Dates for your diary up to EASTER

Great for parents and children of all ages. More info to follow which we'll be posting over the next few days so you aren't overloaded.

We've been asked to repeat HOLIDAY CLUBS experiences which were a great success at half term so get in touch if you want a private function catered to your club members for over Easter.

Customers have had so much fun they've also asked us to do BIRTHDAY PARTIES. We're happy to be part of a big day but we always put the site and other users as a big priority so spaces are limited. We've decided to only have one party at each of our sites per month to avoid some of the issues the Woodland Trust has had with party  companies using their sites - we'll keep an eye on the situation, review it and see how it goes.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Every Monday 10am APPLETON FOREST SCHOOL

Saturday 21st March BEAR HUNT Appleton Forest School.

Sunday 22nd March PRIVATE FUNCTION Birchwood Forest School

Saturday 28th March BEAR HUNT Birchwood Forest School

GOOD FRIDAY 3rd April Easter Special Birchwood Forest School

EASTER SATURDAY 4th April we'll be helping an Easter Egg Hunt at Risley Moss

EASTER MONDAY 6th April Appleton Forest School EASTER SPECIAL

Wednesday 8th April 10,000 BC NEOLITHIC VILLAGE

Saturday 11th April BEAR HUNT Salford Forest School

Monday 13th April Appleton Forest School

Tuesday 14th April GRUFFALO Cadishead Forest School

Wednesday 15th April FOREST GAMES and FIRE Birchwood Forest School

Saturday 18th April STREAM MADNESS Appleton Forest School

FIRE!

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
”

— Yeats

Fire - Good or bad?

Fire gives us warmth and light and something to cook on. Learning to light a fire could save your life - Its one of the most useful things you can learn in Forest School.

BUT fire eats fuel and is never satisfied. If it could fire would burn everything from forests to houses. It burns and injures. Its smoke can blind and sting, its flames can change direction and lick your clothes or flesh with its fiery breath. Water heated on a fire scalds and blisters. Even if there are no flames the embers can be red hot just under a layer of ash so fire creates doubt - is that fire out or just waiting to relight?

“Play with fire and you’ll get burnt.”

— Traditional saying

I used to work at a coal power station, have a wood burner, made campfires from being a boy and yes inevitably I've been burnt (nothing too serious I'm glad to say). I've lots of experience of how dangerous a fire can be and also how useful.

Fire and the Law

As fire can be so dangerous it can lead to severe punishment by law. Arson (deliberately setting a fire to cause damage) is nearly as serious as murder (up to life imprisonment) because it recklessly endangers lots of people, property and wildlife. Lighting a fire can be subject to environmental law (particularly if you're burning rubbish) and civil law if it causes non-criminal damage (such as accidental damage) which may aggravate other laws such as trespass.

We have licence agreements with land owners that stipulate how (or if) we use fire so that fires can be lit legally and safely with minimal impact.

Fire at our sites

At Fairy Forest School we only use fire when we need to (which in winter is most of the time so we can get warm) and with the express permission with the land owner. Some land owners such as the Woodland Trust insist we use a fire pan off the ground to protect the soil. Soil can contain lots of organic material and at some sites the soil (especially peat)  can 'burn.' At sites with a special conservation status we may not use fire at all.

Smoke can be a nuisance to local residents - who wants washing smelling of smoke! So we endeavour to light fires well away from a site's neighbours.

A common on the ground method is to use stones to contain a fire. However the heat can cause some stones to explode so that's a method we don't use. Instead we keep fire  safe by monitoring it. You leave it at your peril - so we'll never be far from the fire. We'll also have water on hand to contain the fire if it does spread and quench it at the end.

We also need to have clean cold water available just in case to treat a burn. A moments mistake can lead to a burn but if its treated immediately with water then it may not even blister or require further first aid.

The fire triangle

Fire needs 3 things - fuel, air and heat.  Take one away and the fire will go out. Don't provide one and it won't even light. Wet wood absorbs heat and so will cool a fire. You can smother a fire with too much fuel. And if you haven't a heat source such as a flint and steel then it'll just sit there staring at you whilst you freeze.

Build me a fire

Before you even get to lighting a fire then you need to build it. Before you build it you need materials. We usually bring our own wood because its bone dry to get it going. We collect dead wood that's off the ground and less likely to be damp. Children often gather wet wood so sometimes we leave that to dry by our fire to use later.

