Friday 31 August 2012

Running towards adventures

adventurers gather by the fire

 A week of activity! We had planned a lively week to coincide with National Family Week - but then that was cancelled but our events went ahead anyway!

In the last few days, we've had swarms of people out looking for Faeries, Trolls and Goblins in Padley Gorge near Hathersage. That was such a magical and perilous time that photos will follow later when we have determined that they are safe from spells and that to look at them will not risk enchantment and having all of you turned into frogs (not necessarily a bad thing, I hasten to say, but we have to observe some proprieties)
a fire for burning biscuits

making baskets

Wednesday was flooded. The woods where we hoped to go Into the Woods were waterfalls, and rivulets and our heroic artists dripped within minutes. Visitors had more sense and stayed at home. We surrendered the day to the rain and its thunder
cooperation helps when
building dens

But to-day people gathered to Run Away to Adventure and in Grinlow Woods we heard the tale of the dragon who, after killing the crabs, chased the girls who had been looking in rockpools off the beach  and into the woods where they built a den that was so well-hidden no dragon could see it.
a tiny lamp lights a small corner

Then there were the family who were on a holiday sailing down the Nile when their boat was overturned and abandoned by search parties, they made a camp on the banks of the river. Braving crocodiles and hippos, they caught fish in the river and made friends with local people
moss for pillows


The stories span on, watchtowers on the heights, the nutriritonal value of toasted biscuits, a branch polished smooth and pale that looked suspiciously like a giant's thigh-bone, baskets to collect fruit in, the best ways of cooking rabbits (especially oens made of moss and bark!), wet clay lamps to light the dark, wild nights, the relative merits of logs and bracken as bedding,…….

all modern conveniences,
even a basin for washing....
on the banks of the Nile (use your imagination!)


Books we used
Places we went to for ideas in planning these sessions
Into the Woods:
TH White, The Sword in the Stone
East, Maddern & Marks, The Spirit of the Forest
Julia Donaldson, The Gruffalo
Jane Gifford, The Wisdom of Trees
JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
Dragon Girl tells her tale

Run Away To Adventure
BB, Brendon Chase
JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit
Michael Morpurgo, Kensuke's Kingdom
Ray Mears, Essential Bushcraft
Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins
Swiss Family Robinson
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

watchers on the hilltop


Thursday 2 August 2012

Family events in August


EVENTS FOR AUGUST

a sample folded puppet theatre.....

August has begun with some exciting activities. We were at the National PlayDay celebrations in Leek (well done, Erica and the Staffordshire Moorlands team!). Making little folded puppet theatres and new stories to tell in these, we worked with more than 100 people over the day. Today, (Thursday 2nd) I worked with visitors to SureStart centres in Buxton, using similar activities and rummaging around in flowerbeds to find bits and things to help us tell stories which ended up with sneezing heroes, a flying carpet, a knight looking for flowers and a hero who had a quiet and peaceful time in the woods!
Knights, monsters and encampments hidden in the woods....
Mums and Dads made their own theatres and stories

a fairy and her palace
1. Tuesday  28th August 2012
Away with the Faeries, Goblins and Trolls
Where: Padley Gorge on the National Trust's Longshaw 
Estate near Hathersage
Meet at the Granby Barn Interpretation Centre on the B6521

Times: 11 am - 1pm or 2pm - 4pm
Costs: no cost for activities, car parking charges may apply
No booking is needed: just turn up and join in

What is happening: we'll explore the atmospheric landscapes of Padley gorge, looking for secret places, troll baths and goblin houses. We'll make puppets, build faerie homes and monster lairs and invent stories to tell each other

who knows what we'll find in the woods
2. Wednesday 29th August 2012
Into the woods
Where: Buxton Country Park, Poole's Cavern, Green Lane, Buxton SK17 9DH
Times: 10.30 - 12.30, 1.30 - 3.30
Costs: no cost for activities, car parking charges may apply

What is happening: as explorers, naturalists and storytellers, we'll explore the woods: identifying trees, finding the animals that live there, using art and science and stories to understand the secret lives of trees

3. Friday 31st August 2012
Run Away To Adventure
Where: Buxton Country Park, Poole's Cavern, Green Lane, Buxton, SK17 9DH
Times: morning  and afternoon sessions
Costs: no cost for activities, car parking charges may apply

What is happening: making dens deep in the woods! Stranded on a desert island? Lost in the forest? Cast away…we'll make the dens we'd like to surivive in - woodland shelters, hidden dens, foraging, planning and telling the dreadful tales of how we got stranded here

Places are limited on "Run Away to Adventure" and need to be booked: call 07791 096857 or email stoneandwater@btinternet.com,  to reserve a place and receive further details

Pirates!