The wind was howling through the trees, branches clashing together making a cacophony of sound above. The rain was driving in sideways stinging my bare cheeks as each drop hit me in the face. I was wrestling with the tarps as they were being whipped and flung about. It was one of those days when I wondered if we should have cancelled, especially knowing that it was a new school attending, but the forecast said it would clear by 10am, so for now it was just me and the elements, and despite the wintery conditions I felt great, I felt totally alive and exhilarated by the elements.
I did however call ahead and ask the school receptionist, “please ensure all children get on the coach well equipped with waterproofs”. She replied, “we’ll do our best but nobody gets left behind”.
I braced myself for the worst.
The children strolled off the bus each with a quizzical look on their face, tiny feet wearing black plimsoles, trousers and skirts hardly covering bare skin and the occasional oversized coat, maybe one between two.
As we walked into the woods I changed my plans- getting everybody home happy and well was now my main aim- I’d leave the ‘teaching’ to the trees.
When the end of the day arrived, I looked around and felt amazed that we’d made it, I thought to myself, ‘I have never seen children quite as muddy’, and I’ve seen lots of muddy children in my career. One young boy came bounding over to me, his filthy clothes saturated with muddy rainwater, hanging from his small frame. Amongst the mud and dirt his bright eyes were wide and filled with joy, his pearly white teeth shone through a beautiful smile that cut his face in two. He put out his hand to shake mine and through that heart-warming smile he said, “this has been the BEST day of my life!” I asked him, “what has made it so special”? and he replied, “it’s been a real nature place, OUR own REAL Nature place to learn and play and I’ve never felt so happy.”
Now with my own beaming smile I said, “I’m really looking forward to seeing you again and hearing about your own adventures in nature:”
He looked quizzically at me, his smile suddenly disappeared, and with great conviction he said, “I won’t be doing this again, we don’t like nature in our family, we don’t go into nature’.
It was in that moment that I realised, creating long lasting relationships with nature goes further than working with children, it has to be a whole community approach where people come together, enjoy shared experiences, and time in nature becomes part of their family culture.
It was in that moment that the seed of an idea began to germinate in my mind- school days in the woods would soon become family days in the woods too.
Comments