On Sunday 3rd November, families from all over Hackney and East London joined us for a spooky excursion in to the depths of Wick Woods! We were lucky to have blue skies and a winter chill, after the blowing gales and rain of the day before.
With the children leading the way, weaving between trees and through undergrowth, we crept deeper in to the woodland...
We kept our eyes and ears peeled for mushrooms and wildlife.
We even met a talking tree or two, who whispered the secrets of Samhain. [Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker half" of the year].
As the nights grow longer and darker, we must embrace the darkness and adjust our body clocks. To connect with our senses and feel comfortable in darkness, we played a game of Bat and Moth. Bats are blindfolded and must catch the insects (making insect sounds) using their senses. This game is an opportunity to learn how bats use echolocation to navigate.
We believe play is for everyone regardless of your age. It was a joy to see children and parents playing together!
The highlight of the walk was without a doubt the MUD. We were stuck in the mud, covered in mud, rolling in mud, jumping in mud, painting with mud, mud, mud, mud!
One parent said "We had a fantastic first walk and will be back for more. The children had a fantastic time and it was so joyful to see them so muddy and dishevelled. It ticked so many boxes for my Sunday wish list. Sunshine, mud, happy faces, lovely people, blue skies! Many many thanks and so look forward to the next one!!"