We raise our fire pan on fresh or rotting wood logs such as coppiced hazel (where allowed) or old birch. This helps to insulate the ground from the heat. We place the pan on top and use logs on the pan to create a raised border to help contain the hot ash on the fire pan. Across that we lay sticks to resemble a waffle with lots of gaps for air to flow through.  On top of that we put natural firelighters (such as made from beeswax) or birch bark and lots of fine sticks. We lean larger sticks over this to resemble a pyramid.

Note Respect position on approach to the fire (one knee on the ground for a quick exit should the wind change).

My hand is in front to gauge heat from the fire and make sure the marshmallow stick doesn't form a hot ember that can go in a child's mouth.

We do a rhyme to let it cool before eating. Also note the hazel tripod acting as a barrier or cooking frame.

Over the fire we have a hazel coppiced tripod interconnected at the top and impaled into the ground. This gives the location of the fire height and lets you dangle a Billy can over the fire if you want to cook. The tripod acts as a natural barrier to the fire and helps prevent anyone getting too close. Some forest schools use logs to sit by the fire to create a danger zone. These are nice especially for larger fires but if you don't have logs then the tripod is a good option. A disadvantage of logs is they're a trip hazard and you might trip and end up face first in a fire. Ouch!

You can buy iron tripods but these conduct heat and aren't obvious when they're hot. The hazel only ever gets warm for the short periods we use them. Over a sustained period they may catch fire so get ready to add them to the fire and make some more. One more advantage discovered by forest school students on a wet day is to lean wet sticks on the frame to dry before placing on the fire. Remember we're not leaving the fire so its safe as long as its monitored. 

We place cotton wool by the kindling and firelighters to catch the spark from a flint and steel and 3-2-1-ignition - the fires going.

The tree of fire

Silver birch is our favourite tree. Its quick growing and beautiful especially in Autumn when it looks like its made of silver (bark) and gold (leaves). Its great for fire. The bark if peeled acts as a natural fire lighter but don't take more than it yields by finger tip alone otherwise the tree is more prone to disease. The ends of the branches yield lots of fine twigs which is wonderful kindling - we don't take these off the tree as there's usually lots of wind damage twigs beneath them that are dry. Seasoned birch burns magnificently but you'll not find that in a wood without significant planning or unless its fallen and got lodged off the ground. Birch left on the ground rots quickly and soaks up water like a sponge - great for woodlice but poor for firewood.

NATURE'S FIRELIGHTER Only take the bark that is peeling and don't use a knife or you'll damage the tree.

And finally the leave of birch looks like a little flame. Particularly in Autumn when they go red/brown/gold.

People rave about Ash which can be burnt green due to its low moisture content. We only burn dead wood and never any green living wood. Lots of people rave about ash but I suspect that will change with the advent of Ash Dieback disease. People will see a healthy ash and leave it well alone because they will start to become rarer and rarer. Dieback ash will be fair game for burning.

btw - Seasoned ash isn't as good as birch but it does season quicker.

The science of fire

The ancient Greeks thought fire was an element. They got that wrong!

Fire is a chemical reaction where fuel (or carbon) combines with oxygen to make carbon dioxide (a waste gas) and water vapour. You need some activation energy for this to happen (hence you need heat for ignition) but the reaction is exothermic i.e. it produces heat. That's why fire can be so devastating because its a chain reaction or self sustaining -  as long as there's air and more fuel it'll keep on going.

The heat turns volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the wood into a gas that burns - in a similar way that a candle flame turns liquid wax into vapour as it rises up a wick and into the flame. This is what a flame is. Smoke is unburnt fuel. An efficient fire (like my woodburner) ensures all the smoke is burnt. So if your fire makes a lot of smoke you're wasting valuable fuel.

When the flames die down the solid carbon remains. This pretty much resembles charcoal. This solid carbon reacts with oxygen giving off heat and red light. These are the embers or hot coals of the fire and can carry on burning with little visible flame. Often forest school pupils say the fire is out at this stage even though its producing lots of heat. Chuck some kindling on and it reignites straight away producing lots of flames much to the surprise of those adamant its out! A bed of embers is great to cook on because they're so hot and unlike a flame won't move around with the wind.

After the fire

We cool it down and smother any unburnt fuel with lots of water. We take any half burnt sticks and scatter them ensuring they're soaked and cool. Any black embers we scatter. This is a great fertiliser or potash but can be toxic if left in the same place time and time again. That's why its important to scatter and also its part of our leave no trace policy.

Everything you need to extinguish a fire. Watch out for the first bucket on the fire - best done by an adult due to the steam! And we check there's no wee beasties about to get poached!

