Off Grid festival and Hennock Fayre.

Last weekend the webmaster got out from behind my keyboard and headed down to Devon to help out Sylvan Adventures in person. Unfortunately I live over two hours away so am not able to help in person as often as I would like.

On Saturday we were on the road bright and early to help at the Off-Grid Festival. Sylvan Adventures ran the Wild Wood area. The Wild Wood was a quiet, cool haven set away from the main festival. The weather was glorious so the shade of the mature trees was lovely and the area was busy all day with some folks just relaxing in the trees and nets or continuing to develop their skills with the shave horses in constant use. Throughout the weekend there were scheduled activities including bug hunts, green woodworking, shave horses, twilight nature walk, fire making and bat walks.

I taught archery all day mostly working one to one with children and adults to not only ensure they had a good time but also to help them improve their skills and technique. We had several regulars who kept coming back and they came on leaps and bounds with their skills and hopefully left feeling accomplished and satisfied. The day wound down with a twilight bat walk, fire twirling and marshmallows and stories around the camp fire led by Dan

Up early on Sunday we headed over to Hennock Village Fayre to teach archery. Another glorious day had me don a funny hat (better that than sunburn). I was on the go all day teaching everyone from 3 year olds and up. Once again aiming to deliver skills and fun and more often than not I guided the young archers to get a gold on their last one or two arrows which would lead to a round of applause from the spectators.

Overall an excellent but tiring weekend!

This will be the first of a series of blog posts from me detailing what I have been up to over the spring and summer. Even though I don’t often work closely with the Sylvan team I aim to get out in nature with my camera as often as I can.

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
― William Shakespeare

http://www.hennock.org.uk/

http://offgrid-festival.co.uk/

September 26, 2015July 1, 2020

DDads Torbay: Autumnal Adventures

October 24th will see the Dangerous Dads Torbay group meeting at the Growing for Life site in Preston, Torbay to enjoy and explore the autumn countryside through games, activities and free -play.

They will meet at 1pm – 4pm, for pumpkin carving and making pumpkin soup, apple bobbing and many more fun games.

Please check out their Facebook event for more details: www.facebook.com/events/465273043651893/

September 26, 2015July 1, 2020

Ageing Well Festival

A Traditional Crafts for All Workshop

Sylvan Adventures is proud to be delivering “A Traditional Crafts workshop”, where the whole family can learn new skills in a relaxed friendly atmosphere. There are three to choose from Felting, Green woodworking and Outdoor cooking or you could do all three. They are suitable for all ages and abilities. Join us to learn new skills or share existing skills with family members.

“Traditional Crafts for All” is happening at Growing for Life, Preston, Torbay as part of the Ageing Well Festival, Saturday 3rd October. 10 am – 2pm.

Workshops

Ever wanted to try Felting?
PizzaOvenCO3000

Making Pizzas in a cob oven (similar to the picture)?

Well now is your chance. Join us at Growing for Life, Preston, Torbay

Drop in anytime between 10 am -2pm. Everyone is welcome

Supported by National Lottery. Donation only

Contact: danbest@sylvanadventures.org for more details.

August 29, 2015July 1, 2020

Dadfest 2015

DadFest2015

Sylvan Adventures is excited to be involved in Dadfest 2015, after hearing such great stories of it last year.

DadFest2015

The only festival in the UK just for dads and children

Friday 18th – Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th September 2015

For dads, male carers and granddads with children all ages [from 3 to 16]

NEW in 2015! This year we also have green-woodworking, DIY smoothies and archery, as well as campfire story-telling, woodland games, fishing, Silly Science, good food, wild walk, cave painting, the Official 2015 World Dad Dancing Competition, magic shows, beer tent and music… and loads more

DadFest tickets: covers all activities, camping spot, shower, etc
Children under 5: FREE
Children 6 – 16: £15
Dads [all ages!]: £45
Concessions available – please contact the organisers

Food Tickets [six meals & all hot drinks, all weekend]
Children: £15
Dads: £35
Don’t worry about bringing food, cooking & washing up – buy a weekend food ticket. Includes full English breakfasts, tea & coffee all weekend, evening and lunch meals, snacks, toast and water whenever you and the children need it.

Hire a Tent?
If you don’t want the hassle of bringing a tent, pitching it and taking it down… you just want to turn up, get stuck in and enjoy the weekend, why not book a tent? You can hire a new 4-man tent and one will be pitched, waiting for you. We’ll take it down on Sunday too. £20 [limited number of tents]

Book early as this amazing weekend books up very quickly.

Workshop leaders:

Pete Moore: Forest School Leader at Forest & Beach

www.forestandbeach.co.uk

Chris Holland: story-teller, bushcraft & outdoor education specialist… and lots more

www.wholeland.org.uk

Hat McKool: superb [and very daft] children’s entertainer

Dan Best of Sylvan Adventures: archery, green wood-working, Forest School and more…

http://sylvanadventures.org

plus: artist David Harbott, food from ‘Toad in the Sky’, and locals beers from The Bridgetown Brewery in Totnes and South Hams Brewery.

for all info & to book email: dangerousdads@btinternet.com

01803 840990
077 317 95160

Check out the DadFest2014 film – it gives you a great idea of this unique festival
DadFest2014 film

April 30, 2015July 1, 2020

Dangerous Dads Torbay. Planting & Play at Growing for Life

Planting and Playing is what we will be doing for the 2nd session of the newly form Dangerous Dads Torbay group.

