Epic #elderpot making at my Wilderness and Climbing day camp today at @castle_climbing_garden @thecastleclimbingcentre !We learned about the elder tree, whittled some short branches with knives, hollowed the branches into pots by removing the inner pith, used hacksaws to cut lids, trimmed some twig bungs to attach the lids, then decorated. I loved that I had a few tweenage and teenage girls who really really got into this activity and made 2-3 pots apiece, revealing some pretty smart knife and sawing skills. Also loving the Tube train map design on the second picture #ilovelondon❤️ That’s pure #urbanforestschool :) #woodworking #whittling #whittlingwood #elderwood #woodcarving #woodcrafts #hackneyoutdoors #knives #forestschool #forestschoolideas (at The Castle Climbing Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChKquaCIotS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Eğlenceli deney!!! 🌻Fabric printing🌻 #ecoprint #wildimagination #natureplayweek #fabricprint #itsbetteroutside #natureprints #naturecrafts #natureplay #naturekids #natureplayideas #forestschoolideas #childledlearning #learningthroughnature #kidsandnature #childhoodunplugged #natureplaymothers #exploringnaturewithchildren #littlenaturebug #mycolorfulplay #preschoolactivities #preschoolart #creativemums #supportinginspiringaccounts #artmatters #busylittlehands (Degirmendere, Kocaeli, Turkey) https://www.instagram.com/p/COLvgHEMVfn/?igshid=7676vh2dzc4s

Take back your mind, live aligned, choose love and always be kind! 💗 Comment "YES" if you agree and tag 2 friends who would appreciate this post.⁠ . . #homeschoolkids #birchtree #unschoolingfamily #workfromhomemom #forestschool #birch #unschool #homeschoolmom #birchwater #unschooling #unschoolingmom #homeschoolingmom #homeschoolmama #homesteading #forestschoolleader #unschoolingadventures #homeschoolfun #forestschools #workfromhomeparents #radicalunschooling #birchsap #homesteadlife #homesteadingskills #forage #foragedfoods #forestschoolideas #workfromhomedad #unschoolinglookslikethis #homeschoolpreschool #homesteadingmama (at Canadian Shield) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-42R4qpVbD/?igshid=hgfcopzd47vr

Lots of fun making white #clay bones together this morning and making up stories about them! Bottom right is a palaeontology ‘crime scene’ apparently where a baby stegosaurus was bitten & murdered by a mean old T-Rex. Also lots of rare preserved dino skin found (most definitely inspired by watching @bbcearth Dinosaurs: The Final Day from @davidattenborough ) #youngpaleontologists #dinosaurs #forestschoolideas #forestschool #history #hackneyoutdoors #keystage1 #homeschool https://www.instagram.com/p/CdSlpeNo8rO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Thanks to @garden_therapy via @thegreenparentmag for the cute idea to make some pine twig gnomes from my old Christmas tree. I’m prepping to build natural mini-shelters with my FS group as part of a wider ‘survival’ theme in the next week and wanted to create some simple little people to inspire the kids to build shelters for. Voila! Love the idea to use pencil sharpeners to shape their little hats! #christmastree #reusereducerecycle #whittling #bushcraft #forestschoolideas #forestschoolskills #forestschoolleadertraining #forestschoolsession1 #gnomes #outdooreducation #getoutside https://www.instagram.com/hackney_outdoors/p/CYZG-Q4I5nA/?utm_medium=tumblr

Maths! Lots of people struggle with it. I think my son engages best with mini challenges such as this one, which happened when we were exploring concepts like ‘equals to’ or ‘greater than’ as part of his school homework. Okay - it’s not quite #outdoorlearning but on a #rainyday we’re still using natural materials in this case #acorns we picked up at the weekend - which I think makes the exercise just that little more memorable, and associated with a fun weekend, so perhaps that helps it sink in & stick. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking! ⠀ ⠀ #maths #science #keystage1maths #greaterthan #equalto #acorns #trees #homeschool #homework #forestschooluk #outdoormums #parenting #forestschoolideas #switchoff #hackneyoutdoors https://www.instagram.com/p/CGW-He1gVOG/?igshid=10z08vkzfrqpb

Had to be done! #herbalismforkids #herbalism #forestschoolideas #potionsandspells #forestschool #outdooreducation #hackneyoutdoors #herbalremedies https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca9bVksoKYj/?utm_medium=tumblr

