rediscovering outdoor play
Swainswick Explorer Days
| Dates | Registration form | Directions and what to bring and wear | Call if any problems, 01225858251 |
| Explorer day diary Feb 09 older group | Explorer day diary Feb 09 younger group |
The journeys are around Swainswick Valley, Little Solsbury, Charmy Down, all just outside Bath. We take a picnic and snacks for everyone with us. The children play along the way - running, chatting, lost in imaginative play, tumbling down a slope, splashing in streams. Playing outdoors in the countryside offers children a wonderful sense of freedom and wild spaces are playgrounds par excellence. We aim to give the children as much free choice as possible about what they play with and how they play with it.
At some point along the way we find a place to settle down and make a camp. We carry ropes, whittling knives, small hand saws and a hand axe - to use for making a den, cutting poles or whittling sticks or for any other things children might want to do or make. We always have a camp fire which we use to cook food on - toasting sausages, baking bread, making pancakes or soup.
We are based in Upper Swainswick, 2 miles north of Bath. Parents drop off and pick up from our home in Upper Swainswick. The day lasts 6 hours and the cost is £35 for the day, per child, which includes a hearty lunch and healthy snacks. Timing: The walks are from 10.00am – 4.00pm (for 5 to 7 year olds) and 10.30am to 4.30pm (for 8 to 12 year olds). If the Explorer Day is during the state school termtime the timing of the day is 9am - 3pm as we run after school clubs those days. We also take children as young as 3 and over 12. Please call us to discuss.
What happens if it pours with rain?
The children really remember a day in the rain and talk about it for years! Good clothing is important and children should bring waterproofs. There is no such thing as poor weather, only poor clothing! We have extra clothing and we check children are properly dressed before we set out and loan them clothing if not. If it is raining before we set off we shelter, telling stories, playing games and when it subsides we go. If we are caught in a rainstorm whilst walking to and from camp we take shelter under an 'emergency tent' or tarpaulin, watch the rain clouds, have a chocolate biscuit, tell stories... If we have reached our camp in the woods the trees shelter us plus we have tarpaulins at the camp and a campfire so everyone can keep warm and dry if they want to. When it rains the ground is perfect for creating 'mud slides' down a slope. In our experience this makes for a very exciting and memorable day and the children really throw themselves into it. If it has been raining the sense of achievement is even greater at the end of the day because the children are proud of themselves for having overcome the odds and survived! Wednesday 28th May 2008 was a good example of seeing what it was like in the rain. Read the diary.
Termtime:
We can provide an Explorer Day for a minimum group of 6 children to coincide with an Inset day at your school. Please contact us to arrange.
Please email rachel@playingoutdoors.org or call us on 01225 858251 to reserve a place first. If it is the first time your child is coming to Explorers please send us a Registration form . Click here for directions and what to bring and wear
| Children's comments: |
| "I liked making the den"; "Whittling my hazel pole - it's nice and kind of pointy"; "making the fire - getting fuel to make it go in the end"; "camping - food, fire, separate camps, hot choc, putting moss on the fire"; "I liked the stories"; "being in charge of the army"; "when we made our dens"; "trying to climb up that muddy bank". |
| Written comments from parents: |
Sebastian obviously had a fantastic time! I couldn't believe the weight of his trousers and coat with all the mud stuck on it. It was wonderful to see them all come back with a huge smile on their faces and when asked if they would want to go back the answer came without any hesitation (with yet an even bigger smile!): "Yes please". It says it all! Sibylle Clucas Feb 09 (boys, 9) Thank you for giving Dylan and Joseph such a great day. I look forward toseeing the photos once your blog is up on the sight. Dylan has been inspired by the woodwork he did with you and I am now on amission to find him some basic tools so that he can continue to put hisideas into practice. Julia Harris, Feb 09 (boys 10 and 6) "I can't tell you how much Tom and Harry enjoyed yesterday's explorers. I arrived home at 8.30pm from a horrid, smelly in London and they were still so full of their day that they had stayed up to tell me all about it. The huge pile of clothes and bags completely covered in mud made my heart sing. Thank you so much and see you next Wednesday." Jacqui Griffiths, July 08, 7 and 8 year old boys, "Sam and Georgia had a great time and it was lovely to have their walk logs to remind them of their adventures. " "Dear Edward and Rachel, I just wanted to write to thank you both. Christy came home today so happy, having had a fantastic day with his friends. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and I know his friends did too. It was such a wonderful experience for him and I am sure that you will see him again!" "One of your adventures is, I think, one of the best ways Wilf can think of to spend the day - second only to Legoland!" "Dear Rachel and Edward, We thought we should let you know that Joe really enjoyed his time with you during the Easter holidays, he does keep mentioning it - particularly how far he walked on the Monday! Thank you so much for looking after him so well." "Just a quick note to thank you both for giving Sam two wonderful days out last week. He thought the bike outing was fantastic and equally enjoyed the hike on Friday. He has asked me to find out if you have plans for any outings over the Easter hols?" |
Definition of Environmental Play
'Environmental Play, now common parlance in children's work, may be defined as: 'opportunities to play freely in wild spaces'. This means outdoor areas with natural elements such as earth, water, plants and animals. Key words, and indeed principles for environmental play are: freely - in that children are engaged in self-motivated and self-directed activity; and wild - incorporating the possibility for children to be wild, to experience freedom from adult-orientated spaces and to encounter wild things (both real and imaginary). Indeed it should be emphasized that wild spaces are playgrounds par excellence - irresistibly engaging, constantly stimulating and endlessly versatile; their appeal and resourcefulness matched only by children's innate drive to play. "Swainswick Explorers is a rural project which facilitates truly adventurous environmental play such as tree-climbing, den-building, splashing in streams and campfire cookery." Martin Maudsley, Play Today, November 04