Year 4 – Knots – Forest School

In a couple of weeks’ time, pupils in Year 4 will be visiting the local woods to apply some of their Forest School knowledge into a real life setting and context. One of the skills we will be looking at it is den building using two specific knots therefore today we revisited and practiced prior skills learnt in the Autumn Term. In doing so, skills remain embedded and pupils stay ‘fluent’ in them is a fundamental part of securing and having a deep understanding of the skill. This afternoon, we practiced our Prusik and Bowline knots. Once again, there were a series of challenges to work our way through. Could pupils make the knots on a piece of rope? Could they tie a Bowline knot around another rope? Could they do it around a den building stick? Could they attach two deb building sticks together using two Bowline knots? Could they use a larger and longer rope and attach it to two trees? The pupils worked well throughout and never gave up, despite the Bowline knot proving tricky once again. It was lovely to see those children who remembered becoming teachers and coaches themselves by supporting their peers and modelling the knot to them, breaking it down into steps for their friends to copy and work through together. Well done Year 4!