I have been thinking about this time of equinox and it's theme of balance and outer growth...it's time to reach outwards and begin the process of growth which will reach fruition at harvest. I have been enjoying the beautiful warm Spring sunshine and the mellow warmth of the air. How good it feels to walk the woodland paths lined with clusters of daffodils and primroses, to hear the call of birdsong and to look up through newly budding boughs at clear blue skies. Nature is such a tonic for the senses and the mind. It is the best cure for anxiety and depression I know and has the greatest potential for inspiration and creativity.
My own growth since Imbolc has been surprising and unexpectedly rich this year in terms of placing strong roots in the world outside. I have been asked to become Community Relations Director for 'Catch A Wave Uk'...a social enterprise which unites water sports, outdoor activities and holistic therapies and aims to improve health and wellbeing for all, especially those who are more vulnerable, have suffered health issues or need the confidence to try surfing in a more holistic and supportive environment.We also arrange beach cleans, foraging and workshops. Check out the website!
My other new venture is that I have enrolled on a Forest School Practitioner course which so I can put together my teaching skills and my love of nature to work more creatively in nature with groups. I've been so inspired by Richard Louv's 'Last Child in the Woods' and the back to nature movement as a panacea for the stress,poor health and loss of imagination and sensory awareness of the media and computer age.I really want to take this further in the work I do and help bring disadvantaged groups back into relationship with nature and each other.
Forest Schools were launched in Scandanavia in the 1950's and are the basis of all their early years foundation education....'kinder gartens' up to 7yrs-the child is viewed as a young and tender plant who needs to be carefully nurtured and rooted in a natural environment to grow healthy and confident.Education in natural settings where children were less resticted by space and time; and immersion in play and creativity has been proven to produce more creative, confident, aware, happier and more adaptable children. A 13 month long study carried out in Sweden on children from similar backgrounds found that children attending forest school kindergartens in the countryside environment were far happier than children in kindergartens located in the urban environment. The study concluded that children in the forest school were more balanced with greater socially capability, had fewer days off sick; were more able to concentrate and had better co-ordination than the city kindergarten children.
The movement took off in Britain in the 1990's after early years professionals and nursery nurses from Bridgewater in Somerset visited Denmark to see the effect for themselves. Denmark and the UK have a similar climate and so it seemed natural to set up Forest Schools and Forest School education in the UK.
Since its introduction Forest Schools has developed opportunities in an outdoor setting for children and adults of all ages to develop a variety of life skills: altruism, independence, self awareness and social communication skills, all of which assist individuals to grow in self-esteem and confidence.
Participants gain confidence in their own ability. Kinaesthetic learners [learning by doing] are particularly suited to learning in this woodland outdoor environment.
