Wildness

I've been looking back through my photos and I've noticed a pattern:

 they are almost exclusively of nature, and within that they are often 'empty' landscapes, with no people or man made structures visible...

They often feature trees...

...and water...

...especially showing reflections.

But I also notice that there is a bleakness, a sense of sadness even.

Maybe I need some reflection of my own....

Connection to Nature

I have spent some time this month with children and adults who only see the world in contrast-black and white, good and bad, day and night. It made me think about how my view has changed over the years, the journey I am on that has helped me to see that life is a continuum and that those two sides don't exist, if I choose not to take them. That there is only blend, or flow, a continuous cycle of energy.

I have been helped on my journey by spending more time in nature. 

As a child I was always outside, exploring and creating, immersed in the world around me.

But as a young adult I moved away from the natural world and became a smaller me, 

less of who I was and more of what others thought I should be. 

Then my children arrived, and I saw the world anew, 

I saw the sky above us as we lay on the ground together, wondering at the enormity of the universe.

And the world turned with us lying there, and I felt the connection, the awe,

and again felt immersed in the cycle. 

Realisation dawning that those events that I had thought of as bad, or wrong, were crucial in determining who I was and although they had undeniably changed me, I was still continuing to grow....

Signs of Spring

Annual family snowdrop walk today; a beautiful clear blue sky day-enough to lift the spirits on its own but then add in some glorious spring sights and it left us all feeling more alert, healthier and happier...

 

Half term has gone so fast but with the return to school is a return to longer days and warmth in the sun and a sense of excitement and energy-that the best is yet to come...

Outdoor Converts

 

It's been a full term of the whole class non directive sessions and when we started the woods were lush and green and there were nerves all round about what would happen when 30 pupils were taken outdoors and allowed to choose how to spend their time. The only real rule was

"Keep yourself, each other and the grounds safe."

We travelled through a fine autumn,lucky with the weather and found some fine fungi for the pupils to identify.

 

Although sadly the snow waited until after our final sessions together, by the end of term the woods were noticeably bare of leaf and much cooler.

Below are some of the elder groups comments about their time in the woods.

We loved:

*Having our own time to do what we want and being able to learn what we want to learn

*Digging holes because it's fun and allows us to use our imagination

*Experimenting, like using sticks to make different things

*Working with people you don't usually work with

*Learning to use equipment safely

We learnt:

*Boys and girls can work together

*I can get on with people I don't always get on with

*Some people annoy me and now I can deal with my anger

*You can be alone and feel sad and it feels peaceful and it helps you

*You don't have to have technology to have fun

Those comments alone would have made it all worth while but the staff feedback has been fantastic:

* I really enjoyed the whole experience

*Sessions were very beneficial to pupils AND staff

*The children's play in the woodlands often reflected their mood

*New friendship groups were formed

*Pupils took their learning from class outside and vice versa

*Children who struggle in class found something they enjoyed and brought that confidence back into class

*I will definitely continue to use the woodlands whichever year group I am with, I think it's great.

It's sad to say goodbye to those classes, they have come such a long way in a term but it's so great to hear that the staff in those year groups are going to continue working outdoors, with whole classes, allowing their pupils to decide how they want to spend their time.

I can't wait to hear how they progress and next term I get to start again with two more classes to prove the worth of an hour in the woods...



Half Term Play

So we went to Scotland to hunt for eagles-sadly no joy, although we did get some great views of a Peregrine Falcon bathing at Caerlaverock. My two were disappointed but that didn't stop us having some fun, with a little bit of work thrown in!!!

They sat in silence to listen to the geese arriving...

...and big sister shared her knowledge (at home she's known as the next Kate Humble!)

There were some creations too; this was made from different coloured reeds...

Whilst this frame proved useful to show off some randomly collected items:

William spent quite some time tracing the shapes he found on these lovely seats, useful for a young boy whose doesn't like letters as they are "work!"

  

And the weather and the scenery were stunning-just what the doctor ordered!!



Therapeutic Horticulture

Having moved sideways from therapeutic horticulture to therapeutic naturework I have found myself moving back again this week with around half my pupils choosing to sow seeds or plant bulbs.

Some pupils planted everything really close together.

Some chose the easiest pot to weed...

...whilst others took the more difficult route...

Some just played with the compost; with several really enjoying the experience of being given permission to get dirty...

We shared a lot of useful conversations, quite a lot centering on whose responsibility the plants are, with a number of pupils naming everybody but themselves.

I think this will be a theme we're working on for a while!!



Start of a new term, new jobs, a new era...

Well, after 6 weeks of playing with the children,

finding fossils(this is a diplodocus bone apparently!),

and getting cold and wet

its time to reenter the world of work.

And the start of this new term is a new start for me in lots of ways;

although I love horticulture and am passionate about its value as a therapeutic medium, for me, personally, I've found I have to be too directive within sessions when the pupils I work with are growing plants.

Yes plants want to grow, and will do everything in their power to do so, but if you want a plant to grow well there are so many things to consider-time of year, light, heat, compost type, watering, the list goes on. And there are so many pests and diseases that might cause sickness or even death it can be fraught getting a plant to reach its potential(the parallels to raising children are not lost on me here!!)

I've found with my pupils that to avoid regular disappointment required me to offer my opinion too often for me to feel comfortable. My work is always about process not product but I've found it too difficult to repeatedly allow my charges to plant seeds at the wrong time or in the wrong place, knowing that those plants wouldn't succeed.

So this year I am concentrating entirely on nature as a therapeutic medium.

Last year I trialled this approach with 11 pupils, they could choose to do whatever they wished within the school grounds, which included some horticulture. We also:

made art with items we found

built dens

and watched wildlife

I can't wait to see what the coming years sessions bring.

I'm looking forward to being in the here and now, whilst wondering where I will find myself in twelve months time...

 

Endless holidays....

It feels like a summer holiday should, warm and sunny(well mostly) and with seemingly endless time to spend together, mainly outdoors, enjoying whatever experiences come our way. So far this summer we have...

...walked amongst thousands of tiny frogs, trying not to step on them or harm them with our 3 and 4 year old boundless enthusiasm!!

We worked together to create a den, so involved in the building we only had a few minutes to play inside...

Then we visited Cannock chase and found a whole village of dens that somebody had made, but somehow they didn't have the same attraction as our self built home!

We've flown kites at the seaside...

...and rescued a bee that got caught in our conservatory overnight and needed a honey reviver, watching fascinated as it drank through its proboscis.

We've spent hours playing pooh sticks...

...and several more sliding down this bank, until most of it ended up in our shorts!!!

But most of all we've spent time with people we love, enjoying life...

...gaining memories to treasure forever.