School Bookings

The first of this year’s school bookings is fast approaching, the fourth year I will be involved, and I surprised myself how much I am looking forward to them, whereas the first year it was a real conflict of emotions.

When the call went out for staff from the Woodland Ways team to help on a school booking in 2021, to be honest my first reaction was, no. Truth, is I do not like kids, do not have a paternal bone in my body, never wanted kids myself, managed to get to the ripe old age of 51 before the love, for my now wife, forced the issue and I became a reluctant “stepdad”. I put it in inverted commas because Isabelle and I have agreed that I am not her stepdad! So, you can imagine the thought of being surrounded by 90+ kids for three days was not my idea of fun.

I am so glad that I did say yes, because I am amazed by the youngsters, especially those that immerse themselves in our 5-day course. How they enter the woods, like scared rabbits caught in a car’s headlights anticipating that night sleeping in the woods. For many it is their first night sleeping outside, and if not, certainly their first night in the woods, away from family and all the convenience of a well-equipped campsite.

There is one concession made, port-a-loos are brought into the woods for the duration of the course. However, this is more to reduce the impact upon the woods rather than for the kids’ comfort.

One of the reasons I said OK to help was that Woodland Ways’ approach is to treat the kids as adults. Yes, there are rules, only four! 1) Talking – shouting is for letting us know there is an emergency. 2) Walking – injuries caused by a trip or fall are far worse if speed and momentum are added. 3) Sticks are either on the ground or on the fire – (gruesome warning) it is easy to get an eyeball off a stick, but less easy to put the eyeball back in its socket! And 4) we reserve the right to make up any more rules if necessary.

The content of the various sessions on a school booking course are, if not identical, very similar to those provided on our adult courses. I was very fortunate to grow up on a farm that had a small wooded area, so being in this environment is far more natural than being in a city. I went on many camping trips through being in the cadets. Given that, I would so loved to have done one of the Woodland Ways school bookings, definitely the 5-day course I mentioned earlier. That course includes: Fire, Shelter, Water, Foraging, Pigeon Preparation, Tree Identification, Archery, Axe Throwing, Natural Navigation, Cordage, Natural Tug of War, First Aid, Tracking, Signalling plus there is time for games, they help with the cooking over the open fire and we even teach them how to have a wash in a very small amount of water! Just when it can’t get any better, there’s also the chance to break rule number 3 with a Stick Throwing competition taken straight from the Primitive Weapons course.

The biggest thing for me was to see how by day 3 all the kids were relaxed, playing games in their downtime, chatting and just being kids, as I remember being a kid, not on phones or computer games! And day 3 also saw one of the highlights of the week, the Wild Man of the Woods, the mystical green man joins us for an amazing evening of storytelling, hot chocolate and marshmallows.

That transformation from those scared kids is miraculous as they get used to sleeping with noises of the forest, the Muntjac barking, the fox’s screams and the owls hooting. Each time I walk with a group out of the woods at the end of their stay, the chat invariably includes comments like; “I was so scared”, “I didn’t think I could prepare the pigeon”, and even “can we stay longer”.

From the list of sessions included in the 5-day course, Woodland Ways can tailor a School Booking to match the wishes of the school, from a single day, 24 hours, two-, three-, four- or five-days.  Not yet been asked to do longer duration course for a school, but all things are possible! Sleeping accommodation can be pre-erected bell tents, through to a tarp set-up session and then sleeping overnight in a debris shelter the kids have built.

One of the big learning curves for me was to take responsibility for the catering. A lot of background administration to check all allergies, dietary requirements, quantities and meal times run smoothly. Cooking for well over 100 people at times (180 is the biggest), all on an open fire has certainly pushed the boundaries. There is now nothing to worry about cooking for a group of 18 customers on one of Woodland Ways regular courses.

It is not just the kids that have been transformed. All the instructors feel that it is something really special to spend time with these young people, seeing them having fun and learning some very different skills. And have I come to like kids? Well, the good ones I can tolerate!!

The school bookings can’t be talked about without mentioning the real stars of the show, the Woodland Ways dogs. Jason’s Quercus and Willow, Barry’s Willow, Patrick’s Tyrion and my Luna are always a big hit with the kids.

The feedback we get from the teachers that accompany the kids is amazing, and the fact we have many schools coming back year after year shows that they enjoy the time in the woods with us, as much as we enjoy hosting them. I will leave the last word to one of the teachers:

Again, thank you and the team so much for another amazing week. It has transformed the kids once again and given us all time to stop and breathe and remember the important things. You and your team truly are special in all that you do and we are blessed again to have had a week in the wood with you all! Thank you!