We sit here writing this by the warmth of a woodland fire (The wonders of modern technology meaning we can WFH in the woods) and reflect upon a lovely day spent making warmth to brew a cup of tea or cheeky hot chocolate over.
The children started by tapping sticks in our welcome circle.
Then with flint and steels in hand and a nest of straw and cotton wool, the smallest people set about firelighting. It is one of those magical things that can be made to look very easy to accomplish, but fire is a sensitive beast to ignite when you are only 2!
With support, persistence and encouragement, the sparks flew, the flames jumped and we had a hypnotic heat source to boil us up a cup of calming tea.
Then it was on to creating with clay. Balls, hedgehogs, giraffes, snowmen and dinosaurs this afternoon, emerged out of the children's hands and imaginations, along with resources from the woodland floor.
There was time for a swing, a climb and a bounce before delighting in the songs and swathes of coloured parachute fabric.
This afternoon we delighted in the sight of a rainbow in the field on our way to the woods. Along with a bit of spotting sheep. We climbed a mud pile, slid down it, attempted unsuccessfully to catch leaves, made mud prints, crossed a narrow bridge, looked at a digger, toasted some sandwiches, admired some cyclamen and stayed dry and toasty warm.
The pot was still hot when we got to the woods and the children thoroughly enjoyed making their own hot chocolates with our brilliant new, old kettle. They couldn't resist an investigation into the stream and speculated that is must be flowing after all this rain. But still the stream runs dry. There is always next week and the rest of the Autumn and Winter for it to fill and for us to get well and truly immersed in the wetness it brings.
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