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A small group of three boys are sitting astride a fallen log. Some large sticks (or small logs) are placed in front of them to be the dashboard, levers and a steering wheel. They have all that's needed to drive on a great adventure.
Another group of four are on a mat with books. One of the children is reading and confidently leading her peers, suggesting
"You might as well read these books"
"Look at all these butterflies. Butterflies can even walk" another points out and she shows the page to the group.
"Well" calls another loudly and in a sing song voice to the children scattered. "Would you like to come and read a book?"
The children leaf through the books. They are guide books of all the things that might be found in the forest. Trees, plants, insects, birds, animals.
"I think we should just put them in order. Just put that one down there. Ok you can read any book like"
A small boy is looking intently at a leaf, lying down, face close the earth.
In the distance a group of excavators are banging on rocks with hammers, or on sticks to prepare them for the fire. They take off bark and put these in baskets for kindling. A child brings her broken rocks, held in her hands to proudly show us.
I hear singing. "Who'd like to come to the library
Who'd like to come to the library
Who like to come to the library
Today"
It's from the children sitting amongst the books.
Four children walk past me with baskets. They are collecting leaves in one, grass in another and then sticks. "We need little sticks. I'll show you where to get the little sticks. Here put them in my basket"
These collections are all for a fairy den, I am told on enquiry, which is going to be constructed at the base of a tree that has many trunks growing from the ground. A perfect place for fairies to visit.
A child is pushing a branch, using his body weight to push it down low. He gets off and it springs up. His companions nearby say "hey, that hurt me!"
"Sorry" he says. "How about if I push it this way?" And he demonstrates pulling it in a different way. His companion nods and gets on with collecting sticks for the fairy den.
The fairy den is progressing, a carpet of grass. "I want to get more sticks, because there's too much grass". Leaves are placed strategically. "Ok here's the carpet we're making"
Someone approaches his friends climbing a tree, basket in hand and reports "The fairy den is going good".
A springy branch provides a great place for a group of three girls to balance, bounce and hang from. Together they make it bounce low and feel it spring them back up. This is their trapeze. Underneath are rocks and the girls are about 1.5 m from the ground. Nobody warns them to be careful, or hovers protectively. The practitioners stand away, ready to respond, guide or interact if needed, but mostly they leave the children to their own excellent choices of amusement and learning.
Another huddle is gathered in a circle with a practitioner, I'm too lazy and comfortable here in the sun under my tree to go and investigate, but I can see even from this distance that they are engaged, purposeful and interested, heads bent, all low as they examine something in their midst.
A practitioner begins a song, calling children over to go and use the toilet, clean their hands with wipes, and walk to a spot for lunch. The toilet area is a tarp strung between trees, a toilet seat for poos to be collected in a bucket and later composted. Wees are a simple process of peeing on the ground under the tarp. Wipes are provided for hand washing. Children who need more privacy are provided for. Adults wander to a private spot of their own. Today I peed in the woods, which was a bit novel for a working day, but then this whole experience is certainly novel.
The children sit together in a circle for lunch. They have everything they need in their napsacks, including a mat to sit on. Wipes are handed around and I ask Louis who I'm seated next to what I'm to do with it. He explains that they will sing a song and he can't really tell me how to do it until the song begins. So we wait and when everyone has a wipe the practitioner starts to sing. Those hands were given a thorough clean as the adults modeled and demonstrated with a little song to guide them. Louis kept and eye on me to make sure I was getting it. Once done they were collected in a bag for later disposal and eating began.
As children were finishing one of the practitioners sang a new song, encouraging the children's participation, and then another told the story of the three billy goats gruff. Both the singing and the story are presented in a calm and relaxed way. The beautiful Scottish accent is music to my ears and I find myself just as transfixed as the children into the telling of this familiar and well loved tale.
After lunch comes more play and many return to their previous activities. Their play is long, purposeful, constructive and uninterrupted except for a few more routines. These include an afternoon snack, then a reflection time in small groups and finally the afternoon pack up. Pack up mostly involves the children in gathering their things and putting their packs on, no easy task with all the things they need to bring with them. Because it was a warm sunny day, they are carrying all their warm and protective gear including waterproofs, jackets and woolen accessories. They are now ready to walk the half hour along the lane back to the centre.
Tomorrow I will meet them at the centre and walk with them to the woods early in the morning, and return late in the afternoon. The day goes from 8:30 till 4:30. It's a long day, one I'm looking forward to experiencing in full.
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