In previous sessions, the children had said that they would like to use more tools to make things from wood. They had suggested that they would like to have a go at making some wooden keyrings. For this, we decided that we would need some green (newly cut) wood. Our school site does not have many mature trees, but I had noticed a goat willow tree in the corner of the grounds that was in need of some attention. Many of the branches were snapped which had resulted in some die back.
After a game of seconds away hide and seek, I took the children to the area where the goat willow was. As it stands in an area of the grounds that is not normally used by the children, we carried out a risk assessment to identify any potential hazards. The children pointed out some tree roots and shrubs which were potential trip hazards, so we took care to avoid these. There was also some litter and building rubble, so the children decided that they needed to wear safety gloves before picking anything up. They also chose to wear goggles to protect themselves from eye-level branches.
S reminded the group of our bow saw tool took before we set about removing some of the damaged branches from the tree.
The fluffy catkins that give the goat willow its common name (latin name - Salix Cinerea or Salix Caprea) were a big hit with the children. K and S used secateurs to take some cuttings from the tree which we hope to transplant in the school grounds.
N and J used the bow saw to cut some discs of wood from the healthier branches we had removed in order to make our keyrings. They were careful to ensure that they folowed our tool use procedure, which includes using a glove on their non-tool hand, making eye contact before starting to cut and sitting in the 'respect position'. N then used a hand drill to make a hole in the discs to allow us to thread a keychain through them.
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