It is happening on our new allotment, which has been kindly given to the group by the Growing for life project in Preston. We will be playing and exploring Occombe woods, before planting pumpkins and other vegetables between 1 – 4pm. The poster for this event is in the link below:

Torbay Dads Growing poster May 15

April 27, 2015July 1, 2020

looking for a sponsor

Thanks to me being successful in gaining a place on social enterprise course being run by Dartington school for social enterprise in the Autumn of 2014, we are in the process of formalizing Sylvan Adventures into a community interest company or C.I.C.

This means that the profit we earn through our birthday parties, training and bespoke nature awareness projects, will go into the Sylvan Adventures Social Fund. This fund will allow us to support community groups like Dangerous Dads Torbay and Forest School Association Southwest group, as well as providing free events and workshops etc.

To help us achieve this aim, we are exploring options for uniforms, banners and are on a hunt to find a company or organisation to sponsor them. We would able to offer the following benefits depending on how much amount donated:

Uniform: Their company logo on the front of the tops.

Website: Mention and logo on our website.

Facebook: Regular mention on our varies social media platforms e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc.

Banner: Their company logo on our banner or flags etc.

So if you know any organisations who might be interested in us and this sponsorship deal, then please do spread the word. It would allow us to use more of our income on Sylvan Adventures Social Fund.

April 24, 2015July 1, 2020

Dangerous Dads Torbay launch event

It’s not everyday you get to be involved in the birth of something, but we had the pleasure to support the launch event of “Dangerous Dads Torbay” community group on Saturday 18th April between 1 and 4 pm at Primley Park in Torbay. This new community group is also being supported by Action for Children Torbay with its aim to provide free monthly activity events for Dads and male carers with at least one child under five.

We were joined by 18 children and 8 dads on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon, with the smell of wild garlic blowing on the breeze as we explored and play in Primley Park nature reserve in Torbay. There were requests for the old favorites like hide and seek, which we did. It was brilliant watching the dads and their children playing and interacting together, either as they hide amongst the undergrowth or supporting them in counting.

Then we made our way to base camp for den and fire making activities, with all the dads and their children busy playing, socialising and discovering the wonders this nature reserve has to offer. Some enjoyed the delights at lighting their first fire with a flint and steel, which is not as easy as it looks,

Whilst other undertook the challenge of building dens using natural materials and tarps, creating their own woodland palaces:

After all this fun and physical activity, they all were keen not only to toast some marshmallows, but to try some campfire popcorn, as you can see there was more then enough to go around, before heading home very muddy and tired.

For more information on Dangerous Dads Torbay, or it’s next event please check us out and like their Facebook page Dangerous Dads Torbay, or email Dan on danbest@sylvanadventures.org

August 4, 2014July 1, 2020

CentrePeace Community Event 6th August

August 4, 2014July 1, 2020

Summer Here.

Well the summer holidays is here and what lovely weather we have had so far.

So with schools out for the holidays, our activities have also changed from Forest School sessions to outdoor play sessions and community workshops. It started with a beautiful sunny day for Preston Picnic, where we were helped at the event with young people from our Nature Explorer Project. The activities on offer included clay creatures, tree medals and whittling, we were busy all day long with excited children and young people.

For the rest of the holidays we are busy supporting outdoor play sessions for a variety of organisations including:

Outdoor play sessions at an adventure playground in Torquay for Play Torbay.

Birthday parties and woodland holiday club for A Touch of Wild.

Last couple of Nature Explorer Sessions in Torbay, a project funded by New Wave Torbay.

A Wandering Whittling craft workshop for Centre Peace in Paignton.

And lastly on bank holiday weekend in August, we are organising and delivering the outdoor play session with Outdoor People at Exhale festival. More details to follow.

March 17, 2014July 1, 2020

Lets Talk about Play

Well you know the old saying, “when one door closes another opens”. That is whats happening to me this March with my play opportunities.

Last September I was very lucky to be successful in gaining a place on a playwork study tour to Copenhagen, Denmark, investigating adventure playground, afterschool clubs and forest school settings with 7 other playwork professionals from around the UK. It was a very busy, but an exciting week with over 25 play settings visit and 350 photographs taken, were I had specific duties of using social media to record our playwork journey. Here is the web link for the mobility trip journal, I took of our amazing time in Copenhagen:

http://www.mobilytrip.com/user/sylvanadventures

One of the conditions of attending the study tour, was too attend the 12th National Play conference in Eastbourne, which of course I was happy to attend. But I didnt have any real duties to perform, because of doing the social media stuff on the tour or so I thought. Well I really enjoyed the study tour and still reflecting on what I saw and heard there, but didn’t expect anything else to come of it so you could say the door closed.

Well another door opened in February, when Dr Mel McCree (whom I met on the Danish study tour), had to cancel giving her presentation due to ill health. However she suggested I deliver the work on “Could play workers benefit from Forest School training?”, which of course I was delighted to deliver, so another door opened.

Whilst at the play conference on the 4 and 5th March, another workshop was cancelled. This time whittling, one of my favourite past times so I offered to deliver for it. Such an amazing opportunity with about 30 adults joining me and a friend (thanks Jem Collins for your help) for a one hour whittling session. Now that door has closed, two more have opened both involving me giving presentation on play and adventure playgrounds, one is happen on 28th March as part of the Somerset Play Forum . The other presentation is happening on 2nd April in Totnes, with the aim of raising the awareness of the benefits adventure playgrounds to the community.

Come and join me and some of my fellow playwork travellers, as we speak about our playwork discoveries from the study tours, on 2nd April.