Oct 18th:-
Kate and her son Alex joined us today as we prepared to head up to base camp where we’d spent this term. It was lovely to see the young ones so familiar with the woodland; happy and confident; they were immediately in the moment and noticed everything. Alex soon found his feet as he and mum helped each other. We had our usual rendezvous with the stream and we collected sticks on our way up the slippery slopes. When we arrived we searched for our original fire site, which was a good sign of us having hidden it well, before. Anna, Bethen and Asha arrived having made the way up by themselves. Great confidence. They brought along some sticky bracelets to collect things on. Wonderful.
We were thinking of harnessing the wind in the field above us, but the day was still and sunny so we stayed in camp. I made mallets with some children, who showed good skills splitting off shards of wood to create the handles of their mauls (Mallets made from one piece of wood).
There was lovely food and chat. We put up a rope-swing which at the end of the day became a hoist. The children were delighted to be pulled up high into the beech branches way above the on-looking adults. It was quite risky play. but the beaming smiles on their faces were unforgettable.
What a lovely term. Thanks Joshua, Reuben, Theo, Beth, Asha, Will, Thomas, Mayah, Ava, Alex and of course you ADVENTUROUS PARENTS. Great PLAY.
Oct 11th:-
Sue came along today with Mayah and Ava. We planned to do some serious cooking today; Annie had asked me to bring a toasting rack. Bethan is so interested in getting muddy and actually knelt in the stream. The children meander through dens that people have built either side of the water. We confidently made our way up the paths and were really getting familiar with the area. Arriving a\t the top, we chose a different site to set up camp. We all helped to put up a basher and make a nice cooking fire. Annie was soon toasting cheese sandwiches and Jenny heated up sausage rolls. Luxury. We made nice sticks decorated with coloured threads. Jenny walked down with Annie as Joshua was feeling a bit under-the-weather. Thomas was confident enough to stay in camp without mum and we used a needle and thread to make a natural mobile of leaves and other things from the wood floor. The children took turns at relaxing in the hammock and playing on the rope swing. Lots of nice chat and lovely cooking. We packed up and made our way back down, lead by the young explorers.Oct 11th:-
Oct 4th:-
Anna, Bethan and Asha were at the far end of the field as we arrived. Gathering together we set off for base camp. It was such a contrast in the weather to the last time Anna was there. No torrential rain today. The children got to know each other some more and were becoming friends. The adults did the same and we shared food and conversation. Anna retrieved her wooden necklace from a high branch using a long stick. We had a rope swing and a hammock. Back down by the stream the children enjoyed wading through on our way back.
Sep 27th:-
Annie was waiting with Joshua and Reuben as Margaret, Jenny and I arrived. Margaret brought along Will and Jenny brought Thomas. The children played on wooden objects, while we prepared to leave. Will had requested a visit to the stream and Joshua wanted to help make a fire. By the stream we found a metal lid and we thought that a Smurf called Grumpy might live underneath. We squeezed the seed pods of Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens Grandulifera), or Policeman's Helmet. The short, reflexed points burst with an amazing coil mechanism throwing out the seeds. We put some of the petals on our sticky cards. Across the bridge we watched the water disappear underground.
Another earth star had fruited underneath the conker tree and we saw how it’s spore sac dispersed through a whole in the top in puffs of brown dust.
Helping each other up the path, the children seemed much more comfortable than the grown-ups with the slippery slopes. We came across a rotten tree stump and found the rope from last week. Joshua carried it all the way to camp, while Will and Thomas gathered armfuls of fire wood.
The camp was quickly set up, and while people enjoyed a nice picnic I put up a rope-swing and a hammock. We had a quick safety talk about vegetable peelers and then stripped the bark from short batons of hazel, decorating them with coloured threads. Reuben reminded us that he would also like a baton of hazel. Of course. The main activity was tree bashing and we identified healthy trees and dead trees (more appropriate for bashing).
Joshua enjoyed keeping the fire going and everyone helped. A fire dug into a small pit is very economical with fuel but needs a bit more attention.
Time soon went by and we all helped to strike camp and make our way home. We arrived back looking like muddy explorers. Great.
Sep 20th:-
Just Jo, Theo and I today..Three gifts to begin.. Sticky cards for collecting fallen petals and leaves, wooden badges with our names on and a book about what to look for in Autumn.
Helping each other up the path, the children seemed much more comfortable than the grown-ups with the slippery slopes. We came across a rotten tree stump and found the rope from last week. Joshua carried it all the way to camp, while Will and Thomas gathered armfuls of fire wood.
The camp was quickly set up, and while people enjoyed a nice picnic I put up a rope-swing and a hammock. We had a quick safety talk about vegetable peelers and then stripped the bark from short batons of hazel, decorating them with coloured threads. Reuben reminded us that he would also like a baton of hazel. Of course. The main activity was tree bashing and we identified healthy trees and dead trees (more appropriate for bashing).
Joshua enjoyed keeping the fire going and everyone helped. A fire dug into a small pit is very economical with fuel but needs a bit more attention.
