Outdoor Experiences for Life
You would be surprised to see the children in the forest when they arrive at their first Heads UP day, even those lucky enough to live around our woodlands.
For many, the forest is alien, a place they do not know, where they certainly do not feel at ease. They do not hear the bird song, the whisper of the leaves, the sounds of the insects scuttling about their business. Nor do they notice the delicate tips of the bracken unfurling, the changing greens of the canopy above. Their senses are no longer tuned to the subtleties of colour variation or the delicacies of sound.
Of course, our children may well come with us walking the dog, have done some outdoor activities with their school and so on. Yet there is often no longer quite the depth of awareness we might have expected, perhaps even thought it would be a natural part of their childhood.
Sadly, many of the children I meet have an undeveloped sense of how to play in, discover and explore the natural environment. They know they should be creating a shelter, a home in the forest, but they are not at all sure how to start. They can't decide which materials to choose or how to balance and build with any practicality. Sticks are left precariously to lean without support; dens begun which are impossibly large.
At the first sign of difficulty many children give up and move on to the next thing, seemingly without regret.
Although it is not difficult to teach the child a set of steps to build a better functioning den or create a nicely organised fairy garden from leaves, twigs and treasures discovered along the stream, it is far more productive to help them make their own discoveries. When a child is really engaged in natural play there is a deep psychology at work. They come to terms with the world and with themselves. Their senses are wakened, sharpened and through their greater awareness the harmonies, beauty and unity of the natural world makes a deeply important impression. Too much information simply takes away the depth of the child's experience. Children's play is their work; they need to explore and discover each stage of the process as much as possible for themselves.
It is a wonderful end of a busy day at Heads UP when standing around the fire, they can look back at what has been achieved through their own work - clay dug from the stream bank and moulded into pots, sticks carved into an assortment of treasures, magical, quiet moments listening intently to the sounds of the forest, a den or two still standing - castles in the woods, delicious food cooked over the fire and games of hunting, hiding and chasing which have carried them over acres and acres of woodland landscape. Their senses are full and they are properly ready for a bath and bed! Work well done - memories not to be forgotten.
Article written for Summer 2008 issue by
Craig Taylor
Attitude Matters
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