Yesterday afternoon, we went along to the Go Wild in the Woods event in Firestone Copse.
Yes – shock horror – time away from keeping on top of the news … and we’re really pleased that we did.
Arranged around part of the woods were all sorts of activities and information stalls.
As the baking sun poured down on everyone, covered areas offered the chance to build things, as well as shelter.
Bug-box
One of the most popular, in the main area close to the car park, was bug-box making, where children had the chance to safely knock together pre-prepared wooden sections and fill them with bamboo straws, making an ideal location for bug to shelter in their gardens.
BioBlitz encouraged us all to take photos of any form of wildlife – flowers, animals, fungi – and hand them to build up a list of the wide variety living in the woods.
Using basket-weaving skills to build a large red squirrel out of willow. To make sure the willow is supple enough to weave, it has to be soaked for a week and anyone who wanted to get involved was warmly welcomed.
Forest School had setup, most appropriately, in the forest, helping children learn skills such as building shelters and responsibly using tools. The feeling around the forest school camp was almost idyllic, with a welcome calm around the whole area.
Goodleaf Tree Climbing
Off we set for a walk along forest paths to find Goodleaf Tree Climbing. The journey gave another chance to spot wildlife and take photos of it.
Speaking to Abi and Paul from Goodleaf, we were amazed to hear that they’d had given 40 people free tree climbs over the day.
Events were arranged during the day for those who wanted to learn more, such as a canoe safari, butterfly walks and mammal walks, but we didn’t have the chance to try those.
Summary
What a great day out. Relaxing for adults and enjoyable for children. Recommended.
