We went to Westonbirt and did…
Over the last few weeks we’ve been jumping into minibuses and heading off to Westonbirt arboretum to see the changing Autumn colours and to have a bit of a yomp around. When we get back I’m often asked “what did you get up to?”… well…
The trip starts at the old arboretum, we go over our three forest school rules “always use your eyes, always use your ears and think about what you put in your mouth” and step through the gateway into the trees. That’s where my planning ends. Recently we’ve had to make stick arrows as trail markers so that people who needed to catch us up can find us, the children gathering a range of sticks from nearby and then working out which way the arrow points. As we walk some children break away from the group as they spot something that captures their interest; some mushrooms growing, an old rotten tree stump or a dark tangled space are some of the most common objects of interest. We move with those interests, talk about them then choose a new direction. One child decides which way, a stick arrow is made and off we go!
As we get deeper into the trees and tune into the environment the small things become more noticeable. The questions flow out, each one leading us further; “What’s that? Why’s that there? Who’s been here?” There are textures to touch, sounds to hear and plenty of oddities to spot. My role is to try and describe what we’re seeing in a language that the children understand. Not so easy when you’re having to explain a burr on a tree but we get there! There are also the signs that we are not alone in the woods; animal droppings, molehills and tracks, half chewed shells scattered beneath trees. Every single one points to what is happening beyond our sight but we are now making it visible.
The arboretum provides plenty of physical challenges as well, the mature Lawson Cypress’ have ornate and sometimes bizarrely curving branches that seem to call out for a scramble. Each child gets to say where they feel confident climbing to and we are there to support (either verbally or physically) to help them achieve their aims. Even being a few feet up can seem to a three year old like reaching the tree tops and every victory is to be celebrated.
On every trip there’s always a range of children, those that want to sprint ahead and those that like to take things slowly. Some that relish the new and unknown and others that want to be sure before they try. A few that will look at the world that they’re passing and most that want to collect every stick possible. Finding a balance between all those extremes means having few tricks and games up my sleeve. Over the last few sessions we have tried sweeping up all the fallen leaves (quite challenging), catching Linden seeds as they spin down from a tree (very challenging) and of course there’s always a good game of hide and seek.
So what did we do at Westonbirt today? A little bit of everything and nothing at the same time.
