Background.
Minibushcraft was developed as a result of needing to extend Forest School sessions to larger groups of pupils, whole classes or year groups, whilst contracting the programme duration to around 5 weeks rather than 12 or more to fit in with educational budgetary constraints. The ethos is the same as Forest School with the ultimate aim being to transition from adult lead activities to child lead activities.
How it all began.- Click on the image to see an enlarged picture of the den village at the end of a strenuous and exciting day for 55 children, their parents and child minders.
We concentrate more on physical skills which tend to level the playing field for children since even those who are Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides have not been exposed to the full range of methods and techniques. There is a bit of imaginative work requiring the group to "get" the storyline before proceding on to the skills. The skills we teach are basic and useful, especially as classes go on to their Learning Outside the Classroom setting. We teach the knots and lashings they require for raft building, firelighting skills required to boil a storm kettle, foraging for tinder, kindling and fuel. They build shelters of various sorts. These sessions can be linked into the curriculum as required or can stand alone as "Golden time".
Use links within the text or in the panels on the right to explore Minibushcraft and discover the joy experienced by children when allowed to explore in a seemingly risky but actually quite safe environment.
