Birch Forest Schools

You would think that there was only so much drilling that children could do but still they worked on the logs. WOrking today with class one, care around moving the logs was even more important.

Support was needed to help drilling once the holes got deep and friction came into play. Mr B. improvised a novel solution, one small child on each end of the Scotch eyed auger handle!

The best bit for the children? Cleaning out the holes they drilled and collecting the wood shavings.

Later on Mr B. brought out his chainsaw and cut down the larger logs in preparation for other benches. Rather kindly he cut one piece with a step in it for a spoon carving block for yours truly. All it needs now is legs.

Over the past few weeks working at the school, the state of their willow dome has come to my attention so after lunch I set to and repaired it as best I could. Many of the rods are dead and were too brittle to use even to strengthen the dome. Though it is not the season for willow planting a few thick rods would go a long way to revitalise the structure. If only I had time to get to the Hexham willow field for supplies!

I suspect a complete replacement in Winter may be in the offing.

We were back in Nutsford vale today after a long absence.

Strange to think that we worked two days a week on this site for nearly a year with children from the Grange Special School and other local schools.

Today we were in support of GMEU who were running wildlife walks on the site in a bid to interest local people in wildlife recording. We were still very much in Bee mode but added to this Hapa zome card making for fathers day and clay tiles with stone mosaic patterns and embossed leaves.

While the event was not on the scale of the previous weeks celebration at Salford Meadows, it was good to see familiar faces and a few new ones too.

Nutsford Vale looked wonderful with the grass high and wild flowers in bloom.

Unfortunately the logs in the area where we used to run sessions have all disappeared which is a bit of an issue for next weekend. Maybe the pirates were at Nutsford Vale too!

Having dealt with the fairies washing the logs in the river, today I was surprised to find we had been visited by pirates!!

I arrived to find that all but the three heaviest logs had been stolen from the woods. Dragged over the banking to the canal side, more than likely destined to be used as firewood on a canal boat. (should you see a canal boat on the Huddersfield narrow canal with some rather LARGE logs on top, please take a picture and email it to Babes in the Wood)

So the fire circle was not quite a circle and some of the seating could barely be described as seating but clutched in Fiona’s hand was our first successful funding bid. £300 for a lightweight tipi shelter courtesy of the Community Spirit charity shop in Slaithwaite.

We may have nothing to sit on but soon we will be able to stand in our own tent!

Lots of bees again today but as the group was slightly older, the fairy reverted to being a goblin with dark intentions though the wizard stayed a wizard.

After a wet start the sun came out and dried up all the rain.

Today in the name game was also the first outing for the magic fungus stick which looks like it has been dipped in Viridian paint but is in fact some sort of wood rot. (As explained to me by Nick Ward, bushcraft instructor-instructor (Woodcraft School) and all round tree boffin).

After quite a bit of hot weather, it felt pleasant to step outside for a Babes in the Wood session in the rain. After a few days of sun, the rain helps release all of the scents of the outdoors in the woods. Bluebells linger on and Sweet Cicely fills the air as we brush past it.

There were two new families today and it was evident from the behaviour of the children that they were very much at home in the woods and playing with the other children.

What better day to do the story of “How the bee became” by Ted Hughes. Though the deity in the story is replaced by a wizard and the Goblin with the fiery eye by a fairy, the story still delights and the Kindling Playwork and Training alder cone bee making activity went down a storm.

Children love to wind the wool around the cones then suspend their bees from sticks. They can then explore the woods letting their bees sip nectar from any flowers they can find.

After the snack there was tree climbing and some repairing of the horse wall, necessitating good teamwork  by L. and M.

I had no idea that Linthwaite Clough had a playing field just up the road from the school. Though I have lived around this area most of my life, looking out over the valley from a new view point is always a rewarding experience.

As I was doing a story bad session, I prepared for nine stories and nine related activities. All of the children were released onto the field to choose what they wanted to do from a range of activities.

I Worked with groups of around twelve children at a time with each group picking a story cookie out of the bag. Following on from each story, we made bees, caterpillars, magic wands and bird feeders. Some children came back for more than one story and would gladly have stayed all day.

The staff were brilliant. Keen and supportive and happy to be thrown in at the deep end with some quite complex making activity.

The third log making session saw me working with class two (years 2-3). Much of the work was drilling with scotch eyed auger and brace and bit but we did find some sawing to do.

We now have the makings of four benches. With a few pegs from wood split last time, we will have half of the seating requirements for our fire circle.

After these benches are done we will get a bit more creative and attempt some of the ideas that the children came up with during the first few sessions.

Today was blisteringly hot on the Meadows, hundreds of people turned out to take part in a fantastic free event organises by Red Rose Forest to celebrate the rejuvenation of this Inner city wildlife area.

We took along the small open fronted Tipi made by my dad a couple of years ago, simple single pole structure, easy to put up and a god send in the heat.

Families with young children and, at one point a few teenagers, came along to make, cone bees (courtesy of Lily Horsman, Kindling play work and training), woolly caterpillars in boxes and wood cookie birds.

I spent the whole afternoon helping children drill holes for legs, beaks and tails for their birds while Lisa made bees and caterpillars. Some of the birds that the children came up with were completely different to the usual side view birds and gave me some great ideas to take forward.

The whole event had a wonderful atmosphere and was a fitting end to the project on this site.

Photographs were taken by Red Rose and can be seen here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redroseforest/sets/72157634040015263/

Another sunny day in the woods and another session full to bursting. Unfortunately we had a waiting list for today which means saying no to someone, something I am never happy to do.

Again we had the Very hungry caterpillar story which is fast becoming a favourite with me and with the children as it has all of the elements I like to include in a session. Story, exploration, narrative, making along the way and a lovely take home activity simple enough for young children but with enough about it to engage older ones (and a few parents).

Some new attendees and great to see L., who brought along teenage son to make up the ratios.

I can’t remember who I handed my camera to this session but they took some fantastic pictures of the children at play.

On the way out of the woods we spotted a Heron fishing and being successful in catching a rather large fish, it must have been this big…no this big…bigger.

Today started cool but soon got sunny and warm.

The session was full and two new families came along both with babies. We had a teacher in training with us to see what we were all about and had no hesitation in making use of an extra person to help throughout the session.

After a rambunctious ribbon activity and more songs than ever before around the fire circle, I showed the children the woolly caterpillar that had hatched out of a very small egg last week. Walking around the woods, the caterpillar ate more and more, got fatter and fatter until he had to wrap himself in a cocoon and sleep off the post lunch dip.

Emerging some time later as a beautiful butterfly. Children then made their own caterpillars, M. Enjoying wrapping his with the wool. And then decorated their own box houses.

After the snack there was just enough time to do a bit of drilling and hammering on the new bug hotel.

Again it was a “we don’t want to go day” with me not leaving the woods until after one o’clock.

It’ s a hard job but someone has to do it!

Monday mornings have become so rewarding recently.

Up to Wilberlee again to work on the log benches. Some of the children out for the first time, some familiar with the project and bursting with helpful advice.

Today was mainly about drilling holes and splitting logs down to make pegs. The team work exhibited by the groups was superb with lots of helping and encouragement. Progress was good despite one boy drilling the wrong way for a good ten minutes. That said the hole was VERY smooth!

J. excelled at splitting logs with the froe, demonstrating the kind of precision and understanding that many adults struggle to attain.

We now have two benches almost ready to assemble and discussions are now underway as to where the fire circle will be cited. Next we will work on other designs that the children have come up with themselves.