YOUNG explorers experienced the joys of the great outdoors after attending a “fun-filled” woodland event boasting “never-ending possibilities.”
The Abbotts Hall Farm Forest School’s latest Nature Tots sessions have been running every Monday since the middle of January and are due to conclude next week.
The group meet-ups, specifically aimed at parents and their toddlers, are designed to help children learn and play through the wonders of nature and wildlife.
The sessions encourage budding adventurers to create mud pies and stews in the mud kitchen, make nests for birds, and enjoy food on the fire.
They are also designed to give children a safe and relaxed space in which they can take risks and learn to overcome problems.
Lucy Lofthouse, outdoor learning officer at Essex Wildlife Trust, said: “Forest School Nature Tots is a place to inspire a lifelong love of nature, for both children and adults.
“Today it is not as simple as popping to the woods, some no longer exist and others may be blocked by busy roads or not accessible for everyone.
“So, the group allows those that struggle in an indoor setting to have space for their needs and sometimes just walking through the woods is just what is needed.
“The mornings are fun-filled with never-ending possibilities and the sessions are child-led so they are able to pick and choose what they wish to do.”
“I think it’s important to get outside and immerse yourself in nature, not every child is able to get outside and explore, and the world around is constantly changing.”
During the groups, which can accommodate 15 children a time, guests start by forming a log circle where introductions and discussions are carried out.
The young tots, much like they did at their most recent session, then indulge in two-hours of outdoor fun, refuelling on everything from pancakes to toast as they go.
Lucy said: “These particular sessions take place in a natural environment allowing the children to connect and feel comfortable in the natural environment.
“It concentrates on learner centred processes, promotes holistic development and offers children opportunities to take risks.
“It is all about the child’s needs and what they wish to do, and about them learning through their pace.”
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