What a delight to go back to a place where we've been getting to know the land, the wildlife, the trees and the streams over the past 6 years!  I look forward to our first session back at Hawthbush Farm each year.  

Highlights from our time in the woods for Vicky and Ed's group included finding our camp that had been somewhat re-claimed by ferns and doing some tending of the space for our upcoming season here.  Much joy and exploration occurred after discovering bracken tunnels.  We gathered and shelled acorns to leave in a stream to cold leach for the month.  We also enjoyed cooking sweet chestnuts which were delicious!
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We had a sweet chestnut filled day in the woods with gentle misty rain - very Autumnal.  Highlights included developing fire skills, lighting fires with the old style flint and steal and utilising char-cloth to catch sparks.  Then experiencing the modern steel and strikers; making char-cloth on the fire; woodland games; rush weaving and much den creation and finding and making secret tunnels through the bracken!

Amazing how much enjoyment, passion and stamina some children had for roasting chestnuts on the fire!  Thanks to all of them for such a lovely, rich, connective day.

It felt great to see all the children after the summer and to be back among the earthy smells and fresh carpet of golden leaves.  

Highlights from our morning group included:
Sharing stories from our summers, creating a slug hotel, weaving rush, whittling, watching life at the pond, lighting their own fires and setting quests for Daniel on his upcoming adventure to America!  It was great how many things the children asked Daniel to find out about on his travels, about the juncos, coyotes, arachnids, what edible plants there are over there and so much more.

In the afternoon after an epic game of storm the castle in the sunny field, we went into the woods and practiced our core routine of owl eyes and fox walking.  We moved silently through the woods in this way down to a string line that had been set up among the trees and let the string lead us blindfolded.  After this we had a very peaceful sit spot noticing the patterns in the bird songs and alarms, the falling leaves and autumnal colours.  We shared stories whilst eating our snacks and similarly, the children were invited to suggest quests for Daniel's adventures, including finding out about buffalo and other bovines, wolves, sea life and many more.

​Then we had a great scavenger hunt and incorporated our findings into a beautiful autumn mandala.

This Saturday was our last monthly nature mentoring session in our Summer camp and on arrival one of the parens greeted me saying "happy autumn".  I didn't quite want to accept it, but he said - look at the colours, they are starting to turn.  He was right.  The green somehow looks that bit less green in the oaks and the bracken and some of the birch had bright yellow leaves.

We decided to have a wandering session with my group and discovered that Daniel had that plan also for his group.  We made a goal - to get to the mini waterfall without the other group seeing us and snuck on our way.  After a while of moving ever so quietly along the deer trails we saw some movement up on over the little ridge and thought it must be Daniel's group.  We got in close to the bank of the little ravine and crept closer.  After a little welcome distraction of exploring a 'cave' we heard voices and then to our surprise heard the whispy tune of a flute...

"That must be the younger group," I said.  So we went up to say hello.  Sure enough they were having a lovely time making autumn necklaces with what looked like elder and rowan berry beads.

We went on our way and found Daniel's group all hiding around the waterfall.  I still love the moment when I catch the eye of some unknown hider glinting through ferns!  

"It takes a village to raise a child"  This saying can be challenging when parenting in a society that promotes nuclear families.  One family recently 'adopted' me as an auntie to their children.  Then with the busy-ness of summer I found it a challenge to be a fair distance from them.  Instead of being able to see them so much I found a win-win way of connecting.  I sent little pictures and letters of my nature adventures.  It was a great way for me to further my own learnings in what I'd observed, a great way for them to learn about whatever nature aspect had caught my interest and a good way to further our connection.  

Here is a picture I drew after one of the children in our home ed group found a nest at the base of a beech tree in the ashdown forest.  We were in a wooded strip that boarders a stream next to some grassland. The nest was about the size of my fist, perhaps slightly bigger - tiny and so perfectly made.  I don't know who made it but it certainly looked like a very cozy home for a wood mouse or a field mouse!