September in pictures

Wild about Play here we come.

We have a ridiculous number of amazing resources on our doorstep here in Sheffield.  We are so lucky.  We have decided to make use of one we have been aware of for a while now in the form of an outdoor Kindergarten with a Home Education session.  Wild About Play is run by a fantastic group of enthusiastic professionals who are totally passionate about giving children the opportunity to explore nature and natural materials in an autonomous and exciting way.

We went to an open morning a few months ago, but due to it being really busy Evan wasn't eager to return; so we had been doing things with local group FoCAL  at Woodland Camp, and Forest Kindergarten, both of which starred the inimitable Emma Condor.  Circumstances have coincided now that we have decided to indulge our passion for the woods by attending Forest School, with the added bonus of Emma now working here!!!!  Today was the first day, and I had the pleasure of staying as Evan felt he needed me there.  I was really glad that I could stay as I got to see the amazing resource come to life.

How many ways can you cross a river?

The Home Ed group spent part of the morning developing a waterway to the river, this a small portion of what they created after much problem solving and creative thinking. 

I was most impressed with the lack of rules - only simple rules to keep people from seriously harming themselves.  It gave all the children the real sense of freedom that really we all desire in our lives.  Exploring the idea of conformism this week has been a theme for me due to a number of circumstances, and finishing the week off in this magical atmosphere really foots the bill for me.

Thank you to everyone at Wild About Play for creating such an amazing and inspirational environment which gives children the space they need and crave.  You are wonderful. 

Paddling at Chatsworth

Yes, we kind of live there!!! Also, we are going again tomorrow.  We went on Thursday last week with friends again.  A lot of tree climbing and paddling was done, and we spent a lot of time looking at the bushes and trees coming into leaf and blossom.

 Tuck Rolls

 Freckles are coming out

Freckles and cheddars

Jigsaw game

Today we decided to do a little climbing,  and we asked the staff for a game Evan might play,  and Evan loved the idea of using the colours of a file to determine which jigsaw piece yo get all of his body in.  This got him to think about different sorts of movement on the wall,  planning and using a variety of holds.  He thoroughly enjoyed it,  as the pictures are testament to.

He went on to plan a few routes of his own,  working out the hand and foot holds to climb with.