I’m making #ivycrowns today with the kids as part of my #forestschoolsession5 ! We’re expanding our exploration of ‘survival’ to understand how people used to come together to celebrate nature, in folk rituals and parties such as wassails and with symbolism such as the #greenman . Hoping the rain stays at bay so we can do a bit of a song and a circle dance 🌲 🎶 #forestschool #forestschoolideas #outdooreducation #hackneyoutdoors #wassail #folkritual https://www.instagram.com/p/Carel0koR4s/?utm_medium=tumblr

Prepping to do some #watercycle and #waterfilter activities with the kids today at #forestschool in my #forestschoolleadertraining session 3! We’ll be exploring how to clean muddy water with sand and charcoal (continuing our survival theme) and then making our own water cycle inspired #woodenslice necklaces, perhaps with a lovely #onceuponaraindrop story if we get time! The kids love to make craft and to have a little treasure to take home from a session - so I always try to wrap that wherever I can. I also think having a physical item can help you to remember and retain information or at least a memory of an experience. It’s all drip 💧drip #water #learning #learningthroughplay #outdooreducation #ecotherapy #forestschoolideas #forestschoolleadertraining #forestschoolsession3 #survival https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ1Qwa6ok0Z/?utm_medium=tumblr

Quite chuffed that I got the kids talking about mushrooms at #forestschool today - specifically which were safe to eat and those which might give you tummy ache! We also sorted safe and unsafe foods from nuts, berries, tree bark, plants & minibeasts (yep!) after ‘foraging’ cards with photos of them on site using a handy map. At the end the kids could ID an on site silver birch tree ❤️ 🌲 (as well as know you can eat much of it!). More pics in my story. #forestschoolideas #natureidentification #wildfood #outdooreducation #getoutside #hackneyoutdoors #urbanforestschool #forestschoolleadertraining #forestschoolsession2 #lookandlisten #sensoryplay (at Hackney Downs) https://www.instagram.com/hackney_outdoors/p/CZAQJVXocZO/?utm_medium=tumblr

The theme for my next #forestschool session is wild food - where you might find it and what’s safe to eat! Surprisingly to many of us in the West, insects are commonly eaten in other parts of the world - and may also become part of our future food in the near future. They are high in protein and use fewer resources to farm than cattle such as land and water. As well as wrapping insects into a wild food treasure hunt a la Bear Grylls - I’m considering eating a cricket for every decent reef knot the kids manage... #foraginguk #wildfooduk #edibleinsects #forestschoolsession2 #forestschoolideas #outdooreducation #hackneyoutdoors #crickets https://www.instagram.com/p/CY4aoUPozWJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

I ran my #forestschoolleadertraining Session 1 today and we made mini-shelters for twig gnomes as part of my winter ‘survival’ theme! We discussed the importance of shelter and what to consider when making one in nature, then practised tying knots including tripod lashes to make the frame. The site was also full of worms today so a few worms also got an impromptu shelter made. Lucky worms! #forestschoolideas #forestschool #outdooreducation #skillsforlife #scouting #naturecrafts #denbuilding #minishelters #forestschooluk #smallworld (at Hackney Downs) https://www.instagram.com/hackney_outdoors/p/CYuCB5CIs_G/?utm_medium=tumblr

Things I made in the past often get reused. A FS friend prompted me to remember today that I have two stick & crepe paper ‘fire lanterns’ I can usefully use as ‘talking sticks’ to support kids to take turns to reflect on my upcoming Forest School sessions. Here I am modelling them in 2021 ...while (poorly) attempting to channel Boudica at the awesome @celticharmonycamp #forestschoolideas #reusereducerecycle #forestschoolreflection #boudica #boudicca (at Celtic Harmony Camp) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYbiHDPoHlC/?utm_medium=tumblr

We’ve been dodging the drizzle and making our own #firecider today using apple cider vinegar, vegetables and spices. Fire cider is a herbal remedy thought to help ward off colds and sooth coughs and sore throats - obv my son isn’t going to drink this anytime soon but he enjoyed smelling the veggies before they went in! We have an amazing fruit & vegetable shop near us which supplies spicy #horseradish and #turmeric roots as well as chillis, onions, garlic and ginger so we popped slices of each together with herbs, cayenne and black pepper, before pouring the vinegar to cover. We now need to leave it to infuse for 2-4 weeks before draining and popping the infused vinegar in the fridge. You drink it by mixing a few teaspoons in hot or cold water, then adding honey to taste - though you can also use it in cooking. Pretty sure you could make a hot cocktail from it! Recipe from the guys at @handmade_apothecary though we added some star anise. #firecidertonic #firecider #fireciderrecipe #herbalism #naturalremedies #herbalremedies #herbalmedicine #turmeric #coughsyrup #coughsandcolds #forestschoolideas #hackneyoutdoors https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWPXMToKqS/?utm_medium=tumblr