest School site as they echo the local understory canopy of the region. I have also come to understand the symbiotic relationship that we have with nature and that nature needs caring and understanding human intervention as much as we need to develop a caring understanding of nature. I am not as far on in the course as I wished to be at this point but my hope is that I now have a better understanding of the Forest School site which will be of benefit to all of the future assignments I engage in.
30th Aug-6th Sep
I have finally completed my assignment and submitted it for review, and I have started to look at my next which looks interesting as it is based on teaching children about sustainable woodland management. I have found that each new assignment is beautifully linked, and I can see a definite learning journey taking place. It is a bit like completing a puzzle and with each assignment the picture becomes clearer.
This week I will be discovering more about the work of Stephen R. Kellert who wrote about the human-nature connection. I will be thinking more about the cohort of children to be taught and how to make woodland management accessible to their age range. I will also begin to think about resources and tools that they could use during a Forest School session. I am looking forward to thinking about sessions and how the knowledge I have gained myself about the site and local area can be taught and weaved into the work I will be doing with the children.
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