5 voices of birds
I love listening to the birds. For many years I’ve not know who I was listening too although I can know pick out more than I used to. Last year I was introduced to Jon Young’s introduction to the five voices of the birds. Rather than focus on who it is he asks ‘What…
Our story of the day; reflective poems.
Our story of the day. Reflective group poems from Forest School training; Upon reflection, it’s small yet guiding. This place, a calming release in the sunlight. Identifying. Reflective and delicate. We’re explaining, thinking and applying. Facilitating…
Brains and Nature
Notes from my sketch book as I read “Your brain on nature” by Eva.M. Selhub and Alan.C.Logan. If you are interested in finding out more about how nature supports and affects people emotionally and physically our Level 3 Forest School practitioner course explores the…
Springtime
Mindful communication: compassionate approaches for dealing with ‘challenging’ behaviour from children
An invitation to a two and a half day training retreat in the wild woods of the Lake District. This course has now past. If you are interested in something similar please email mail@kindlingplayandtraining.co.uk. Working with an inspiring trainer, Jayaraja, together…
Pewter
Here’s a lovely thing to do over the fire. I did a bit of metal casting when I studied metalwork in my teens and it feels like alchemy every time you cast metal. Pewter is a metal that has a low enough melting point to melt over an ordinary fire. Which just adds to…
Compound Flexibility
During my years as a Forest School leader one if the attributes that I find myself drawing on is flexibility. Being able to change plans, put aside my agenda because of the weather, a really interesting discovery in the woods, because of something a child needs or…
Badges of honour
Many years ago I talked with my friend Martin about the idea of the badges of honour of outdoor play. Martin wrote about this in www.playengland.org.uk/media/130593/play-naturally.pdf, that dirt, stains and smells can be treated like ‘badges of honour’, ‘evidence of…
What happens after you feel the fear?
I didn’t know how much of this last week would be spent dealing with fear. Heights, the dark, spiders in the toilet, bigger kids. All normal parts of a week of play in a field on the edge of a wood. But what struck me again and again is the resilience and bravery of…
Challenging Behaviour in the Outdoors
Working with Young People with Challenging Behaviour in the Outdoors Level 3 OCN (3 credits) – with Jon Cree and Lily Horseman When: 28th-30th September 2015 Where: Rookhow, Grizedale, Cumbria Cost: £300 (includes basic accommodation in the bunk house) Download a…
Look after yourself, look after each other and look after the place we are in
There are many ways that I have used over the years to set ground rules with children. It always boils down to this though… How this is works is negotiated as we need to know it, sometimes in the middle of a game we might need to stop and work out the rules and make…
Wood cookies swinging in the trees make romantic braids…
Occasionally I see a craft technique and think to myself “I can’t wait to take that to the woods!” So it was when I attended a textile workshop with Larry Schmidt at the North House Folk School. He specialises in traditional Scandinavian textile techniques that were…