Time soon went by and we all helped to strike camp and make our way home. We arrived back looking like muddy explorers. Great.
Sep 20th:-
Just Jo, Theo and I today..Three gifts to begin.. Sticky cards for collecting fallen petals and leaves, wooden badges with our names on and a book about what to look for in Autumn.
Without wellies we chose a non-foot-soaking route across the stream. At the horse-chestnut tree we discovered ‘Earth Stars’ (Geastrum Fimbriatum); strange looking mushrooms in a star shape holding a round spore-sac.
Theo chose two sticks, as we made our way up the slippery pathway. The first one broke and became two sticks, the second stick was long like the antennae of a large beetle.
When we arrived at beech camp the area was quiet, balmy and peaceful. We calmly set about our tasks and we were soon enjoying hot drinks, cold juice and lunch of Marmite sandwiches.
We put up a rope swing and a hammock for relaxing. We hid Anna and Annie’s wooden badges in the canopy above us. Theo and Jo stripped the bark from a thin branch of hazel and we decorated it with purple wool.
When we’d packed up we explored a way up to Combe Down through a field and some lanes. We saw the post-man and met a ginger cat that followed us for a while before going off hunting. Theo had done really well with walking so far and enjoyed a shoulder ride from his Mum and I, smelling some rosemary and humming a nice tune on the way back.
We bid each other farewell and thanked one another for the walk. Powerful WORDS.
Sep 13th:-
Anna, Jo, and Annie brought along Reuben, Joshua, Theo and Beth. Eight of us four little ones and four big ones.
We set off on our first adventure, wondering if we weren’t slightly over equipped on such a sun-drenched Autumnal day.
Walking by a small stream we reached a conker tree. The ground below had been refreshingly harvested by the School’s Children. We were still able to gather a half a dozen or so. Joshua particularly enjoyed the horse chestnut tree and stayed for a while to find ‘the big one’. He decided to keep them in their spiny shells.
Up a steep path we kept on exploring until we reached ‘beach camp’, which is to be our base. (An idea that G and H suggested last term.) We were no sooner their when the heavens opened and rain began to pour.
I quickly put up a shelter and we all gathered fire wood. Covering the first small flames with my body we managed to get a lovely fire going. All the children were delighted to add fuel and there was a big search for yellow coloured fallen ash twigs, which burn well even when wet.
The shelter did it’s job but eventually everyone ventured bravely out into the rain. There was a lovely picnic with cheese biscuits and hot coffee.
What an adventure. We packed up and headed back. Reaching the stream we noticed that the rain had made it about three times deeper. All the children took turns at jumping in. Beth found out that the water was higher than her willies were tall. Her boots made a squelching noise as we arrived home.
We no longer wondered if we were slightly over equipped on such a rain drenched Autumnal day.
Theo chose two sticks, as we made our way up the slippery pathway. The first one broke and became two sticks, the second stick was long like the antennae of a large beetle.
When we arrived at beech camp the area was quiet, balmy and peaceful. We calmly set about our tasks and we were soon enjoying hot drinks, cold juice and lunch of Marmite sandwiches.
We put up a rope swing and a hammock for relaxing. We hid Anna and Annie’s wooden badges in the canopy above us. Theo and Jo stripped the bark from a thin branch of hazel and we decorated it with purple wool.
When we’d packed up we explored a way up to Combe Down through a field and some lanes. We saw the post-man and met a ginger cat that followed us for a while before going off hunting. Theo had done really well with walking so far and enjoyed a shoulder ride from his Mum and I, smelling some rosemary and humming a nice tune on the way back.
We bid each other farewell and thanked one another for the walk. Powerful WORDS.
Sep 13th:-
Anna, Jo, and Annie brought along Reuben, Joshua, Theo and Beth. Eight of us four little ones and four big ones.
We set off on our first adventure, wondering if we weren’t slightly over equipped on such a sun-drenched Autumnal day.
Walking by a small stream we reached a conker tree. The ground below had been refreshingly harvested by the School’s Children. We were still able to gather a half a dozen or so. Joshua particularly enjoyed the horse chestnut tree and stayed for a while to find ‘the big one’. He decided to keep them in their spiny shells.
Up a steep path we kept on exploring until we reached ‘beach camp’, which is to be our base. (An idea that G and H suggested last term.) We were no sooner their when the heavens opened and rain began to pour.
I quickly put up a shelter and we all gathered fire wood. Covering the first small flames with my body we managed to get a lovely fire going. All the children were delighted to add fuel and there was a big search for yellow coloured fallen ash twigs, which burn well even when wet.
The shelter did it’s job but eventually everyone ventured bravely out into the rain. There was a lovely picnic with cheese biscuits and hot coffee.
What an adventure. We packed up and headed back. Reaching the stream we noticed that the rain had made it about three times deeper. All the children took turns at jumping in. Beth found out that the water was higher than her willies were tall. Her boots made a squelching noise as we arrived home.
We no longer wondered if we were slightly over equipped on such a rain drenched Autumnal day.
0 comments:
Post a Comment