after school, Thursdays in January 2012

An after school club in a family home with large garden and playworkers with a passion for outdoor play.  Scroll down for diaries.


26th Jan:
The Monkton Farley boys arrived , again, like cats on hot tin rooves. We eventually gathered for tea...Lovely, fresh, thick, crusty bread with jam or honey. Charles had a crisp green apple sliced into quarters. After a quick blast on the drums it was back outdoors for a slippery, muddy game of football. Hendrick scored his first ever goal but this didn't stop Keelen and Seb beating him and me 10 - 2.
There was lots of stick play and games around the red tubes. Everyone ran for shelter when a hail storm burst suddenly.
Inside, Louise helped people to make cakes. The main bakers were Dylan, Phoebe, Harper and Theo. Fleur sat and wrote a story; then Rachel read her and Charles a story about mice. We finished the week sat around the kitchen table licking the mix off the spoons and enjoying the cakes warm from the oven.
19th Jan:
The boys could hardly contain themselves at tea; they couldn't wait to have a go on the new drum-kit. Harper told us about his favourite bits from his Australian holiday. George set up a chip factory and was given help with the potato peeling by Pippa and Phoebe.
Outside Seb got everyone to play football; his side won 5-1. After this there were games under the yew trees. Dare-devil scooter stunts and some really risky climbing.
Edward was doing some green wood-work under the shelter.
Back inside Dylan was getting some help from Louise with playing the drums in a controlled way.
12th Jan:
The Monkton Farleigh lot went straight outdoors today to burn off some of their energy. There was a nice game of football... 2-2 before tea (half time), 10-6 afterwards.
Sonny, Tom, Charles and Rachel made paper planes. At the end of club there was a big take off with all the origami aircraft hurtling across the garden.
The evening was turning chilly and as the sun set the sky changed colours from orange to purple.
Phoebe, Fleur, Pippa, Dylan and Mateo played an imaginitive game which involved hamsters, rabbits and pirates. The boys were the pirates and the girls hid in a wooden box.
The birds were giving their evening concert as the parents arrived to pick up their dear children.  Written by Barney.
5th Jan:
"Well, Arthur, Tom and I were playing around the den and chatting in there and we all played a game of football - Dylan, Tom, me and Arthur, Barney, Hendrick and Keelan and Seb.  That was about 1/2 hour and then everyone came in cos it was getting really cold and dark.  We all played ball games.  A few of went outside again - me, Tom and younger ones and then came inside again.  So, that's like a recount of the day", Theo.
Hendrick and Charles did carpentry with Edward.  Phoebe and Sunny made a vertical slide out of the tubes.  You had to pay a handful of grass to go in it!  Dylan was just having goes on the slide.  Mateo, Pippa, Sonny were drawing.  Seb and Charles played on the keyboard.  The marble game was out, and draughts.   Written by Theo and Rachel.