‘Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory’ - Dr Seuss
This year has been, without a doubt, an extraordinary year – for many of us, our lives have been turned upside down and for some, there has been the ultimate loss and suffering of losing a loved one. For others, we have lost jobs, and all faced the uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last Friday (9th October) we celebrated Forest School Day at Bee in the Woods – A day when, throughout the nation and even perhaps internationally, Forest School leaders were celebrating with school classes, home ed groups, forest kindergartens, parent volunteers, teachers, local land owners etc., the benefits of connecting with nature and the enjoyment of spending regular time outdoors.
Having recently joined Bee in the Woods Forest Kindergarten in September, after working within Primary School settings for 19 years, my experience of art work with preschool children extends back to when my own two children were young in the late 1990s – that sounds so long ago and yet feels like yesterday (now I’m sounding like my mother 😉). ‘Lets make some bunting using vegetable dyes’ I suggested to Lucy a few days before, as I conjured up plans to bring in red cabbage dye and ingredients to create magic colouring changing effects.
So, on Tuesday evening, to the delight of my family, red cabbage simmered on the hob imparting its ‘eau de cabbage’ scent around the entire house. Fabric was cut into bunting size pieces, enough for me to write the words ‘Forest School Day’ and the magic colour changing ingredients – distilled vinegar and lemon juice (acids) and bicarbonate of soda (alkali) were gathered together, ready to thrill the children the next day.
On Wednesday afternoon, I set to work preparing an art table in Squirrel’s Wood, while the younger children and adults played together in Foxes Wood with the slightly older children. Laying the bunting pieces out, spelling the words ‘Forest School Day’, my plan had been for the children to paint the bunting with the cabbage water – acting like an invisible ink, before splashing or painting the colour changing solutions on top….. however, life doesn’t always go according to plan and I was just about to find that out!!
An introduction to the activity, interspersed with the excited inquiries of enthusiastic young people, as they reached out for the mixing pots and resources laid in front of them, preceded what was to become more of a science based experimentation than an art activity. For a few moments – and fortunately, it was brief, I felt an anxiety rise within me – for this wasn’t how I had envisaged my bunting-making activity going. I looked across the table to Jo – an early years Masters student, who we are extremely fortunate to have join us at Bee in the Woods and proclaimed ‘ Lets just go with it’… and I am so glad we did. It proved to be my best decision of the day!!
Cabbage dye flowed fast, as young chubby hands gripped the container as it tipped slightly faster than expected. Lemon juice squeezed from the zesty fruit, turning purple into raspberry pink and bicarbonate of soda was scooped and stirred, turning purple red cabbage solution teal. Senses were triggered by the sight and smell of fruit and vegetables and the sounds of bicarbonate of soda added to vinegar induced pink dye, as it fizzed and frothed to the squeals of surprised laughter.
Oh…. And the bunting underneath – JUST BEAUTIFUL, telling the story of one budding artist who came to the fore, proving as dextrous as he is good at climbing; who lost himself to the strokes of his brush with the precision of an ‘old master’. The splashes and spills created by the scientists amongst them, blended in a variety of hues and colour mixes, large and small, simple and complex with each and every one being the result of children exploring and experimenting, inspired by their own curiosity.
This moment in time afforded me the opportunity to reflect – primarily on the activity and my ‘best decision of the day’, to follow the children’s lead in true Forest School style and secondly to extend these reflections to the recent months and how important it is to embrace new opportunities, when we have the choice to’ hang on and try to control a situation’ or ‘let go and enjoy the ride’ …. For while it can initially feel incredibly scary to let go, it can, and often does, lead to unbelievably beautiful things.
