Reproduced from the February 2016 Bulletin in case anyone wants to comment. (Bulletin has been delayed, don’t worry if you have not yet received it).
‘C’mon everybody, let’s do the muddle puddle twist!’ It’s the craze that’s sweeping the Isle of Wight.
All you need is a wet winter, a well trodden forest path and a group of kids in wellies. Everyone stand in line along the muddy path, feet placed firmly in the mud, just a shoulder width apart, now let’s do the twist. The first person to get the mud up above their ankles and not be able to extract their feet with boots still in place is the winner!
Obviously, some may view this as a reckless act, damaging both the pathway and risking compacting the ground beyond growback. But hang on there eco-warrior, this is a well-trodden path, these are kids, this is mud, and what’s going on here is fun.
Many things that we do within Forest School involve a trade-off between conservation and education, preservation and discovery. So where do we draw the line in what we will, or will not, allow our young charges to get up to?
I believe that it can, and should, only be dictated by our personal ethical and moral compass. FS is very individual and every practitioner has their own style, formed by their own experiences and world view. That’s what makes FS so exciting.
My parents, and those of my wife, are scientists (we even have a vivisectionist – ooh!) and engineers, so there was little space for anything other than a factual and ‘pull it apart to see how it works’ approach to my formative years, and subsequently, to those of my children. This has clearly impacted upon my FS style and I am proud of that. However, it doesn’t make my style any better or more valid than anyone else’s – it just means that my groups get a different experience to those working with a practitioner who uses a spiritual/holistic approach. And equally, who is to say that theirs is any better, or worse than mine?
Ultimately, we are all giving our groups a little piece of ourselves and as long as they’re having fun and the mud stays sticky, we must all be doing something right.
Thanks Gareth was the a January bulletin?
Hello Arainn, No bulletin in January. Staff changes coinciding with my holiday pushed us back. We try and get 10 out a year. We now have Dave Brooks working for us in the IOL offices and so things should get back on track again.
Thanks Gareth just seen the February one- have to say it’s worth the wait so congratulations and thanks for your part in it.
Yes moral compasses are very important.
Unfortunatly I haven’t recieved January or February’s “Word fromthe woods”and neither have the three other people I have asked
Hello Arainn. I uploaded this prior to sending the bulletin out. The posts, on the website, that get linked to in the bulletin need to be created before the bulletin goes out. Obviously, people who seen it before receiving the bulletin could be confused. I will not reference the bulletin next time I do something like this. The bulletin has been a bit delayed but should be out very soon. Normally I would expect it to happen the same day. Sorry for any confusion.
Having played in the mud on the IoW with one of Geoff’s groups this January I can agree – this is fun!!
Having played in the mud on the IoW with one of Geoff’s groups this January I can agree – this is fun!!