A Forest Settlement - Mantle of the Expert.

We enjoyed working with Tim Taylor to set up a new MoE project connected with Forest School and the Forest environment. To begin, we co-created the borders for a Forest Settlement. We then drew log cabins to represent homes for each of the Forest Families.

The cabins were made of wood as these families had always lived in this setting and they were very experienced wood cutters, foresters, carpenters, hunters and farmers. We discussed the cabin consisting of a single room, with a fire, where all the family would live, including the young and old.
​The village had a stream running through it, essential for water. In the centre of the village was an old oak tree, where the villagers would sit, sometimes around a fire, to tell stories.
Next we discussed all the tasks the villagers would need to carry out. Apart from the forestry work, there were daily chores such as cooking, fetching water, looking after horses, chickens and animals. We enacted the roles that the villagers would take on. We thought about which villager would take responsibility for which job.
We drew the family that lived inside the cabin and so we now have a community of people to work with, to learn the ways of the Forest! One villager has just mentioned a terrible storm...