More Conservation Work at Gorse Covert Mounds

A busy day for Fairy Forest School helping out the Woodland  Trust, Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds and TCV.

Lots of rhododendron removed as well as unwanted birch on Pestfurlong Moss. The moss is naturally turning into a forest as its colonised by birch but we want it as a moss. A moss will sequester more carbon locking it away as the moss gets higher and higher whereas woodland tend to cycle carbon absorbing it and then releasing it as trees and leaf litter decays.

Lots of lopper and bow saw work as well as trying to pull Rhodi up by the root ball.

One advantage is we now have access to a great place for hide and seek!

Don't forget the big tidy up and Spring Clean on Saturday!

MAKE A STICK MAN or STICKLADY

Next Monday's Appleton Forest School will be an hour long session as Winter seems to be fighting back so we're going to try an hour long session. We'll be finding the perfect stick before making a stick man using just string and sticks. Time to see how good you are at knots.

After our hour long session we'll  be getting our fire ready before cooking on a stick over a camp fire. So keep your stick man safe!

PRICE: £5 per child as usual with Discounts for siblings, Woodland Trust Members and more. Parents/carers free and food/drink included. Meet Dingle Land Bridge in Appleton WA4 5NB 10am. Spaces are limited so let us know you're coming.

Call Rawdon 07799 321 849 or email rawdon@fairyforestschool.com

ALL BEARS present and correct.

PADDLINGTON BEAR went for a paddle. Found under a bridge taking life easy!

A cold start with snow and hail but at least it wasn't raining. A bear hunt is a great opportunity to explore a site and at Lumb Brook Valley its a real pleasure.

We started (after porridge) by reviewing our favourite tree HAZEL. Its our favourite  because the Woodland Trust have given us permission to coppice it. There's lots of hazel which needs a lot of management so every little helps.

Coppicing renews the tree, makes it more manageable and encourages biodiversity by making sure more light hits the floor and lets small mammals (apart from grey squirrels) access the hazelnuts as they're closer to the ground. Its a great material because often you get straight poles you can use for hurdles or in this case walking sticks. It splits easily too!

Our regulars are used to seeing a bow saw and lopper which we let them try under strict supervision one on one. Today I introduced a safety knife (no point end just a sharp edge so not that safe) which I used to trim the bark where the stick is held so you get a nice grip.

Our key theme was exploring and over a large area which our toddlers (and parents too) did really well at. We went through mud, walked down a stream (in it - not on the bank!), climbed a hill, more bogs, then walked under a bridge (again no path just water!).

At that point we needed a warm pick me up. Hot milk left over from porridge and warm juice! We'd caught lots of bears but time had caught us at was nearly lunch time. So we got a tarp up as a team effort, got a fire going and cooked our sausages.

Finally we caved into pressure and toasted some marshmallows. 

After the session it was the usual leave no trace which included trying to remember where the other two bears were.

WE ARE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT!

Who let the bears out?

COME WITH US at Fairy Forest School into the great outdoors for our Appleton Forest School BEAR HUNT. 10:00am MONDAY 2nd MARCH @ Dingle Lane Bridge (WA4 5NB).

Before we embark on our epic search we'll be coppicing some hazel to make your very own walking stick. 

Then we'll go looking in a deep dark forest,crossing rivers and thick oozy mud in search of our paw bears that have wandered off looking for porridge and got lost! Only you can help find them!

Even if the weather is Grizzly we'll still be going. So wrap up warm, in wellies and waterproofs! 

Then with our bears rescued why not stay for our TEDDY BEARS PICNIC next to a warm campfire protected from the elements. We'll be feeding our furry friends campfire pan fried sizzling  sausages. Bring a packed lunch or if you prefer tuck in for a complimentary hot dog and drink made to order.

PRICE £10 per child for two hours of outdoor forest fun followed by our TEDDY BEAR PICNIC with food/drink included. Let us know you're coming as spaces are limited.

Call Rawdon 07799 321 849. Email  rawdon@fairyforestschool.com. Catch us on facebook.

HALF TERM - Appleton Forest School at the Dingle

On Monday 16th February we'll be running 2 outdoor play and forest school taster sessions at Lumb Brook Valley.

On the way to our base camp we'll be exploring and playing forest school games. We'll then get the fire going and have a toasted snack before building dens and playing hide and seek in our hazel coppice . 

We'll be crossing streams so waterproofs and wellies recommeded

A great way to spend 2 hours with the kids getting in touch with your own childhood and with nature.

SESSIONS at 10am and 1pm for a mere £10. Snacks included. SPACES LIMITED so booking essential.

