I did A LOT of outdoors stuff as a kid/teenager – hikes, bike rides, mountains, camping, cooking on fires, swimming in rivers, backpacking. It wasn’t all joyful and I can distinctly remember some horrendous hikes my dad dragged us on! But overall it was mint and full of fun as a family and adventures; it made me appreciate the beauty of England and enjoy my health and the world we live in, my sisters and I had lots of laughs and fun that we reflect on to this day. I think these memories are what drive me now my own kids are getting older to get them OUTSIDE and have some family adventures.
Forest school is a fairly new experience for us and something id never even heard of until a couple of years ago, but the more sessions we attend both through the kids Montessori school and also now “babes in the wood” I feel its something I want to incorporate into our weekly schedule and have as a part of my kids childhood and leaning experiences. It gets them outside and teaches them too in a controlled environment whilst they are small.
This morning was the perfect weather for forest school and also great timing to plant a tree (or 2)! We got on our wellies and trekked through the mud to a beautiful open field to meet with other families for the session. I had previously looked up what was on schedule today and the kids were very excited to plant a tree for poppy. Ethan choose a ‘silver birch’ and plonked it right in the middle of the bracon (much to Naths dismay as he was chief digger) and Megan choose to plant a cherry tree – “and den we eat da fruit all in our tummies”!!! We planted that one quite near the river…very picturesque. It was very special to do it as a family and also after a hard week it was a positive thing to help me in my grief, yup it was certainly a fun family activity to do together and of course made more special as it was in remembrance of our baby poppy.
Once planted we hung wooden cookies with a little message and Ethan and Megan drew little pictures on the other side. It touched our hearts when Megs said “Poppy love me very much does she?” and Ethan “I drew this colourful picture for my baby Poppy sister”!! Once planted and tags hung we sat on logs around the fire with hot chocs and snacks! I love being outdoors as a family, seeing the kids explore, seeing them get muddy and learning and exploring together. I look forward to more forest school sessions and more outdoor adventures to bond together and be close to Poppy!
