This weekend just gone, Sara and I took the boys in to some very treacherous woods and pushed one of them down a hill, whilst balancing the other precariously at the top of a muddy ledge. Before you call Childline, I should probably explain – it’s alright, because loads of other parents were doing the same thing!
Okay, so it’s not quite as bad as it sounds – and maybe I exaggerated the “pushing” part above…! We were actually taking part in a “Learning Through Nature” day which had been organised by Robert’s (excellent) pre-school, along with a lot of other pupils and their families.
I don’t know whether “Learning through Nature” is a national thing or something they’ve made up, but essentially it happens once a week at school, and involves the children being taken in to the parkland and woodland near their school to do naturey things – looking for bugs and animals, learning about leaves and trees – that sort of thing.
As it always goes down very well with the children, the staff decided to extend it to families for a special, one-off weekend event. So, on Saturday morning we all traipsed in to the woods (not an easy feat with a stroller, I can tell you) and took part in lots of fun activities together. We built dens, hunted for “mini beasts”, guided each-other round rope-trails while blindfolded, started fires and weaved twigs (you can see my creation on the left – I call it “The emptiness of the forest – a study in wood”. We even got a barbecued lunch thrown in.
And best of all – they ran the whole thing for just £1 per family. ONE POUND! I couldn’t even pay for the string I used to build the den with a bloody pound! Amazing.
Perhaps the hairiest moment for me was watching Robert and Sara sliding down a very steep muddy bank in to a massive ditch, which they then had to climb out of with a very long rope. I thought I could get out of it by staying at the top minding Freddie’s stroller (which was perched precariously at the ledge), but eventually I was forced down myself, where I proceeded to surprise even myself by how little embarrassment I caused.
It was a great way to spend a few hours, and a real “family day” – something we get to do far too infrequently, with modern life so regularly getting in the way. I’d highly recommend it!
That’s great. Our kid’s preschool also has a nature program. In the spring, they will go on hikes with binoculars, and they will also grow vegetables and eat them. These two things alone are worth the tuition.
Hi, Here’s a few more ideas for doing naturey things without the need to call childline, and most of them for free!
12 nature connection ideas:http://youtu.be/YEtaG65B8J8Chris Holland