ROOTED: connecting trees and people is a project run by the young people at Looking After the Wildness – an outdoor learning provision for teenagers. We are incredibly proud that some members of our group are graduating onto new seasons of life. It’s been a wonderful learning and growing journey together and they have made huge contributions to the local community and to each others’ journeys over the last 4 years.
To mark the occasion, we planted a new tree in Hall Park; a Hornbeam. This replaces the Ash which had to be removed recently. We are excited to see this lovely tree grow alongside the vocations, careers and life journeys of these wonderful young people.
One of our participants wrote this lovely poem whilst sitting under her tree at the end of the session. She kindly read it out during our reflection time, as a way to say goodbye. What a beautiful tearjerker!
Our last day of forest school
Laughing, smiling, joking around
Deciding where to dig the hole
In the ground
On our last day of Forest School.
–
Planting a tree : a Hornbeam
Leaves in the sun shining
So beautifully
On our last day of Forest School
–
Sitting in the grass of the Hall Park floor
Muddy hands grabbing at biscuits galore
On our last day of Forest School.
–
Being gifted a picture of a Goldfinch bird
No way to describe it, we were lost for words
On our last day of Forest School.
–
Sitting by our trees
Swimming in our thoughts
On our last ever session, wanting more
On our last day of Forest School.
–
This is our last day of Forest School
And all I can say on this sunny day
Is that I have loved it all,
Sun, cloud and (lots of) rain.
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Now it’s time to make every day
A Forest School day
After our last day of Forest School.