I was doing my best to avoid people in the forest. But it was one of those days that the forest had called out to everyone… and there was barely a path that did not bring me into contact with other humans, mostly of the noisy kind.
Behind me, on one of these paths I could hear a father and two young children talk about foxes and wolves. I tuned in more when one of the children asked “Are foxes dangerous?” The path we were on was taking us in the direction of Fox Stone, where foxes have lived, and currently there are badgers (which is not unusual that badgers and foxes share or use each other's homes. There still are foxes in the forest). The father, obviously sensing the worry in the voice, like me, answered with a question “what would you do if you saw a fox or a wolf in the forest?” (we do actually get wolves sometimes, rarely, passing through). The children answered.. “Just stand and watch”... the father replied, “then I think the fox will sense the friendship and not be dangerous”... We continued walking and the Fox Stone loomed into sight. You could FEEL the excitement oozing out of their bodies, despite me not being able to see them behind me. I started to photograph the rock.
The children went into the rock. Another family joined, with three children, slightly older.
With a wavering voice, the words “it’s scary” could be heard. The other children were noisily exploring the interior… where they could best climb up, and could they find the fox” The wavering voice suddenly sounded much younger… “it’s scary….. Maaaaammmaaaaa”
The child left the rock and stood with their parent (it turns out that the mother of the two children had been walking a bit further behind the father and children described above).
Suddenly there were exclamations of bones found (which I know not to be true) but the adventure was on.
Determination to get to the top of the rock… which angle was best, for grip, for challenge and also not too slippy. (these are the words I overheard) both sides of the rock needed to be conquered.
During this Observation (seeing, listening, sensing, noticing) what I realised was that my own knowledge of the rock both inside and out meant I was able to visualise what was going on despite not being able to see the action.
It reminded me of the history of the Sámi people - before being displaced from their land, their reindeer never got lost, they knew the land so well that the reindeer could roam free safely, they knew when to keep a closer eye on them depending on location, temperature and weather. After displacement suddenly there was a need to keep the reindeer constantly close to them. They no longer knew the land, they did not know where the danger was, or how the land would behave in different temperatures and weathers, or where the next good grazing/food or water would be.
I feel this is similar to working with children. The better I know the land, the materials the more freedom I am able to give the children. It is not simply about trusting the children, we also need to trust the land and the materials/resources, and to know when to be closer, and when we can take another step back. Some terrain will change in rain, or when dry, or extreme cold (hard, or slippery… the rubber outdoor surfaces l think are the worst in winter when it snows and then it is insulated from the ground and becomes a dangerous ice-rink… my knowledge of this means I avoid play spaces with that kind of surfacing during certain weathers.)
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