Forest.

We had a letter home from school yesterday to say Zac's class is fundraising for a school trip to Westonbirt Arboretum, which is not far from here and is really wonderful (I hope they'll be looking for parent helpers!) We took Zac there as a baby to enjoy the autumn leaves, and couple of years later we won a family ticket in the pre-school raffle and had a really fantastic day out; one of those rare ones where nobody got grumpy (not even daddy!) You'll indulge me if I include some of the pics:

You can see why the boys loved it. Lots of opportunities to climb and balance, to hide and jump out, to explore shady places out of the sunshine, to smell the flowers and feel the different textures of the trees. It's a massively multi-sensory experience and you don't have to be quiet or move calmly, you can go wild!

We don't go there often enough (I'm afraid this is mainly because we can go to the forest near my parents' house for free, which Westonbirt is not) but there is no doubt that kids benefit enormously from a bit of time in the woods. It's basically a natural playground with added benefits.

Here are some of our favourite things to do in the woods:

The cousins give Zac a climbing lesson.

Climb.

Is that a koala or a child?

Finding the perfect tree to climb and seeing how far you can get gives you a great sense of achievement and completely connects you with nature. I used to love climbing trees. Sitting high up in the branches and looking down on the world below is a magical sensation. Of course little children can't get very high and shouldn't be encouraged to unless you're pretty certain they've got the motor skills and confidence to go up and down safely, but even if they are a little taller than you they get that lovely impression of superiority!

Build Dens.

In a bracken-covered shelter.

Using natural materials to build a den is much easier in a forest than in your back garden. There are generally plenty of big sticks or branches lying around to make a framework which can then be covered in smaller twigs, bracken etc.

Making a frame

The boys are just getting to the age where they can build one pretty successfully themselves, but the forest we usually visit often has dens that older children have constructed and abandoned and they loved to tidy those up and move in themselves.

Look for creatures.
There are plenty of creepy crawlies to find in a forest, and there's evidence of larger creatures too. We like looking down holes to guess if it is a mouse, rabbit, fox or badger who might be living inside. Sometimes there are bits of fur or footprints to give you a clue. The boys think it's hilarious when we look at droppings to work out who has passed by. You can look for tracks or other clues- like nibbled nuts, and if you're lucky you might actually spot the creature that nibbled them.

Pond dipping.

Pond dipping with granny.

As I mentioned in my post about tadpoles, there's a great pond in the forest we visit. It has frogs, newts and all sorts of invertebrates living in it, so if we're heading in that direction we always take an icecream tub so we can investigate which creatures are inhabiting it at that time of year.  It's also fun to paddle around in and when it freezes over you can throw sticks onto the ice which make an incredible sound as they skid across the surface.


Go for a bike ride.

Forests and woodlands are often great places for a bike ride because they
generally have good tracks that are traffic free, so you can let your little ones zoom off without worrying they're going to encounter any vehicles. And if you're really lucky you can find a place for an off-track adventure where they can really test their biking skills.

Biking in "The Dip"

Have a picnic or barbecue.

Kids love eating in the great outdoors, and it can be anything from a snack on a rug in a clearing to a full on family barbecue at the "picnic site." Maybe it's the fresh air that improves their appetite, or just the freedom of being able to eat with your hands and never mind the mess. There's something especially sociable about all sitting together on a rug for a bit of nosh.

Go Foraging

Wild raspberries- yummy!

If you know what you're looking for you may be able to find a tasty treat growing in the forest. (See my old post on foraging)
Again, we try to go equipped to collect these goodies, but the boys generally scoff what they find on the spot so our tubs/poly bags often come home empty.


I'm sure there are lots of other possibilities in a woodland. To be honest we generally just set out for a walk, and depending what we find on the way we may get diverted into a bit of tree-climbing/den-building etc. So if you go down to the woods today, I'm sure you'll be in for a pleasant surprise!

Just found this lovely post about playing with sticks,which seems to link well if you're going to be surrounded by the things!

http://www.housingaforest.com/sticks-natures-perfect-toy/