SCHOOL GARDENS
The journey stick
Tradition says the Aboriginal people of Australia once created journey sticks to record their travels and help them retell their stories to others. This activity allows children to use leaves, feathers, seedheads, pieces of string and other objects, to record personal memories of a journey. It encourages them to be creative and imaginative and to be truly present in a natural setting; to tell their stories and to listen to others.
Get set Gather your acorns, then look around for hiding places. Make sure
that no one else sees where you stash them. Look for details that might help you fi nd your hiding place again – it might be behind or under a rock, in a tree hole or near a fallen log. Go for a short walk, then head back to where those tasty acorns were hidden.
Go! Now fi nd your acorns! Are they still there? Can the squirrels discover them
all? Off er hints and praise, particularly if anyone is struggling, but let the squirrels fi nd their stash themselves.
Every journey stick is as unique as a child’s experience of that journey. Let the sticks evolve naturally and prepare to be amazed!
Get set Tell the children they’re going to be gathering natural
objects and other things they like on their journey, to become part of their sticks. As they are walking, they can think about the sounds they hear, any feelings and thoughts, the landscapes, trees and animals that catch their attention, the smells, the route they are following. The things they collect will help them recall these experiences. Before you start, let them choose handfuls of coloured string to tie on objects and help with remembering diff erent experiences. Remind everyone to avoid picking rare or poisonous plants, or dangerous items such as broken glass.
Go! Head off on your journey! Put the fi rst thing found at the top of
the stick to represent the beginning and the last thing found near the middle or bottom of the stick. This will help later when you gather to retell the story of each journey.
FIND OUT MORE: For more info and activities
in the Forest School ethos, buy Play the Forest School Way:
Woodland Games, Crafts and Skills for Adventurous Kids by
Peter Houghton & Jane Worroll (EC00695, £12.99). Pete, a qualifi ed Level 3 Forest School leader, and Jane, an ecology and
environmental conservation expert, run year-round Forest School sessions for children all over the country.
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