Bairn Banter marks Forest Learning anniversary
April marks a special milestone for Heart of the Glen’s Forest Learning Sessions as we celebrate one whole year of monthly collaborations with Bairn Banter.
With support from Carsphairn Renewable Energy Fund Ltd (CREFL), we have successfully carried out a full year of outdoor learning experiences within our wee woodland. Glenkens families have participated in a full range of fun activities from willow weaving, bird nest making, tree conservation campfire cooking, tool use, animal tracking, plant identification, den building and so much more!
Taking inspiration from the changing seasons and changing weather conditions we have developed a direct and unique connection between the woodland and how these conditions make us feel and how we adjust our activities to suit. As we move into our second year of the project, we will look to seek funding for more tools to allow the children to get more ‘hands on’ with their individual projects for example the introduction of wood whittling. As spaces are limited, we will continue to operate using the successful booking platform which can be accessed through the Book When website and via our Bairn Banter social media page.
Families attending Bairn Banter have had a busy start to the new year both at the Lagwyne Hall and within the woodlands at Heart of the Glen. January brought the group a Saturday filled with Scots poetry, tartan crafts and an exercise for the tastebuds, as the children prepared and sampled a platter of Scottish themed foods including traditional haggis, neeps and tatties.
February arrived and love filled the air of the Lagwyne Hall as Valentines Day gave us plentiful crafting opportunities and heart themed snacks. At Bairn Banter we try to incorporate a wide range of cultural events for the children to engage in, therefore, in celebration of Chinese New Year (the year of the horse) we made lanterns and cooked up a Chinese feast for snack.
As we march our way into spring, we naturally find ourselves embracing the great outdoors and embracing every opportunity to get our hands in the soil and sow some seeds into our raised bed. The garden has had a few new additions of two dwarf apple trees which were kindly donated by the Pollinators Project back in November. These will complement the range of plant species in this area and hopefully increase the biodiversity of the garden, encouraging more insects into the garden and producing some tasty fruits to enjoy on a Saturday.
Over the coming weeks, the group continues to offer a bounty of free activities for children within the Glenkens, as well as our special events taking place such as our planned trip to Culzean Castle, the upcoming annual Easter Egg Hunt on 4th April and our sponsored animal themed walk/toddle for the charity, Banardos .
As we look towards May, I am delighted to say that Bairn Banter has been invited to attend the very successful, Carsphairn based musical festival, Knockengorroch. Bairn Banter will also be present at the Carsphairn Show on Saturday 6th June offering a variety of crafts/workshops and children’s activities.
Melissa Ade, who coordinates Bairn Banter and the Forest Learning Sessions comments:
“With lots of events taking place over the next few months, I hope that this will offer a plenty of opportunities for all ages to join in and get involved with. Some of these activities have been requested by the children themselves, and its great to see them taking part in the planning of group as we go forward”.
Melissa Ade