FSTM2012 another wonderful Forest school tweet meet

I know lots of wonderful woodland folks, Forest School practitioners, teachers, bushcraft enthusiasts, wood workers and they are the people in my life who keep me inspired in my work. Some of these people I 'know' but I have never actually met in real life. One of the drawbacks of working on my own or with others only for short projects or training courses is not always having people to bounce ideas off when I need them. Shortly after I went self employed I discovered the joy of social media for finding virtual colleagues to ask for help, swap ideas or links to research, and get into ludicrous conversations which lighten up the working day, just like in a real office! I use twitter and more often facebook and the FEI facebook page  and this blog to maintain these sort of relationships. But very special times come around, like this last weekend where lots of people got together for the Forest School tweet meet, #FSTM2012.

Hosted by the wonderful Alex from Schola Foris at her site; Wacky Woods  in Cheshire 40 odd  Forest school practitioners, woodland workers, their families, children came together to play in the woods.

There was drumming with scrap instruments and djembes.

A wander through the woods with an ecologist talking  about and grazing on plants.

 Leigh from Bushcraft Reunion  shared lots of skills, working with Jo's sack to make an ace chair and building a hungi pit oven to cook some big lumps of pork. 

There was so much creativity in the woods, making felt, hapa zome, weaving with sticks, upcycling the milk bottles into doves, carving and whittling and plenty of cooking, baking eating and chatting. 

The thing that I really liked was how informal everything was. People did what they needed to do and found others to do it with. The ethos behind Forest School's is to create something that is participant led, the environment, the potential and the resources are prepared, but what you do and who you do it with and when is totally up to you. How wonderful to find a CPD opportunity that totally reflects the ethos.

The children and dogs on site formed a number of packs, and it was so wonderful to see how the children thrived in the atmosphere, there were adults around who were interested enough in them to add the elements they needed like catapults, chocolate biscuits, bubble wands and plasters.

But they spent most of their time doing their own thing, on the structures, on the zip wire, and hanging out.

And there was mud! Oh yes, a wacky woods staple! 

Of course no gathering like this couldn't be expected not to go on late into the evening around the fire. The whole weekend was so nourishing and inspiring. Connecting me with people I know but have never met in real life and old friends.

Such a wonderful weekend, I can't wait until next year!  

Thanks to the Wacky woods team for hosting us, Leigh, Adam and most of all the incomparable Alex. 

Even more photos to be seen on my facebook page here