HALF TERM - Birchwood Forest School @ Gorse Covert

On Wednesday 18th February we'll be running 2 outdoor play and forest school taster sessions at Gorse Covert Mounds.

On the way to our base camp we'll be exploring and playing forest school games. We'll then get the fire going and have a toasted snack before building dens and playing hide and seek in the coppiced area near Pestfurlong marshes. 

A great way to spend 2 hours with the kids getting in touch with your own childhood and with nature.

SESSIONS at 10am and 1pm for a mere £10. Snacks included. SPACES LIMITED so booking essential. 

Discount Policy - Making the Outdoors Affordable

        Maybe money does grow on trees after all !

At Fairy Forest School we follow a set of four values - Sustainability and Maintaining Relationships being two of them.

As a parent its easy to see how having children in clubs can soon mount up - football on a Saturday, Swimming lessons on a Sunday, afterschool clubs, holiday clubs - the list is endless.

Our Forest Schools balance a sustainable business plan with affordability. So we offer these discounts which supports forest schools and our long term business:

Sibling Discount - Bring a brother or sister and we'll give you a substantial discount. We love this because it helps keep the whole family involved and brings more people into learning through forest school.

Group Discount - Making a booking for a group cuts down on processing orders and admin so if you can get a group of six or more we'll pass that saving over to you.

Session Booking - Fancy booking an entire session maybe for a get together or celebration such as a birthday. We'll fit you in around our other sessions to keep costs as low as possible and we'll pass these on by charging you for the slot rather than an individual price.

School, nurseries, preschools and other organisations - We can make substantial savings with repeated sessions back to pack. We calculate a quote based on the number of sessions and children based on our consumable costs, our competitive staff rates and a modest mark up. We can therefore produce a quote based on this which is substantially lower than our individual rates. Get in touch and we'll discuss details to keep costs down.

Trust Membership Discount - We value being able to use our forest school sites. Currently we have licence agreements with the Woodland Trust, an organisation whose ideals of protecting woods is vital if forest schools want to continue into the future. For that reason if you can provide proof of membership we'll offer you a discount that pays that makes it worthwhile joining the Woodland Trust. With Woodland Trust membership as little as £3 per month or joint membership from £3.50  you can save money and feel good you're supporting a great cause.

Book ahead - Forest School is long term. With us you can pay per session to get a taste for forest school but we encourage this long term ethos. That's why if you book six sessions ahead we'll only charge you for five. You needn't worry about missing the odd session due to other commitments or emergencies - let us know and we'll let the sessions you've paid for 'roll on' until next time. 

Other offers/discounts - from time to time we'll offer special offers that supports our business such as when we start a forest school in a new area. Follow us on facebook to ensure you keep in touch with these offers as they come up.

We strive to offer value whilst making a profit to ensure we can offer outdoor education well into the future. Please note that our discounts/offers are not cumulative.

Seen something you like? Then contact us.

Gorse Covert Conservation

Rhododendron - Pretty but not so nice.

The last two days have been hard work. I've been working alongside TCV volunteers carrying out conservation work at our Forest School site at Gorse Covert Mounds.

Day 1 involved lots of hacking back a large invasion of Rhododendron within a birch wood and stacking it in habitat piles. Rhododendron is a big problem for our native woodlands.

Day 2 involved felling and cutting up birch trees and stacking the brash into a ditch. Sounds a bit bizarre to be cutting trees down in the name of conservation so let me explain. These trees are growing on a rare mossland that is slowly turning to birch wood. Birchwood (as you can imagine) has lots of birch trees but not so much moss land which is great for biodiversity and absorbing carbon. In fact a lot of the mosses to the west of Manchester have been drained and converted to farmland. A notable exception is the wonderful Risley Moss adjacent to Gorse Covert. The idea is to prevent succession to woodland, reverting the area back to mossland. Slowing drainage will help accomplish this - hence the ditch filled with brash.

Also I've managed to accumulate a bin bag full of litter -mainly bottles and beer cans, from an isolated hidden microclimate which has a layer of moss on everything. Gorse Covert is well looked after by volunteers but they can't be everywhere and in fairness I do tend to go off the beaten track. This magical spot is where we'll be hosting fairy walks for our parent and preschoolers on the 11th Feb.

I also had the privilege of meeting the Friends of Gorse Covert  for their get together at the Poachers Pub. If you fancy becoming a friend of the mounds then take a look here. 

So I can say that I've had a conversation about conservation and helped the planet by cutting down trees.