The question so often raised by people about home education is 'do they socialise?' I think that it is one of the main concerns parents have when considering home schooling because the perception is that home educators hide their children away behind closed doors never again to see the light of day but it is so wide of the mark - so far from true. I wish that families considering this path could visit our group and others like it to put this myth to rest. My children and fifteen other children spent today in the park socialising and guess what - they do this every week, it is only one of the activities and opportunities for socialising that they all have. The biggest problem for us and many of our friends is finding time to not socialise so please if you are considering home education, don't let the 'S' word put you off.
We met in the classroom where I introduced some of the children to the art of Andy Goldsworthy. He makes the most exquisite pieces of art in the landscape from natural resources which are ephemeral and transient. They melt, erode and degrade away over time back into nature but their fleeting existence is captured by him in photographs. Andy Goldsworthy is one of those people whose art is instantly accessible to children - they just get 'it'. They can mimick his style with ease and then stagger you with a completely new concept. There are authors and poets whose work is perfect for outdoor adventures as well such as Michael Rosen with the classic 'We're Going On a Bear Hunt' which makes squelching, swishing and wading through the woodland such sensory fun and poets like Wordsworth with whom children can look for the aesthetic beauty of nature. Enid Blyton and 'The Faraway Tree' is a wonderful story for decanting a little magic into the forest and I hope that we get the chance to read a few chapters of this next to our group's tree over the warm summer months. Then of course there is 'The Wind in the Willows' - the list is endless but with all of these poets, authors and artists it is possible to lend a new slant to outdoor activities, to nudge the children to look at the world from a new perspective if only for a second. Introducing the work of Andy Goldsworthy at the group today was a lovely experience.
I showed the group some photographs of Andy Goldsworthy's work and let them discuss which ones they liked and why. I loved listening to a couple of the girls as they discussed the shape and forms of some of his sculptures. The children went on to use some of the materials I brought along to create their own collages based on his work. The results were wonderful and I think that they should all be very proud of their first Goldsworthy inspired creations.
They enjoyed playing in the classroom with the animal toys, the shop and a couple of board games. After they had eaten their lunches and decimated the snack selection they went to look at the chicks and ducklings whilst a couple of us tidied up the room. They have grown significantly since last week and Theo reported back to me that a couple of the chicks have started to get their feathers.
We all headed to our little patch of forest for an afternoon of art and play - what fun everyone had. The children played in the stream and tried to make a bridge by using sticks. There was lots of balancing, leaping, laughing and getting wet going on as well as some excellent problem solving. Some of the children spotted a woodland rodent (probably a rat but let's pretend that it was a water vole) and began an animal hunt. They searched quietly, worked together as a team, took risks climbing and battling through the undergrowth and searched for signs of animal life on the forest floor like expert trackers. Some of the children were told about the toxicity of Rhodedendron plants, of which there are vast amounts in the park, and taught to clean their hands after contact with them. Certain types of the plant are toxic to deter herbivores - the children would have to eat the plant (or honey made from its nectar) to become ill but cleanliness and safety are important to learn when outside. I think it might be interesting to talk to the children about why there is so much of this plant in the park next week - a little bit of the botanical history of the park might help them visualise how the park has changed over the years.
Myself and a couple of the other mums started to make an art piece inspired by Goldsworthy. Initially the children were all busy playing but their curiosity got the better of them and one by one they came to help in the creation of the masterpiece. The boys and girls collected stones from the stream, used sawdust found beneath a tree, twigs and bark to create the sculpture. I discussed how the piece might change over the course of the week with my boys later in the day which is an interesting conversation to have because it introduces them to the concept of time and decay. Theo thinks that it will have changed colour, gone a darker brown and Tristan is less optimistic as he thinks it will have blown away. I wonder what the other children think will have happened to the art piece by next week? I am looking forward to finding out.
The children also made magic wands, magical staffs, bows and memory sticks from twigs, feathers, ribbon and string. They ran around the woodland casting spells and generally having an absolute ball.
It was a splendid day. On our way home we had to stop and pour the water out of the boys wellies - that's how much fun it was.
I am going to bring this post to a close with a comment made by one of the children who came along today because I can't put it any better. When her mum asked her if today had been fun her response was, 'hundreds and thousands fun!'
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