Mama Beech

Wednesday. Hump day to all those working, penultimate Forest School Day at Chartham during term, and 3 days before we leave on Friday early evening.  Now there are 3 of us, and our plan for today was to chill... but, one of our number is a Gig rower and helps to sail boats around Falmouth and spends all her time at the Harbour bumping into people she knows! And yesterday a friend of hers asked if we'd like to sail to St. Agnes for lunch... We all thought long and hard for about 2 seconds and then said 'yes' and 'Thank You' and bounced out of bed this morning like children at Christmas! We spent a good 20 mins eyeing all the boats in the harbour trying to decide which one we would be on, but soon enough John took us on the little boat out to clamber on board the LIMPET. There was hardly any breeze so it was a lovely relaxing slow drift across the blue and into the turquoise transparent bay. With nothing to do bar listen to the swell rise and fall, the boat cut throug...

Today we walked to a beautiful bay. The kind with white powder sand that sparkles turquoise sea, and doesn't look like it belongs in the UK! It was quite a walk. First on the road, then across the back of a beach, then into a lane and finally onto a track.  The bracken was waist high and sheltered different hues of purple in the Heather's below. Honeysuckle wove through parts of it, and randomly camomile, thistledown, and daisies sprang towards the light. The brambles were ever present, as was the sea, as we followed the coast around.  Huge boulders shored up the land, but local stones full of quartz scattered on the shore, many crushed to glittery powder making the sand sparkle.  Rocky outcrops meant clambering up and over, each revealing a new panorama. There was much evidence of rabbits in holes, paths, and droppings, but only one white bobtail spotted disappearing into the ferms. There were Swallows flitting above and around us, and Oyster Catchers calling from the be...

On Sunday we grabbed a boat to Bryher. This island is long and slim and a twin to the more famous Tresco. We went to explore the wildlife and enjoy beach and woodland, plantlife and fauna. The boat trip was in glorious sunshine with sparkling water and blue skies. We got off at Quayside and started a clockwise wander, hugging the coast. We sought out grasses and fungi to ID, as well as  plants and trees to test our knowledge on. It has been a joy to see so much elm around. Obviously, we revelled in the scenery! It cannot be ignored! We also enjoyed a Forest School activity or two... It was lovely to see the subtle differences between the islands, and the bigger differences between the Scilly Isles and the Mainland. On Monday we seized the opportunity to get up close and personal with the wildlife. Namely, seals! We snorkeled for an hour with some very playful creatures who liked to surface alongside us, nibble at the flippers we wore, bump our tummies, and even sit on top of us if ...

Part of the arrangement for volunteers is pretty much equal time off to time working. Which is always welcome! This year, the couple who are hosting us have extended the vacate date because they do not need the rooms back until next weekend. Work, family, and life commitments mean that we are all drifting back home on different dates, but most of us have an extended stay which we aim to enjoy as much as possible! Sadly, the first of our number, the wonderful Robyn had to leave on Saturday. We all had a very local day as although the storm had passed, the sea was still a little choppy and trips to other islands were not appealing! We all went to the Quay to see her off, if you'd like to see what activities she gets up to, please checkout Spread your Wings with Robyn  on Facebook. We are going to miss her smiley face and drive her nuts with WhatsApp photos of what she's missing!  After that the four remaining volunteers wandered over to the beach to watch her ferry depart. We re...

Today the weather decided to remind us that although part of Cornwall, the Scillys are very much sitting in the Atlantic Ocean! Dawn was calm and, as usual, stunning... When we reached Forest School, the wind was behaving this morning and we started the session as usual, but it didn't take long for the drizzle to arrive.  We had the 3 to 8 age group back today, some had been on Wednesday, others hadn't. They settled in quickly and ignored the rain. The wind decided to pick up a little but luckily never really amounted to much as the day went on. I've decided Chartham needs some hefty ropes and nets! They make brilliant swings and we have the trees to cope with it!  We managed to keep the campfire lit all day, the children had hot chocolate and made bread over the fire (eaten with honey) and even squeezed in a marshmallow (of course), and the day whizzed by... Despite the damp and sometimes outright wet environment, the children ignored it all and just got on with exploring,...

Thursday means the 'older' children, 8+, which always alters the pace. The smaller children are definitely doers but they flit around trying out everything and love exploring the space. The ferns form walls and every path is unknown. From their perspective the clearings are huge, the bushes dense, the trees tower, and Forest School is vast!  The older children are not as focused on the area as an entity in itself. They appreciate what it supplies; spaces for dens, trees to support hammocks, ropes to swing from, places to hide... They are mostly interested in what activities they can do. Some of these are the same as the younger group investigated. Role play, story telling, swinging, climbing, balancing, crafts, and tool work.  There were subtle changes in challenge and the potential product. Additionally, they also got to try fire starting, and making pop corn. These children had a little more freedom in the woods, they knew the boundaries and were able to explore it a little ...

Today we were up and out and over to the site that's used for Forest School, and a team of us set it up ready for day one... We had 30 x 3 - 8 year olds exploring the environment, trying the slacklines, and being creative.  Arts and crafts, including Happa Zome, books and stories and props, trees to climb, dens to build, tools to use, paths to investigate, and ferns to crawl through! The mixed age group works well, with children gravitating towards activities they have their own interest in instead of following the others. Other children found friends old and new and made groups to work together. Forest School is Forest School wherever it is set, the opportunity to work alongside peers and try new things is par for the course, and being immersed in nature is pretty easy in this stunning environment! Children who are visiting the islands, those who live here, those who are new to any kind of Forest School, and those who bring their experience with them, all have the opportunity to e...