Summer 14 Update Including Karaoke!

All the living roofs at the Centre are looking lush and verdant after spring rainfall and sunshine:

 

Roundhouse roof

 

Recycling Centre Roof

 

 

Dean Garden Room roof

 

As well as looking good they provide habitats and food for insects and help with retaining storm run off

The willow sculptures above the Tunnel System are also bushing well since planting in January.

 

We have installed a new sliding and concertinaing wall in the Dean Garden Room that separates the end of the building into a separate meeting room. This can then be opened back to create a larger space.

 

We  have also now equipped the main room with disco and Karaoke equipment for use by groups which is proving popular! 



Cave Rescue Training comes to DFSC

Ian Healey, the Centre Manager for DFSC, is also the Training Coordinator for the Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group (GCRG). On the 1st June he organised a GCRG Training Day based at DFSC utilising the Dean Garden Room and grounds and making good use of the Climbing Tower and Tunnels System.

 

Interesting to know we can manoeuvre a stretcher in the tunnels!

 

Setting up radio Comms

 

 

 Abseil practice on the Tower

 

Stretcher Hauling on the High Ropes Course

 

http://www.gcrg.org.uk/

Spring Update

We're quite used to seeing the 'Forest' sheep wandering around outside the Centre and the children staying at the Centre always enjoy seeing the lambs at this time of year.
A little more unusual was a family of ducks in our car park!

Viewing wildlife in the forest is a special moment for young people and several groups in the last couple of weeks have been rewarded with seeing deer up in the forest while out walking. We also aim to make wildlife viewing accessible in a 'spring watch' type of way. As well as our bird hide we have two nest boxes near our pond with cameras in them that go to TV's in the Pond Cabin Lab.

Both our next boxes presently have blue tit chicks in them. One lucky group actually got to see a chick hatching out live. The parent bird helped pull the egg case away. Parent birds are very busy at the moment feeding their hungry chicks and students get a good view of the activity while they are in the lab as part of their stream study session.

 

The Bluebells in the forest are presently at their prime and groups have enjoyed walking through the woods and seeing them. You can also smell their sent filling the air. It's been a good year for Bluebells and much better than last year.

 

 

 

 

General Update March 14

Spring is here! The sun is out and so are the daffodils.

 

Do you remember struggling to open the old back yard gate? No more - we now have a nice new one with a split opening for easy pedestrian access.

 

 

No more washing up hot chocolate mugs in the evening. Use our new dishwasher in the Student Kitchen

 

We've just spent £8K on renewing and upgrading elements on our High Challenge Course. New round beams have been put up for our Jacob's Ladder to replace the square profile ones we had before. The spacings have also been changed to offer more progression to this team challenge as you get higher. We'll be interested to find out how our groups get on and up.

 

Last week we ran a very successful INSET training day for teachers looking at numeracy and literacy in the outdoors, alongside other cross curricular learning outcomes.

Above a group of teachers replay a video of a successful 'Leap of Faith'

 

Despite poor weather the group immersed themselves in a variety of activities with enthusiasm. Above a 'circular mapping' exercise with cross curricular themes and outcomes. The day was supported by 3 Bristol CC School Improvement Officers, including DFSC's line manager below, in our Tunnel System

 



Delegate feedback on the course was all very positive some of which is quoted below:

 

I had a fantastic day in a fantastic setting. There are plenty of meaningful learning opportunities that will benefit all children in a holistic way. I would recommend visiting Dean Field to any primary school looking to provide a memorable experience for their children.

Shaun Hartnell, Yr 3 Teacher, Westbury-on-Trym Academy

An engaging, collaborative day that built/developed strong relationships, confidence and team building skills. A day that opened my eyes to how powerful and effective the outdoor learning environment can be!

Emma Robinson, St George C of E Primary

I was really impressed with the centre’s depth of knowledge about how to use their resources to develop cross-curricular learning, emotional development and children’s learning skills. A huge deal of thought has gone into the provision and how teachers could be supported to use it with their own classes. Overall I am extremely impressed with the centre and can’t wait to bring children here myself!

Joe Cook, Hannah More Primary

Fantastic place! Love the problem solving activities. I will definitely be trying these in my school. Great bunch of people with outstanding staff! Fantastic experience! Can’t wait to come back!

Emily Ball, New Fosseway Special School

A fantastic day which gave a wealth of ideas for literacy, numeracy and ICT. Also showed how many outcomes can be met through one activity.

 

Leanne Wilding, Fonthill

Thanks for a great day! It provided me with opportunities to experience the activities my class could benefit from if we came here and plenty of cross- curricular links with our curriculum which we could focus on here. It has also made me reconsider the values and emphasis we put on our curriculum and children’s learning and how learning outdoors could develop far more skills and emotional literacy than a classroom can! I’ll be back!

Claire Carpenter, Fonthill, Southmead

 

 



General Update Jan 14

We have just finished the majority of the top landscaping around the Tunnel System. Matting now protects the recently turfed and pathed areas and willow sculptures have been planted to shade the junction chambers and pipes that are above ground. In the spring these will sprout into green foliage to reduce the solar heating of the tunnel system. In the theme of tunnels it includes a willow tunnel that you are channeled through to get to the entrance of the underground tunnels.

We have been pleased to take delivery of 3 new PC's to supplement our exiting IT resources.

Our two caretakers have been busy taking advantage of a rare empty week just after Christmas to do jobs that can't be done with students in residence. We have painted floors and even dug up one to renew a drainage junction beneath it.

The first week back also gave us a chance to turn of the heating system and install a new radiator and put in 10 new radiator valves.

The heating is now back on for this weeks residential group and the upgraded loft insulation above the Common Room is keeping that area even more cosy and energy efficient.

5 Star Christmas Dinner

Well it's that time of year and the Christmas decorations have gone up. But we haven't just got a star on our Christmas tree we've also once again been awarded 5 stars for food hygiene in our kitchen.

Over the next 3 weeks Jane and Karen will be preparing 5 Christmas dinners for over 60 people at a time! The first was last night and was much enjoyed by all.

Mmmm! Doesn't that look good!

Front of Centre Painted

 The scaffolding from the solar panel installation is now all down but we kept it up a little longer so that all the windows, gutter and facia board at the front of the centre could be painted.

The Virginia Creeper has been trimmed back to half height and has now lost most of it's leaves for this year. It will grow back next year and reach the top windows again before requiring a prune to stop it getting into the gutters. Although it's a continuing maintenance task we don't want to lose our Creeper that has become part of the building and it's history. It softens the building in the summer with it's green foliage and often puts on a beautiful display of Autumn colours.

While work was being done on the building we came across some graffiti on the slates in the middle as indicated by the red dot in the picture above.

It all dated to the 1960's during which time the building was a Forestry College. On further investigation,  asking an historical source, it appears that there was an initiation 'ceremony' whereby first year students were dangled by their legs out of the window above to scratch their names on to the slate! Fortunately such things don't happen today as the windows have closures to prevent them opening more than a few cm's. Although we don't condone graffiti now that it is over 50 years old it has become historical and gives the names of several people who are now old men and came from places as far away as Ghana to live in The Forest of Dean for 2 years and learn how to become forestry managers.

Now that the scaffolding is down it can't be viewed unless you want dangling by the ankles!