Because why should children have all the nice things?
If you have children in your life, you’ve probably heard about Forest School, a method of education that’s been popular now for a good couple of decades, in which young people spend time out in the woods, learning about nature, but also simply enjoying the outdoors and building on other skills like teamwork, resilience and creativity. It all sounds a long way off the fusty classrooms we remember, but they do say education is a lifelong process so there’s no reason not to have a go now.
In our September issue, we met Estelle St John-Smith, a charcoal maker. Her work out in the woods sounded like so much fun, we were inspired to look into a few other ways one might enjoy the forest as adults. If you’re feeling rather cheated you missed out on forest school, perhaps you could try one of the ideas below? Some you can do alone with no equipment or skills at all, others you might need to buy a book or a tool for, then there are more for which you might need to join a group or society. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re dipping your toe into the forest for the first time or fancy going full-on Green Man.
Forest bathing
There are lots of courses you can take in Forest Bathing (also known as shinrin-yoku), but it’s something you can just as easily do alone or with a friend. Just head to a forest, turn off your phone, and wander through the trees, noticing your surroundings with all your senses and breathing deeply. The National Trust has more information about where and how to forest bathe
Whittling
Once the domain only of Cub Scouts and shiny new pen knives, whittling has had a bit of a renaissance. All you need is a pocket knife, a twig and a bit of time to yourself outdoors. We like Chris Lubkeman’s The Little Book of Whittling for easy projects you can get started on right away.
Tracking animals
Get a little bit Bear Grylls (or just sound impressive as you nonchalantly say “there’s been badgers through here” while on a walk with some friends). It’s fascinating to learn just a little bit about the animals you share a woodland with. The RSPB has a handy guide to animal footprints on its website.
Slacklining
Improve your balance and feel rather acrobatic by having a go at slacklining. It’s like a highwire, but tied very low, between two trees. You can buy slacklines in most outdoor and adventure type shops. Slackline.co.uk has a list of slackline clubs across the country if you’d rather try it in a group.
Cooking on an open fire
Any child who has been to forest school will tell you that the best part is the marshmallows on sticks at the end, but there are loads of things you can cook on an open fire (just make sure you put it out safely and are only building a fire in areas where it is permitted). The Simple Things’ blog has lots of ideas for recipes to cook outdoors on a fire. Try our Frying Pan Calzone to get you started.
Join a woodland working party
If you’d like to make a real difference at the same time as having fun, you could think about volunteering. Organisations such as the Woodland Trust have openings for adults to get involved in looking after woodlands local to them but you may well find your local common, national park or National Trust property offers something similar. You might learn anything from hedge-laying to charcoal making to general woodland management skills, all while meeting like minded people.
And what’s the first rule of Grown-up Forest School? (No, it’s not that you do not talk about Forest School, you at the back there.) It’s that no one can tell you when it’s time to go back indoors. Hurrah to that.
