A Parent’s View – We loved it!
A friend had recommended the Circle of Life Rediscovery Family Wild Day Out to me but I didn’t think it would be ‘our thing’.
Whilst wondering what I was going to do over a rainy half term week and how to keep two energetic girls entertained, I thought – why not?
We set off on a grey morning with our water proofs and packed lunch. We met a few other families at the gate and the children soon started to make friends.
Jennie, running the Family Wild Day Out, from Circle of Life Rediscovery was there to greet us and gave the children an activity to do whilst we waited for everyone to arrive.
And Relax…..
One thing I noticed when we got to the woodland site, was the smiles on everyone’s faces. It was like we had left our stresses behind. I also felt the same, I cannot remember when I had a whole day without looking at my phone every 10 minutes or worrying about what jobs needed to be done. We just focused on each other in the here and now.
Sticks and Stones….
After our introductions and safety notes (mainly about the fire and our borders) we set off to make dens! I didn’t think the girls would be that keen, but they couldn’t wait!
Off they ran to collect sticks and leaves, they teamed up with some other children and actually made a fantastic den that we could hide in!
LOVE-ly Activities
Shortly after that we sat together and made heart shaped bird feeders which the girls loved.
I noticed that the older children helped the younger children without being prompted – being together in the woods made everyone join together as one big family.
We were able to take them home and have since enjoyed watching the birds whilst eating our breakfast.
Testing our Skills!
After lunch we build rope bridges and tried out our slack lining skills – adults too!
We played games in the woods and Jenny pointed out small bluebell buds starting to grow (must come back to see the woods covered in bluebells in the spring!).
Relight your Fire!
It was then time to build our own fire, we split into groups, collected sticks and made our fire which was really satisfying!
The children took it in turns to cook pancakes over the fire which were delicious – it was great for them to try out new skills and they were really pleased with themselves.
The leader Jenny and her volunteer Peter, were so patient and good with the kids. They spent time with them explaining what we were doing and why – about the importance of nature and the earth.
I was able to take a step back and breathe in the woodland. I don’t think I have ever stood still in a woodland before, just listening to the bird song, it was actually quite magical. As a busy working mum I have never really taken the time to appreciate it.
Saying Goodbye
We finished the day by sitting in a circle around the fire and had marshmallows and hot chocolate to warm up.
We said our good byes and headed back to the car, I noticed the girls were covered in mud and had scruffy hair, but they were still smiling.
Having mentioned earlier that I didn’t think the Family Wild Day Out would be up our street – I was so wrong, we can’t wait to go back again for some more family time in the woods.
Family Wild Day Out – Future Dates
The next dates for the Circle of Life Rediscovery Family Day Wild Day Out are as follows:
3rd April 2018
31st May 2018
8th August 2018
30th August 2018
Please book online in advance! Details can be found on the website or you can book online here.
Circle of Life Rediscovery offers CPD’s and forest school training for adults, residential camps, forest school, woodland days and enrichment days for schools, plus family days in the woods! For more details please see the website.