Enrichment for Princess Risborough School

David has been providing Bushcraft enrichment at Princess Risborough School – once per week all students have an enrichment session. These sessions provide an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge, acquire new skills and above all, have fun learning something new. As part of this programme, David was invited to provide Bushcraft sessions for year 5 (rising 12 years).

For our first week, we started with fire lighting skills, covering a few different methods and lighting a fire on the school playing field (we all found that fun!). Students practised leave-no-trace, which meant there was no evidence left of our campfire, just as well given where it was! The following week saw us erecting shelters and building on previous skills: lighting a storm-kettle to boil water. Continue reading “Enrichment for Princess Risborough School”

Take a walk on the wildside

Berkshire Life and Buckinghamshire Life Magazine with Venetia Hawkes

Great to be featured in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Life Magazines in an article written by Venetia Hawkes. Venetia spent a day with me researching this article for the magazine, finding out what it’s really like to live outdoors in the wild woods. Sitting around the campfire, we spoke about how I got started and where I learnt to be a woodsman. We whittled spoons and baked bread while talking about foraging, campfires and living in the woods, a lovely day, thank you Venetia! Continue reading “Take a walk on the wildside”

Summer holiday outdoor learning for children

Home-Ed Bushcraft at Shortnills

We were natures detectives, identifying trees; feeling the bark, observing the shapes of the leaves, the colours and even the smells, and then we made string and bracelets from grass and stinging nettles – well done to you all. It was wonderful to see some of the youngest identifying the trees!

Lots of children and their parents joined David in the woods for Environmental Learning and Bushcraft sessions at the Shortenhills Environmental Centre in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.

(This lovely short video was filmed and edited by Kirsty Feasey at Active-In) Continue reading “Summer holiday outdoor learning for children”

Mothers day – family friendly guided woodland walk

Join a family friendly, guided woodland walk

A few of the regular attending families had asked if they could bring their mothers along for the walk – what a lovely idea and it meant we had three generations enjoying a walk together! There is something quite special about taking families out for a walk in the woods. With our own children now young men, it’s lovely to see other peoples children enjoy the simple things in life and be inquisitive about nature. Continue reading “Mothers day – family friendly guided woodland walk”

Inaugural netwalking event in the Chilterns

What a great way to start the day with the inaugural netwalking event taking place at Hodgemoor Woods on the outskirts of Chalfont St Giles. We met in the woodland car park at 8:30 and after brief introductions set off on a guided woodland walk. The idea is simple, enjoy some fresh air, connect with nature, chat with like minded people and depart at the end refreshed ready for the business day ahead! Continue reading “Inaugural netwalking event in the Chilterns”